Gas man cuts off direct debits
And while on the subject of the greedy and often incompetent giant service providers who have us at their mercy (see Halifax’s “no more Mr Nice Guy” below) …
The Times reported this morning that back in February British Gas cancelled the direct debit payments of 45,000 of its gas and electricity customers.
You might think the reason we’re hearing about this so long after the event is that British Gas dealt with the problem quietly and efficiently, and then managed to keep a lid on it.
But no. It appears that no one at the power provider realised there was a problem until now.
As a result, customers caught up in the billing fiasco haven’t been charged for the past four months and will have to pay extra – the deficit averages around £300 per household – until British Gas has recouped the £12 million deficit.
Which goes to show that while direct debits might be convenient, they’re not foolproof – so keep a close eye on them.
