{"id":13818,"date":"2026-08-18T15:55:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13818"},"modified":"2026-08-18T15:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:55:27","slug":"british-gas-customer-claimed-300-for-solar-power-but-received-38611-59-by-mistake-she-spent-seven-weeks-trying-to-give-it-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13818","title":{"rendered":"British Gas customer claimed \u00a3300 for solar power but received \u00a338,611.59 by mistake; she spent seven weeks trying to give it back"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"British<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
British Gas paid a person \u00a338,000 by mistake, and they can\u2019t give it back<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A British Gas customer spent seven weeks asking the energy company to recover more than \u00a338,000 that was mistakenly paid into her bank account, only to discover that customer service staff had no clear process for taking the money back. The homeowner, identified as DT from Sale, submitted a routine quarterly feed-in tariff (FIT) claim for \u00a3300 in May after providing a meter reading for energy generated by her solar panels. Instead of the expected amount, British Gas emailed her to confirm a payment of \u00a338,611.59. The full amount reached her bank account the next day and remained there for almost two months despite her repeated calls and letters. According to a consumer rights report by The Guardian<\/span>, British Gas said the huge overpayment happened because an agent entered the wrong meter reading.<\/p>\n

Seven weeks of administrative limbo<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Despite repeatedly contacting customer service, DT found that staff had no script or clear procedure for returning the money. The situation also caused legal worries, as keeping or spending money that someone knows they are not entitled to can lead to criminal and civil consequences. In correspondence with The Guardian, DT described her frustration with the situation. “I knew it was illegal to spend money I am not entitled to, but it was embarrassing to have it in my current account, and I feared some kind of fraud may have been involved,” DT explained. “The scripts given to customer service agents don’t cover such an incident.” The \u00a338,611.59 was finally removed from her account on 14 July, around two months after it was deposited. However, British Gas initially failed to confirm that the money had been recovered correctly and also failed to make the original \u00a3300 solar payment.<\/p>\n

Industry-wide administrative lapses<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The case also shows problems within major utility companies, which often have automated systems for collecting customer debts but may lack similar safeguards to detect unusually large payments or credits. The Guardian also reported a similar case involving Yorkshire Water. An employee entered incorrect payroll bank details and accidentally sent \u00a36,800 to an unrelated customer. That customer also had to contact the company repeatedly for weeks before the money was recovered.<\/p>\n

Incident comparison <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

British Gas Solar FIT Error<\/span>\u2022 Customer claimed: \u00a3300.00\u2022 Amount paid by mistake: \u00a338,611.59\u2022 Cause: Employee entered the wrong solar meter reading\u2022 Resolution: Seven weeks to recover the money; \u00a3500 goodwill payment issuedYorkshire Water Payroll Error<\/span>\u2022 Customer affected: Unrelated bank account holder\u2022 Amount paid by mistake: \u00a36,800.00\u2022 Cause: Employee entered incorrect bank details\u2022 Resolution: Several weeks of customer follow-ups before recoveryFollowing media intervention, British Gas paid DT \u00a3500 in compensation for the disruption. The company also made her delayed solar payment, although it initially got the amount wrong by \u00a32, leading to another round of follow-ups.<\/p>\n

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