A dad-of-four was left shocked after British Gas raised his monthly gas bill from £350 to an eye-watering £1,320 a month. Andy Hirst worries there could be thousands more customers with the energy supplier who find themselves in the same position - with no idea that their direct debits could be more than tripled.
After looking into the issue, the parent says he was stunned to find out that British Gas can change your direct debit to any sum – without agreeing the amount with the customer beforehand. The only stipulation is that the company must let the customer know at least 10 working days before the payment increase, Yorkshire Live reports.
This means that if you miss the letter or email about the price change, you'll only realise when the money is taken out of your bank account. Andy, from Huddersfield, said: "As I discovered, it's very easy to miss that warning and the only way to challenge it and bring it down to something manageable is to phone British Gas.
