Disabled Rotherham woman left ‘terrified’ after British Gas blunder leaves her unable to check account balance

Rachel Oram, aged 28, claims she has been battling with British Gas for more than a year to get a working smart meter fitted and an accurate energy reading after being quoted a whopping £19,800 last year for her one-bedroom flat.

The disabled woman has been diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Crohn's disease which have left her too unwell to work. She said this has meant managing her finances is paramount as she relies solely on Universal Credit and PIP payments to live.

After moving into a social housing accessible flat on West Street, Eckington, in March 2022, Rachel took over the existing British Gas account there and was unable to change providers due to the Russia conflict. She soon realised the smart meter there was not working, and so began the ordeal she has called a “living nightmare”.

Rachel claims a number of engineers have visited her home to repair or replace the smart meter, however the company has said “a number of technical difficulties” have prevented work being carried out.

Rachel’s flat shares a fuse with next door which means she has had to ask her neighbour, who works full time, to be home for the engineers to switch off the energy supply to carry out the works.

Since February of this year, Rachel has had her accounts frozen amid a complaints procedure after being overcharged “hundreds of pounds” each month, only for it to be refunded and overcharged again the following month. She is now “terrified” to see her account.

Rachel said: “I'm extremely frustrated and terrified of how much money they will say I owe them at the end of this. I don't have any savings to be able to pay any debts off with.

“This has been going on for more than a year and has caused me extreme amounts of stress and needless harm to my physical and mental health, and it's all British Gas' fault

“This winter has been torture not knowing how much money I was spending to try and keep warm and have clean washing and food in the midst of the frigid winter we had, and the energy crisis, and now into the cost of living crisis.

“All in all it has been, and continues to be, an absolute nightmare that is zapping me of any patience to handle British Gas any more. I want to do what I can to help make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

A British Gas Spokesperson said: “We are really sorry for the delay in installing Miss Oram’s smart meters. A number of technical issues have prevented us from carrying out the work so far.

“We have contacted her to apologise for the delay and are in the process of agreeing a date to complete the installation. In the meantime we have taken a meter reading for her electricity and will be doing the same for her gas supply.”