BRITISH Gas has made another “perverse” change to the way customers pay energy bills, The Sun can reveal.
It comes just weeks after the supplier quietly ditched giro slips from thousands of customer bills.
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Now British Gas has also removed its bank account number and sort code from the bottom of customer bills.
It means that thousands of customers might be duped into thinking that they no longer have the option to settle their bill by bank transfer using faster payments.
Martyn James, consumer rights expert, said: “Given the huge pressures facing people during the cost-of-living crisis, the decision to make it more difficult to pay an energy bill in person or direct to a bank is both perverse and deeply unfair.
“I can’t think of any good reason why energy firms would take this course of action other than to make it much harder for people to maintain control over their own abilities to pay their bills.”
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Before the change customers were given the option to pay their bill in this way by sending what they owe to the following bank account details:
But the removal of this information from bills has made some customers assume that they can no longer settle in this way.
It comes after several readers contacted The Sun to explain that they’ve found it difficult to get hold of the supplier’s bank account details.
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One customer told the publication: “I’ve repeatedly requested the details but they don’t provide them.
“However, they simply fall back on ‘pay by phone’ or ‘pay on our website’, neither of which I want to use.
“I always pay via Faster Payments as it allows me to have a history, on my bank statement, of all such payments.”
But British Gas has told The Sun that customers are well within their right to pay their bill by bank transfer.
A British Gas Spokesperson said: “The vast majority of our customers pay their bills successfully by direct debit, card or cheque.
“Any customer who wants to pay by bank transfer can contact us and we’ll help them to do that.
“We continue to explore a variety of payment methods for our customers to give flexibility on how they can pay.”
But Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Energy suppliers should think very carefully about the impact on our older population when they choose to make it more difficult for them to pay their bill via their preferred method.”
The move to also ditch giro slips from thousands of customer bills means that tens of thousands will no longer be able to pay their bill at their local Post Office, Payzone kiosk or bank branch.
Up until recently, these customers, often older and more vulnerable, could settle their electricity and gas accounts by exchanging the giro slip in their local branch.
They could then pay it with cash, a cheque, credit or debit card and it would usually be processed within three working days.
But the supplier told The Sun that it has ditched these cheques from thousands of customer bills who weren’t paying in this way already.
A spokesperson said: “We’ve not made any changes for customers who currently pay by giro as we understand it’s important for them to be able to pay in their preferred way.”
But one furious customer who’s always used his payment slip contacted Sun Money to highlight that it had still been removed from his bill.
However, British Gas has said that affected customers can still request a giro slip if they want to change their payment method.
Customers wanting to add a giro slip back onto their paper bill should call British Gas on 0333 202 9804 or get in touch via the live chat on the supplier’s website.
How else can I pay my energy bills?
British Gas customers who set up an account on the supplier’s website can quickly pay their bill using their debit or credit card.
Or phone British Gas’ automated payment line on 0333 202 9524.
But if you’ve set up an online account, you’ll also have the option to pay via direct debit.
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Switching to direct debit payments is one of the easiest ways to slash your energy bills as gas and electricity rates are charged at the cheapest rate with this payment method.
Those without an online account can still pay their bill by using a BACS or Faster Payments bank transfer using the payee details on their latest bill.
