Yahoo Finance British Gas customers owe the most after months of customer service chaos
Indebted British Gas customers owe their supplier more than those of any other energy firm after months of service chaos at the firm.
Some 16pc of British Gas customers are in debt, owing the firm an average of £240, compared with the industry average of £189, according to Uswitch, the price comparison website.
British Gas was recently named the worst energy firm to switch to after a supplier goes bust, after thousands of households were left waiting months to receive their credit balances, according to a survey by consumer website MoneySavingExpert.
As of last month, nine in 10 customers who were moved from PFP Energy or People's Energy to British Gas were still waiting to get their credit balance back. Meanwhile, just 20pc of those moved to other firms said they were still waiting.
Giving evidence to MPs last week, Chris O'Shea, the head of Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, blamed the administrators of the failed firms for the delays, saying they were "not incentivised to do anything quickly".
British Gas has been named among the worst firms in the country for customer service, along with HMRC and the DVLA. Users complain of long phone waiting times and slow responses to problems.
One reader said he was chased by the firm for money he did not owe after his mother died. He said he had sold his late mother’s bungalow in September but received a bill for £220 for October, November and December.
“British Gas is still chasing the money and the people who bought the property now use Octopus for their gas and electricity,” the reader said. “You cannot email British Gas or speak to them on the phone unless you have an hour or two to spare.”
In total, a quarter of all households are now in debt to their energy supplier, according to Uswitch, after months of climbing bills, incorrect charges and crumbling customer service.
Octopus Energy has the largest proportion of customers in debt: 33pc owe it an average of £149. Across the industry 23pc of homes are in debt, owing £189 on average, while 29pc are in credit to the tune of £139 on average.
A British Gas spokesman said: “We know customers are struggling right now and there is help and support available. Our £6m British Gas energy support fund has been set up in response to the increasing cost of living and rising inflation. Through the fund, thousands of customers are provided with grants of between £250 and £750 to help pay towards their energy bills.”
An Octopus Energy spokesman said: “Uswitch's figures are a snapshot of credit and debit balances but Ofgem figures show problem debt at 6pc, with Octopus rather lower at 2pc. Like all energy companies we expect debt to grow as the crisis makes things harder for everyone and we’ll continue to work relentlessly to help customers through this.”
