British Gas paid me £38,000 by mistake, and I can’t give it back
A British Gas customer received an erroneous payment of over £38,000 instead of a £300 solar feed-in tariff refund. The customer faced significant difficulty in returning the funds due to the company's lack of internal procedures for handling such errors.
Why it matters
It illustrates systemic failures in utility company customer service and the bureaucratic hurdles consumers face when correcting corporate financial mistakes.
The reader received quarterly feed-in tariff payments for energy exported by their solar panels. The reader received quarterly feed-in tariff payments for energy exported by their solar panels. Consumer champions Energy bills British Gas paid me £38,000 by mistake, and I can’t give it back It said that was what I was due after I submitted a claim for £300 for energy exported through my solar panels
Anna Tims Mon 17 Aug 2026 02.00 EDT Last modified on Mon 17 Aug 2026 02.15 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google British Gas paid me more than £38,000 by mistake, then had no idea how to reclaim it. I receive quarterly feed-in tariff (Fit) payments for energy exported by my solar panels.
In May, I submitted a claim for £300, based on my meter reading, and I received an email stating that I was due £38,611.59.
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