Gas users face hefty charges after error
“It’s important to note that no Bord Gáis Energy customer has been overcharged, nor have their bills been incorrectly calculated,” said the company.
The issue affects customers who signed up for a ‘Level Pay’ scheme. It was supposed to estimate the amount of gas a customer would use in a year, and spread the predicted costs over fixed monthly payments.
While Bord Gáis Energy claimed the scheme would make payments “smoother throughout the year”, some customers find themselves facing large charges because of a technical error in how monthly payments were calculated.
A company spokesperson said: “We’re working with some customers who experienced a technical miscalculation with their Level Pay account, which meant their payments did not cover their actual usage. This, in turn, led to a debit balance building up on their account.
“We’d like to assure customers the error has now been fixed. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and are working closely with those impacted to amend their Level Pay amounts and ensure they are in line with their actual energy usage.”
The company refused to reveal how many customers were affected, and would not say whether some customers have been successful in obtaining a whole or partial write-off of the accumulated amounts owed because of the utility’s miscalculation.
“This is a technical issue where the default monthly amount was incorrectly reduced on some customers’ accounts,” said the spokesperson.
“No customers have been overcharged, nor have there been any additional charges of any type. Outstanding balances vary from customer to customer and we’re working with those impacted to amend their Level Pay amounts and ensure they are in line with their actual energy usage.”
The Commission for Energy Regulation said it is seeking to establish how the error occurred and how Bord Gáis Energy is going to rectify matters.
The commission said that it will monitor the company “to ensure that they are dealing with the affected customers and that they have taken appropriate steps to address the error, as set out in the supplier handbook”.
The regulator said customers unhappy with how the payment plan process is being handled can log a formal complaint with Bord Gáis Energy. If the customer is not satisfied with the outcome of this process, the can log a formal complaint with the commission.
Bord Gáis Energy said it only affected customers who joined in the past 12 months.
