In April 2009 we changed to BG electricity. Meter reading was 36046 on start day. I submitted several other meter reading which steadily increased and the latest been 20th Jan 2010 which was 38950.

Meter changed on 3rd March 2010 and BG now claiming meter reading was 49212 on that date = £1000 bill! Had 3 phone conversations with BG now and still not sorted. A manager is calling me back today and I want to know what the best way forward is and what rights I have?

From my point of view its pretty obvious that either myself or the meter man got the first digit wrong of the reading – BG are claiming we (3 people, not elec heating) have used approx 10,000 kwh in 6 weeks.

Anyone had similar? What did you do?

Just submit another meter reading with the correct value?

read the meter yourself before you do anything else. If it's less than 49212 you're in the clear

If they still insist then ring your local BBC radio station & say "here's a challenge for you"

The meter has been replaced to a digital one that started at 00000 so that isnt possible.

Ahhh now I've re-read it, I see. Well you're royally fecked in a sense, as you have no proof of anything. But the good side is they dont either, so it's your word against theirs and theirs would require you to have a weed plant grow going on in the loft.

did you get given a card with a reading when the engineer changed the old meter?

I'd ask them to look at your usage before and since the change and adjust the bill to reflect the fact that there must have been an error somewhere – they must have the final reading the previous occupant took somewhere to compare it to as well?

Yes they left a card with the high reading on. We changed from N Power so Ill try to dig out their bills (they also tried to charge us £2000 when we left)!

Just had a call from BG and now we are £130 in credit with an adjusted end meter reading! I can't believe that they can get it wrong by £930.

Anyone all sorted now, maybe they saw this thread and backed down!

it's worth twittering stuff – most of them watch that quite closely at the moment.

I can't honestly believe any of the major companies can spare a member of staff to watch twitter for bad customer service reports. I can see that being fairly helpful to them, but I cant see them having the foresight to do it.

coffeeking – Member
I can't honestly believe any of the major companies can spare a member of staff to watch twitter for bad customer service reports. I can see that being fairly helpful to them, but I cant see them having the foresight to do it.

'tis true!

I slagged of BT and now their customer service dept. is following me!

BTW, if you are reading this at BT you are still by far the worst bunch of a-holes it has been my extreme misfortune to deal with. And that is saying something when you consider I have also been dicked around by United Utilities (Insurance policy? What insurance policy?), NPower (If you won't tell anybody I won't) and Tiscali/Talk Talk (Here is a bill for when you weren't actually with us).

A friend of mine had a new gas meter put in, and during this apparently they changed the units the meter measured in but forgot to update his account so had been paying a far higher rate per unit than supposed to.

Ended up getting a pretty massive cheque which bought a nice alpine 160.

Could be worth checking

Some companies have dedicated personal to look at things like twitter.

Good luck dealing with that bunch of tossers. I bought a house about 15 yrs ago that had one of those gas payment card meters in it. I didn't want it and had to pay to have an ordinairy meter installed by British Gas. About 6 mths later they sent me a bill for £1100 claiming that amount had been owing at the time the original meter had been removed.

I rang them and explained that a) I had just bought the house and was therefore not liable and b) that the meter they had removed had been a "pay as you go" type and therefore how could it run up a £1100 debt.

They agreed and said they would rectify it. They didn't & over the next 5 years I received numerous bills, threats to disconnect, a court summons and threats from bailiffs to seize property!!!!

Each time I contacted them, the person dealing with my "case" had changed and the grief only stopped when I moved. Then – 10 years later I applied for a new mobile phone. Within two days I got a visit from a shady debt collection agency saying that BG had passed on my debt to them and my credit check for the phone had alerted them of my new address, as if I had somehow been hiding from them. Unbelievable !!!.

I couldn't believe it. Luckily, my ex had kept all of the documentation including numerous letters accepting that BG were at fault. They are without doubt the worst company I have ever had the misfortune to deal with and make it my own personal mission to tell people my tale of woe. EVen now I get the jitters when applying for a car loan / mortgages etc because I worry that the pr1cks at BG will have resurrected this spurious debt.

Be warned. Get something in writing and keep it somewhere safe.

About 2 months ago I had a cold call salesman about 17 yrs old at my door. he was from British Gas. I welcomed him in and gave him the whole history. He practically ran off down the street when I'd finished with him. (not his fault I know but it made me feel better)

Thanks for listening……….. how much do I owe you??

and b) that the meter they had removed had been a "pay as you go" type and therefore how could it run up a £1100 debt.

Because the cards are widely hacked
The occupiers avoid the periodical physical meter reads & hope to be away before it becomes impossible to dodge

http://www.bikebiz.com/forum/1?thread=119366

bike shop owner with a similar issue…

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/ ftw

They sorted out npower for me after they dicked me about. Email them with the problem and they'll sort it for you.

I've spent the last hour looking at my Scottish Power account and Uswitch, just ended up pulling my hair out.

Reading this hasn't helped 😕

I had no end of hassle from BG when I moved into my first rented place. Told them of the change of tenancy, gave them meter readings etc and from then on I was getting a letter a day (record was 9 in one week!) addressed to me, "The Occupant" or the previous tenant, everything from
"Welcome to BG, we're wonderful" to requests for meter readings, demands for payment (including a red bill for £0.00 threatening all kinds of horrible things if I didn't pay), random sums of money credited and debited, it was just unbelievable.

Phoning didn't work, I'd hang on for ages going through sub menu after sub menu, being put on hold and finally it would say "there is no-one available to take your call, goodbye" and cut me off.

In the end I had to write them 4 letters but fortunately my landlady was very good with record keeping and had meter readings going back years so that finally did the trick. Then I changed to npower (who are actually very good).