British Gas £112k bill blunder

Sunday 24th February 2008, 12:01AM GMT.

When Elys Davies received a fuel bill of more than £112,000 for just two months, despite not having an account with British Gas, he burst into hysterics.

But it was no laughing matter when just weeks later when he discovered the company was taking him to court.

Mr Davies, from Wolverhampton, had explained to customer service staff he did not have an account with the company. But that failed to stop British Gas pursuing legal recourse.

Mr Davies, a 26-year-old electrician, had been living at his partner Laura Davies’s house in Meriden Road, Rakegate, for a couple of months until they were able to move into their new home in Oxley, in June.

Mr Davies said: “I was at the old house one day when a British Gas salesman came round. I told him we would consider using British Gas at the new house.”

Three months later he received the bill at Meriden Road.British Gas spokesman Rhys Jones today said: “We are currently investigating why it was issued and offer our apologies to Mr Davies.”


  1. 1
    peter

    British Gas need to pull there finger out. I have the same problem with them everytime my dad pays a bill saying he hasnt and we have to be the ones to contact the bank and find out where the money has gone. And every time we get a letter back saying your payment had been found with a sorry at the end. Im sick of hearing sorry from these people.

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  2. 2
    Joe Davies, Oxley

    Elys, you should have gone to court and shown up British Gas for their incompetence! The judge would have awarded you costs and their reputation, for what it is worth, would have been tarnished. Considering the obscene profit they have announced this week, it would have been nice to see some of it come your way!

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  3. 3
    Val

    Been there, done that. Changed supplier from nPower to British Gas. They didn’t read my meter for five years (therefore they didn’t adjust the charges). I was on a token meter and found I was a lot of money in debt through no fault on my part.

    They wrote a chunk off, which was fair; but then it wasn’t written off and I was threatened with Court Action. Many, many phone-calls and a snotty letter later, it seems to be sorted.

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  4. 4
    IAN PAYNE

    Go get em Elys !!!

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  5. 5
    r taylor

    British gas again!!! W I feel for mr Davies. WE live in a flat, and have done, yet keep getting both bills to this address for a dead woman who lived here when it was owned by the council, and the next day, a welcome to british gas letter will drop on the doorstep.

    Its a good con, cos u are on the phone ages trying to understand the foreign idiot the other end of the phone, and they are raking it on their local rate numbers.

    British Gas will never get my custom again. Pull ya fingers out!!!

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  6. 6
    Karen

    These days companies/banks etc. don’t listen to people, push buttons on the phone, ignore the complaints and be arrogant. I would love to tell them all to get lost and take my business to companies that care for their customer, no touch buttons and to have a person at the end of the phone that is in Britain.

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  7. 7
    phil

    gosh thats the correct price just shows how they have risen

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