r/BritishGas

I have just moved into my flat and I am trying to switch from British Gas to Octopus for my energy supply.

I contacted Octopus and they have said my meter is registered as a standard meter and not a prepayment meter (my electricity is PAYG) and I need to get a British Gas to rectify the issue. I contacted British Gas said they have raised a ticket to get this changed. I spoke to support today and I got two different answers.

One of the answers I got was that I would have to wait 7 days for an update and then after I might have to wait longer to get this fixed and it may or may not be fixed.

The other answer I got was that it can be done and it would be done in 7 days as it’s marked as a priority but it could be longer.

My question is can my request to have meter information updated be done and does it take long? This is my first flat so I am very new to this.

Remember the great outage of November/December 2025?
I feel like it’s happening again

I’ve got 0 usage on my electricity meter showing since 13th July.

My gas bill came through as normal on 3rd August, but still no electric bill, I’m assuming because they don’t have half the usage they need.

My only concern is that I’m on an EV tariff, so currently my usage splits between peak and off peak, and I’m worried they just do a manual meter reading and whack it all on as peak usage. (I’ll be honest, I’ve no idea if this is how it works or not)

Anyway, anybody else missing their usage since mid July?

Been with British Gas for a few years and never had a problem until recently. One of my house mates moved out and was person who was signed up with them, so when she left we had to sign up again. They quoted us the same price as before...great, so literally two months later we get a bill which is over double what we usually pay. So we call them, they apologise and said they just "assumed" that we used that much, and we will get a refund in the difference within the next 10 working days. That passes, and nothing. So we call them again, and they tell us that the doubled price is correct and we are not getting a refund and have to do a bank indemnity claim if we want it back. They then ask for a meter reading, and they tell us they have a much higher reading on their end and I need to send them a photo of the reading. So I send them a photo of our much lower reading, and they say they will get back to us. Honestly it is giving me such a headache, I am not even convinced they will get back to us and I will be calling them again. What can I do to make them fix this? They are going to rob us of double our actual bill again soon.

Looking for advice – British Gas HomeCare / BoilerMate 2000
I’m looking for some advice on whether I have a legitimate complaint against British Gas and what my options are.
I have a BoilerMate 2000 thermal store and have a British Gas HomeCare policy. The unit stopped working, so I called British Gas out under my HomeCare cover.
An engineer attended, diagnosed a seized/faulty pump, but told me that the BoilerMate wasn’t covered under my policy. As a result, the pump wasn’t replaced and I was effectively left with the option of replacing the hot water system instead.
What I find particularly confusing is that:
Around 2 years ago, British Gas attended the exact same BoilerMate under my HomeCare policy and repaired a fault.
Before the recent visit, I also contacted British Gas via live chat/sales, and was told that my BoilerMate was covered.
Their AI/live-chat service also confirmed that it was covered.
British Gas have now apparently admitted that I was incorrectly told it was covered, but despite this, the pump still wasn’t repaired under the policy.
I was then quoted around £2,500 for two engineers to install a replacement hot water cylinder.
On the installation date, only one engineer turned up, so the work couldn’t be completed. I was then left waiting another four days without hot water before it was eventually completed.
The circumstances made this particularly difficult because my partner was 9 months pregnant at the time, and we also have a child under four.
British Gas have offered me £250 compensation, apparently for being left without hot water for the four days. However, I don’t feel this properly reflects everything that happened.
My main question is:
If the original problem was a failed/seized pump, and British Gas had previously repaired the same BoilerMate under HomeCare, why wouldn’t they simply replace the pump this time?
I’m also struggling to understand how they can say the BoilerMate isn’t covered while simultaneously acknowledging that I was given incorrect information saying that it was.
I’m considering taking the complaint further, but before I do, I’d really appreciate some advice from anyone familiar with British Gas HomeCare, BoilerMate systems, consumer rights or complaints.
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that British Gas should have repaired the pump under the policy, particularly given the previous repair and the information I was given?
And is £250 a reasonable compensation offer for the overall situation, or should I be challenging this further?

I've just moved into a new place in London, and we have what I think is a pay-as-you-go meter in the house (with the little key and everything), and the previous tenants were with British Gas. We received a letter with the old tenant's reference number that our letting agent said was for him to pay (as it was a bill from the period in which the house was unoccupied). This old reference number does not work when we try to create an account or login or anything. The letting agent said to wait for a welcome letter from British Gas that would contain a new reference number for us to create and set up an account with, however it has been a week and a half and still nothing.

I've looked everywhere I thought to online and there seems to be no way to request a reference number or get in contact with British Gas over the phone or even with their AI bs without having an account, which I CAN'T MAKE WITHOUT A REFERENCE NUMBER. I feel like I'm missing something incredibly obvious, because it should not be this difficult to give this company my business, right?

Is there a way I can request a reference number without having an account, or a way to create an account without one? Do I need to ask my letting agent/landlord for some specific documents? Has anyone else had this problem? I feel like I'm losing it. Thanks ya'll

Had PAYG smart meters fitted on Thursday with £150 plus on both gas and electricity from old key and card top up method.

Balance hasn’t transferred over yet but I’ve been paying to top up until it comes through.

On phone when booking the operator said the engineer would put it on the new meter on the day. The engineer said he had put it on the queuing system and it would take a couple of hours.

Nothing today, phoned BG and was told it would take 48!hours.

Asked for a manual push and was told no.

Surely this shouldn’t take this long?

I was previously with Utilita from 2022, on a pay-as-you-go plan, after buying my house — a two-bedroom terraced house. I always topped up and never had any problems with Utilita. I rarely use gas from April to November each year, with usage amounting to £10–15 monthly during that period. I am a widower and mainly live alone, with my two toddlers staying 2–3 days a week. My highest monthly winter bill with Utilita pay-as-you-go over three-plus years was £150, and £70–80 in summer from April onward. The average gas and electric bill on my street is £115 monthly.

There was a broken smart meter when I moved in after buying the house, so I threw it in the bin and never had a smart meter since.

I received a random call in February 2026 from a British Gas agent who promised that my fixed monthly bill and direct debit would be £92 a month. I told him I was happy with Utilita, but he insisted British Gas was cheaper with fixed monthly payments. I explained my situation as a widowed single dad of two with a heart condition who needed peace of mind — I have already made a complaint about how he marketed the switch to me on that basis.

I paid £92 for March and April, then received a sudden notification that my direct debit was increasing to £215 monthly. I was shocked and called immediately to ask why it had gone up so much. I was told they had done a future calculation/estimate based on my current reading and projected winter usage. I said I’d had enough and wanted to go back to Utilita, and I lodged a complaint asking for the plan I was sold to be reviewed, given their duty of care. They said I would pay £100 to switch back to Utilita, which I accepted, as I just wanted peace of mind.

I have been back with Utilita pay-as-you-go since the end of June, and my total charge so far is £80 for gas and electricity combined.

This morning I was shocked to see a direct debit request for £1,498. I called my bank immediately to reclaim the money and cancel the British Gas direct debit, then called British Gas and spent an hour discussing the issue. The agent was polite and seemed to understand my frustration, but after putting me on hold for a few minutes, she said I still owed the £1,498, as that reflected my actual usage over the three months with British Gas. I said there was no way I could have used that much — I’m not living in a steel plant. She said the figure came from my smart meter reading. I reiterated that I no longer have a smart meter.

I’m posting this for advice on how to proceed. I’ve already filed a complaint with the agent, but I know that could take a long time, and I’m worried it will affect my credit score, since she said they would still charge my bank. I’m completely lost for words and at breaking point. I have a mortgage to pay and children to feed alone.