Brit Gas prepayment meter - been paying over the odds on wrong tariff

[mraeburn]

Hiya

 

I moved into private rented accommodation around 8 months ago. There is no gas supply, only electricity, and the only heating comes from convector heaters fixed to the walls. There's a prepayment meter with a little dongle I recharge, which I've never encountered before, but I went with it as it seemed smart to keep up with my bills and not face that shock of a big bill landing on my mat every 3 months. However, a statement from British Gas arrived recently, addressed to a long-gone previous tenant - the first such statement to arrive since I moved in. This was the first that I knew of the account being in someone's name, and that there was a particular tariff attached - I rather niaively thought it wasn't effectively in anyone's name and that you just put some money in and some power came out. I decided to check out rates and discovered I could save a fortune by switching to a normal meter. So...I called British Gas to change over, no prob's there. However, I also discovered that the tariff that had been running on the account was completely inappropriate - it had cheaper rates for night-time use (aimed at users of night-storage heaters) and consequently the most expensive rates for daytime use (the only time I use it). The flat I'm in has never had night-storage heaters, and any analysis of the meter-readings by BG would surely show that electricity was never being used during the cheaper night-time.

So...my query is: Do I just need to write off the hundred or so pounds (!) I've paid over the odds as bad luck, or do I have any come-back as having been overcharged on a system I know nothing about, with no communication from BG about the account for over 8 months and with no indication on the meter about who owns it or who to contact regarding the tariff?

 

Thanks in advance.

All the best

M

[ozzywizard]

To be honest you will have to pay it. Its the tarrif you are on with a 2 rate meter. Tell them you now want a singal rate meter fitted and standard one rate tarrif. You should of not been on that tarrif but they will say you should of notified them. I know it is very poor on their part but legally you will have to pay.

[mraeburn]

Thanks for the reply.

That's more or less what I've resigned myself to. I can see now that legally it probably fell to me to get in touch in the first place to check the situation and rectify it. Just seems a bummer to have to negotiate all these new schemes and tarrifs these big co's come up with to sort out their own problems, with no mechanisms in place to monitor the ongoing effects of these schemes on people who aren't aware of them existing in the first place!

Cheers

M