A customer has reported an 18-month struggle to recover £1,264 in credit from British Gas, which took over customers from the collapsed energy supplier Rebel Energy.
The customer initiated a switch to Ovo Energy around the same time Rebel Energy went out of business in April 2025. As a result, they found themselves in a difficult position, unable to be recognized as a customer by British Gas, which had been appointed as the 'supplier of last resort' for Rebel's 90,000 customers.
Despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue between May and December 2025, customer service representatives reportedly struggled to assist, stating it was not British Gas's responsibility and directing the customer to Ovo or Rebel's administrators. However, according to the report, the credit balance automatically became British Gas's responsibility and should have been refunded upon request.
An initial complaint was closed without resolution, and subsequent attempts to reopen it were met with delays. In June 2026, a call from British Gas promised the refund within two weeks, but the money had not arrived by August. The administrators confirmed that the necessary account information had been transferred to British Gas by late 2025 or early 2026.
Following intervention, British Gas contacted the customer to confirm the credit would be returned immediately. The £1,264 was refunded on October 6, along with an additional £200 as an apology, which was later increased to £350 after the intervention suggested the initial amount was insufficient given the protracted struggle.
British Gas explained that a temporary account should have been created to facilitate the refund when the customer was transferred. However, because the customer had switched away from British Gas before the transfer process was completed, this temporary account was not set up, preventing the refund. A spokesperson for British Gas apologized for the delay and confirmed the full amount has been transferred, with a goodwill payment offered.