British Gas boss apologises

There has been a surge in British Gas complaints since it introduced a new billing system, an energy watchdog has said.

Between October 2006 and March 2007, the company had 21,427 customer complaints, more than double the amount for the same period last year, when there were 8,012.

Last month alone, more than 14,000 people complained.

Phil Bentley, the managing director of British Gas, said: "Obviously we apologise for the inconvenience and the stress. I understand what it's like to get a bill that's incorrect. We apologise to those customers and we're working very hard to improve services.

"We have put in a new system. It's working, but there are some teething problems."

Energywatch said the majority of complaints were from customers disputing their bill, including problems with incorrect meter readings and out-of-date account details.

Problems have occurred because customers are receiving estimated bills for greater amounts of gas or electric than they are actually using, Energywatch said.

Instead of having their meter read, customers are sent a bill, calculated by a computer, estimating how much they have used.

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