Every now and then, I captivate my audience with a thrilling suspense drama that is not for the faint-hearted. This spine-chilling tale involves ghosts and gaslighting, with energy firms playing the role of predators and unsuspecting householders cast as terrified victims.
Act I
SR’s husband sets up a direct debit to pay British Gas for their energy. However, after two months, British Gas abruptly stops collecting payments without any warning or explanation. Fast forward four months, and SR from Canterbury discovers that her credit score is suffering. The reason? British Gas has recorded four defaulted payments.
This situation is perplexing for two reasons. First, the payments have not defaulted, and second, the account is not even in SR’s name.
Upon investigation, SR learns that British Gas cancelled her husband’s account and created a new one in her name. Strangely, they registered it to an address in Cardiff and sent payment demands there, despite having no contact or payment details for her. SR takes matters into her own hands and discovers, with the help of Google Maps, that the address actually belongs to British Gas themselves. It turns out they have been sending her bills to their own headquarters.
British Gas promises to resolve the debt and restore SR’s credit score through a payment plan. However, they accidentally close the complaint without taking action, leaving her credit rating in ruins. As a result, her credit card limit is reduced from £9,000 to £750, and her car insurer refuses to renew her premium.
Unable to explain why they cancelled the original account and created a new one, British Gas justifies the Cardiff address as a “holding address” for all correspondence, given their lack of contact or payment details for SR. They admit that this prevented SR from making the cancelled payments. They claim to have set up a payment plan for the £1,317 arrears and restored her credit record, but the hope is short-lived as they mistakenly send a statement indicating a higher direct debit amount of £406 instead of the agreed £298. British Gas dismisses the error as a mistake and offers a mere £75 for the inconvenience.
Act II
Next, we encounter the story of SH who receives payment demands from Ovo amounting to over £600. Ovo threatens to compromise SH’s credit rating if he fails to make the payment. The twist? SH is a teenager living with his parents in Chelmsford, and the energy consumption in question supposedly occurred at their previous residence after they moved out. This is despite SH’s parents settling the account and receiving confirmation of its closure.
SH’s mother, HH, questions Ovo about how they can bill someone who has never been the account holder. Ovo’s response is equally baffling, stating that they simply needed a name, address, and phone number. They seemingly obtained SH’s name from the electoral roll, although when HH asks for the phone number they have on file for him, she bursts into laughter upon hearing the seven-digit number ‘7777777’.
Ovo apologizes and assures HH that the rogue account is now closed. However, more bills arrive, this time exceeding £900. It’s only when HH involves the media that Ovo finally takes action. They explain that due to not being informed about a new occupant after the family moved out of the rented property, their debt collections team traced the address and identified SH. Ovo removes SH’s name from the account and sends the family a hamper as an apology.
Is this the end of the story? Of course not. The bills continue, but this time in the names of HH and her husband. Ovo blames it on “human error”. However, after this incident, the phantom finally seems to be exorcised.
Act III
Our final tale involves pensioners JD and her husband. Soon after British Gas confirms that £47 a month would cover their electricity, they attempt to take the first installment, totaling £908.
“We rely on our pension and simply don’t have that kind of money,” says JD, who seeks medical help for the stress caused by this ordeal. The couple lives in a two-bedroom bungalow with solar panels and gas-heated water. Prior to British Gas assuming their account, they had actually been in credit.
Surprisingly, the couple receives successive statements that assure them their payments are “spot on,” despite the increasingly terrifying estimates. The mystery is solved when I contact British Gas: the meter reading was incorrectly changed during an account review the previous year, resulting in these outrageous demands.
A re-billing exercise confirms that the account is actually in credit by £795 and that £46 a month will cover their consumption. Relief is short-lived as they receive a statement warning them that they will be £2,832 in arrears within three months. JD, terrified of bailiffs at their door, turns to British Gas once again. They admit to yet another error and, since then, there has been merciful silence.
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