British Gas customer claimed £300 for solar power but received £38,611.59 by mistake; she spent seven weeks trying to give it back

A British Gas customer spent seven weeks asking the energy company to recover more than £38,000 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 £300 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 £38,611.59. 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 , British Gas said the huge overpayment happened because an agent entered the wrong meter reading.

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