Man, 90, 'worn out' by 'traumatic' British Gas ordeal

Albert Taylor said the shortfall left him unable to buy Christmas presents

An elderly grandfather who was owed more than £1,000 by British Gas due to a faulty gas meter said getting the money back was "like banging my head against a brick wall".

The funds Albert Taylor, 90, lost paying into the defective device last year meant he could not afford to buy his grandchildren Christmas presents.

He said it took him nine months to get a refund from the utility giant, a process he described as "very traumatic" which left him "worn out".

A British Gas spokesman apologised to Mr Taylor and said the delayed repayment was caused by a "mistake by one of our advisers".

'Something wrong'

Mr Taylor, of Middleton, Greater Manchester, fed £1,074 into the defective pre-pay meter via the Post Office between September and October 2024.

“It was costing me so much, I knew something was wrong,” the retired upholster told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"They finally admitted the meter was faulty, and I started trying to get my money back, but I couldn’t get them to pay me.

“I went to three solicitors’ firms locally, but as soon as I mentioned the words ‘British Gas’ they looked frightened to death and said they didn’t deal with such matters.

"I said, ‘hang on, I haven’t told you what the problem is yet’."

He made repeated calls to the customer services desk at British Gas, and said this, as well as all the "running around" between the Post Office and the bank had left him "worn out".

“Losing that money meant I was short of money over Christmas and I was unable to buy presents for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

A cheque refunding Mr Taylor was sent after he got in touch with journalists on the advice of his stepdaughter Zoe Brooks.

The grandfather's concerns had not been escalated when he contacted the firm due to an error by an adviser, the British Gas spokesman said.

"We appreciate it’s been difficult for Mr Taylor", he said, adding the firm had agreed to include a "goodwill gesture" alongside the refund.