British Gas tried to stop a single mum from withdrawing £5,400 in credit after wrongly billing her £9,000.
Little had changed in the energy usage of Roxanne Pitteway and her four kids since they moved into their Cambridge home in 2015.
She paid the bills through direct debit and didn’t think much more about it, last taking a meter reading 17 months before.
But in November, after a rise in the energy price gap, British Gas recommended the 39-year-old’s monthly payment increase from £250 to £460.
Price hikes often seem extortionate, but not as much as what came next.
Roxanne said: ‘I went on the live chat to ask them if this was right and that I was using this much more energy as it seemed quite a jump.
‘They asked me to send them a meter reading to check and said it [the direct debit] was coming up as this because I was £9,000 in debt.
‘I said “wow” and asked them to check this because it seemed quite a lot and felt like they should have told me beforehand if I was in this much debt.
‘They said it was correct, which is why they had to up my direct debit.
‘I am a single parent and have four children so it was a bit of a shock and obviously would impact what I would be spending over Christmas and your monthly budget.’
Although Roxanne could afford the hit to her budget, an extra £200 plus thousands in debt is ‘enough to absolutely destroy some people’.
But Roxanne wasn’t convinced. She said: ‘There had been no real change in the way we use our energy.
‘I asked them to double check and they came back and said there had been a mistake at their end. [British Gas] told me I had £5,400 in credit.’
Instead of being £9,000 in debt, British Gas actually owed Roxanne thousands.
But when she asked for this money back, she says British Gas tried to dissuade her.
Roxanne said: ‘I asked for this to be refunded but they advised me not to as you build up an excess over summer to pay for fuel in winter.
‘British Gas asked me if I could afford this and I said yes. They said if I did receive the refund they would have to put my direct debit up to £700.’
Eventually the £5,462.16 landed back in her account on November 26, and Roxanne has since switched energy provider, despite British Gas offering her a better rate to stay.
A spokesperson for Centrica, on behalf of British Gas, said: ‘Mrs Pitteway’s bills were being estimated for some time.
‘When she contacted us on 19th November we took a meter reading, billed her up-to-date and then informed her of the large credit balance.
‘Our advisor processed the refund on the same day – this was then received in Mrs Pitteway’s bank account within 3-5 working days on 26 November.’
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