British Gas has issued an apology after mistakenly charging a customer, John Spink, £2,500 for energy bills he did not owe. Mr. Spink, 79, received a letter in April

claiming he owed this substantial sum due to increased energy costs following the installation of a smart meter in his home. Despite numerous attempts to contest the bill through letters, emails, and calls with the assistance of his neighbor, British Gas informed him that his details had been forwarded to a debt collection agency.

Upon BBC Money Box's intervention, British Gas acknowledged their error and confirmed that Mr. Spink from south-east London did not owe any money. They apologized and agreed to compensate him with £500. A spokesperson for British Gas stated, "This has now been resolved and we can see from Mr. Spink’s smart meter readings that his gas usage is very low. We’ve confirmed that his account balance is currently zero, he won’t receive any further reminders, and a goodwill gesture is on its way."

This incident comes amidst previous controversies involving British Gas, including one where debt agents were found to have forcibly installed prepayment meters in vulnerable individuals' homes. The energy supplier, under scrutiny for aggressive debt collection practices, assured that Mr. Spink's case was a result of customer service mishandling and that they had rectified the billing error before media attention.

Mr. Spink, who has resided in his home for nearly three decades, expressed his astonishment at the inflated bill, noting that his usual bills were modest amounts. He criticized British Gas for what he described as appalling handling of the situation, feeling that he was often ignored or given insufficient responses to his concerns. His neighbor, Angela, who assisted him throughout the ordeal, described the frustration of repeatedly contacting British Gas without satisfactory resolutions.

Citizen's Advice reported an increase in complaints about aggressive debt collection tactics by energy suppliers, while the energy regulator Ofgem emphasized the importance of compassionate handling of billing disputes, having recently strengthened regulations to protect consumers facing financial difficulties.

British Gas clarified that despite initial letters indicating otherwise, they had not actually referred Mr. Spink's case to a debt collector. They acknowledged the need for improved customer service and vowed to better address similar issues in the future. Photo by KRoock74, Wikimedia commons.