British Gas customer claimed £300 for solar power but received £38,611.59 by mistake

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.

Seven weeks of administrative limbo

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 £38,611.59 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 £300 solar payment.

Industry-wide administrative lapses

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 £6,800 to an unrelated customer. That customer also had to contact the company repeatedly for weeks before the money was recovered.

Incident comparison

British Gas Solar FIT Error• Customer claimed: £300.00• Amount paid by mistake: £38,611.59• Cause: Employee entered the wrong solar meter reading• Resolution: Seven weeks to recover the money; £500 goodwill payment issuedYorkshire Water Payroll Error• Customer affected: Unrelated bank account holder• Amount paid by mistake: £6,800.00• Cause: Employee entered incorrect bank details• Resolution: Several weeks of customer follow-ups before recoveryFollowing media intervention, British Gas paid DT £500 in compensation for the disruption. The company also made her delayed solar payment, although it initially got the amount wrong by £2, leading to another round of follow-ups.

Billing phantom gas supplies

The overpayment case came alongside another major British Gas billing problem involving an eco-conscious homeowner in Berkshire, identified as JG.

After installing a heat pump in November 2024, JG ended his gas account and asked British Gas to remove his gas meter. The company removed the meter and issued a final £430 credit. However, British Gas failed to update its internal records to show that the physical meter had been removed.

Two months later, it began sending estimated bills for a gas supply that no longer existed.

The Berkshire heat pump case

Despite JG challenging every bill, British Gas reported six missed payments to credit reference agencies and recorded an £833 default on his account.

In March, JG discovered the problem when his bank sharply reduced his overdraft facility after his credit record was affected. In correspondence published by The Guardian, JG said the problem appeared to continue despite his efforts to resolve it. "Ultimately, in January this year, I thought we had finally dealt with the problem.

In March, I got a letter from the bank, saying they were massively reducing my overdraft facility." "British Gas seems unable to deal with a property that no longer has a gas supply," JG added. British Gas removed the missed payment markers after formal complaints but initially left the £833 default on his credit record. After press inquiries, the company cleared the incorrect record, canceled a replacement 32p charge, and paid £150 in goodwill compensation. JG described the payment as a poor response to the financial problems caused by the months-long error.