British Gas turns clock back to refund £700

British Gas turns clock back to refund £700

Without my authorisation and without warning, British Gas withdrew £698 from my bank account last September for electricity supplied to a property where I used to live. I found out when my bank card was rejected in a restaurant because I was overdrawn. I had tried to send BG a forwarding address and final reading, but its website was not working properly. I emailed instead.

A year ago, I received the final statement, which I thought was rather high, but BG said it was correct because my direct debits had been too low. When I received the extra £698 bill, I checked the meter readings and saw that in some quarters the readings had moved backwards! DG, London

British Gas wanted to have a look at this meter, but the rep turned up earlier than his appointment, before you had returned home, and BG then went quiet. I reminded them that you were still waiting for a visit. BG blames a confusing, old-style dial meter for the conflicting meter readings. It photographed this ancient monument and discovered that you are in fact £644 in credit from your monthly direct debits.

It immediately refunded the money. When I suggested it should round this up to £700 to compensate for holding on to your money, you got an extra £56.

Made to pay for missing dividend cheque

I hold shares in Lloyds TSB, but did not receive last October's dividend cheque. The registrar, Equiniti, confirmed.....continued below

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that the cheque had not been cashed, but insists that I pay £11.75 for a replacement. WJ, Solihull

Registrars always make shareholders pay for replacement certificates or cheques that go astray, even when it is not their fault and there is no doubt about their identity. This time, though, Equiniti has agreed to waive the fee and suggests that you receive future dividends directly into your bank account.

I had to close bank account to halt AOL's direct debits

AOL continued to take £15.99 a month from my bank account for two years after we cancelled our internet service in August 2005. AOL confirmed that the account was closed, but no longer replies to my emails. I had to close my bank account to stop the charges. LH, Sutton

AOL found that you had three separate dial-up accounts. It cancelled only two and says it has no record of your cancelling the third. At first it refused to refund any money. You pointed out that you had repeatedly told AOL you had closed the third account in 2005, before closing your bank account and direct debit mandate in 2007. AOL insisted that the account had been regularly used until 2007 and, as the account holder, you were responsible if another member of your family had access to it. You explained why that was impossible. You moved out of the house in August 2005, when you got married, and moved again in 2006. You and your wife have no children nor extended family in the UK, apart from your sister, who never visited that house.

On thinking this through, AOL offered you £200, but that was less than you had overpaid. It now accepts that there is some ambiguity over whether you cancelled the third account and has agreed to refund £383, the full amount you have paid since August 2005.

Clearer policy details could have saved me legal bill