British Gas took 15 months to refund me £1,500. It's absurd

Key Highlights

• Maybe not to British Gas but it is to me," said Beth, who had her first baby in December.
• "That's almost £2,000 I could have done with.
• Then there's all the admin."Not legally enforceableWhen she didn't receive her final bill or refund she complained to British Gas. But Beth said she "got nowhere" so took her complaint to the energy ombudsman. It is an independent, impartial dispute resolution scheme that energy customers can complain to eight weeks after first complaining to their supplier. Energy suppliers are legally obliged as part of their licence conditions to be a member of an independent customer dispute scheme.
• But the energy ombudsman is not a statutory body and it cannot legally force suppliers to act. In 2024, there were 93,000 complaints accepted by the energy ombudsman with around 70% of those cases ruled in favour of consumers, with suppliers required to take action within 28 days. In the vast majority of cases, suppliers met that deadline, but in many thousands of cases the deadline was either missed or no action was taken at all. It has prompted the Department for Energy to look at ways to strengthen the energy ombudsman saying the number of decisions not being implemented quickly enough was too high. Beth KojderBeth's energy bill was for her small, one-bed flat in south east LondonIn Beth's case the ombudsman issued four resolutions in February 2025.
• British Gas actioned three minor ones including a written apology and a goodwill credit of £100 for shortfalls in service. But the decision also required British Gas to "complete the final billing of the account...