A YOUNG couple claim they paid their neighbour’s energy bills for over eight months after British Gas got their meter readings mixed up.
Emma Peters and Pedro Fraga, both 21, were horrified when their gas bills kept rising even when they turned the heating off in December.
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The outraged pair reckon they paid over £700 in energy costs while the family-of-four upstairs benefited from their cost saving efforts.
Accounting student Emma and labourer Pedro complained about their soaring bills and took British Gas to the ombudsman and won.
The energy giant admitted they mixed up two meters at the new build block of flats and apologised.
Emma told The Sun: “We’re in a brand new property and ever since we moved here it’s been like this.
“It’s been a struggle to get British Gas to realise that they’ve confused our readings – it’s not our bill.
“We had to stop using heating because our bills were getting higher and higher.
“I know which one is my meter, it’s an absolute joke.”
It comes as the Office for National Statistics confirmed gas prices have soared 129.4 per cent.
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Meanwhile the ONS said electricity prices rose 66.7 per cent in the year up to February 2023.
And last month The Sun told how British Gas were banned by regulator Ofgem from force fitting pre-payment metres in customers’ homes.
The couple moved into their new build one bed flat in July last year and immediately suspected British Gas had confused their meter readings with the family upstairs.
After months of arguing in December the energy firm admitted a mistake with their billing and paid £100 in compensation, with a promise the bills would be fixed.
But the problem continued and the bill for January was also wrong.
Emma and Pedro took British Gas to the ombudsman who last month found in their favour and ordered the firm to pay them a further £60 in compensation.
Resolving the disputing James Gerrard, ombudsman investigating officer, said: “I require British Gas to apply the correct set of meter readings to your account and issue a new bill.
“There have been long delays with the correcting of the errors with your account.
“You have spent considerable time and effort providing information to British Gas, and contacting them asking for the work to fix the errors to be completed.
“As you described, they ‘did not listen to you’ until November 2022, causing a long delay.
“As well as the time taken and trouble caused by your complaint, your ability to manage your energy account, monitor your usage and budget for the cost has been severely disrupted because you have been billed for the wrong supply.
“The seriousness of the detrimental impacts on you were recognised by British Gas in providing £100 goodwill.
“That goodwill was paid in December 2022.
“At which time the errors were not fixed. It was more than a month until the “only correct bill” was issued on 24 January 2023.
“That bill was also wrong and will need to be cancelled.
“The time taken and trouble caused by your complaint, and the disruption to your ability to manage your account, is ongoing.
“Further goodwill to that provided months ago, and before the errors were fixed, is appropriate.
“I require British Gas to issue an apology and make a further £60 goodwill gesture payment in recognition of the shortfalls in service.”
Emma and Pedro say the compensation is not enough and believe their latest British Gas bill is also wrong.
Emma added: “It’s a nightmare and I can’t have this going on any longer.
“Something needs to be done, they are incompetent.
“We can’t let them get away with it.”
A British Gas spokesperson said: “We were given the incorrect meter details when the energy supply for this new build property was first registered with us.
“We’ve already reached out to Ms Peters to say sorry for not fixing this earlier and have reassured her that we’ve updated her account with the correct meter details and have adjusted her bill in line with accurate meter readings.”
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