Stunned customers say they owe nearly £5,000 for a MONTH of energy after switching companies

A BRITISH Gas customer was shocked to be told he could pay close to £5,000 on a MONTH bill after a recent switch.

The quote states that customers of a house with three bunk beds can pay a whopping £50,000 for a ten-month energy plan.

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This enticing estimate turned out to be just a challenge after the British switched from one supplier to another.

Customers tell Reddit: “I started setting up my direct debit to British Gas after being transferred to them.

“And this is what they suggested my payment should be, I live in a three-bed terrace house.”

Other users joked about what could be causing the chaos: “Is it a bed with 100 acres planted with ‘special’ plants?”

“I thought it was a three-bed terrace with a fallout shelter to accommodate 40 people in the cellar?” another said.

One joked: “This is what parents see when you leave the upstairs lights on.”

Another user said they had experienced this with another gas supplier, where they were directly debited £3,000 a month.

British Gas parent company Centrica explains that huge numbers can arise in cases where customers are transferred from a supplier that has gone bankrupt, known as the ‘Final Retreat’, with incorrect figures taken from the defunct company’s account.

A spokesman said: “It appears that there was an error in the data that was shared with us through the Ofgem Resort Final Supplier Process.

“We’ve flagged this issue to Ofgem in the past, and we’ve put in place additional procedures to ensure our systems detect any anomalies.

“To clarify, individual projections are a future forecast and not an invoice, this customer was not incorrectly charged that amount.”

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