HomeCare error with British Gas

I am writing in the hope that you will be able to resolve a dispute I have with British Gas concerning payment for a HomeCare policy. It says I owe money, but I have paid in full.

I think the problem may be that two years ago I had two HomeCare plans, which British Gas may now have mixed up. I have had several phone conversations with the firm but it is like talking to a brick wall most of the time.

Please can you intercede? MJ, SOUTH YORKS

Originally, you just had cover for the central heating. Later you had taken out a policy for plumbing and drains as well, but had discontinued it after a year.

Instead of the plumbing and drainage cover being simply removed, the account was split in two. Then the payment for the central heating cover was not allocated correctly. It was diverted into the plumbing account that shouldn’t have been there.

This meant the systems showed you had not paid for the yearly central heating policy, causing it to lapse. Luckily you had no reason for a call-out at this stage.

Despite, as British Gas readily acknowledges, your contacting it on numerous occasions, the problem remained unresolved. A couple of times it seemed to have been sorted out but then the issues started all over again.

I spoke to British Gas and it said: “We are sorry for the ongoing difficulty that Mr and Mrs J experienced when they renewed their HomeCare. An admin error occurred when they changed their policy, which meant their payments weren’t correctly assigned to their account. We have now rectified the error.”

British Gas has now refunded £258.84 for premiums you had paid and offered £100 for goodwill, which you have accepted.

Your heating agreement has been reinstated and you have just renewed it.

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