British Gas to pay £1.1m for missed appointments

British Gas will have to pay a total of £1.1m in compensation for missed and late appointments.

Under rules set by the energy regulator Ofgem, companies must pay up if they fail to meet "guaranteed standards" for service, "including when they visit customers on their premises", says The Guardian.

The company, the largest supplier of energy to individuals and businesses, failed to meet these standards – by missing appointments or turning up late – and did not pay the required compensation.

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It raised the issue with Ofgem independently and is offering to pay £90 to 12,000 affected customers, who are most businesses. That is £30 more than the required rate of £30 per missed appointment and a further £30 if this is not paid within ten days.

As British Gas came forward itself and offered a fair compensation package, it is not facing any further enforcement action.

Martin Crouch of Ofgem said: "British Gas did the right thing in coming forward to report this issue, and has since improved its processes to make sure that, when appointments are missed or not kept on time, all customers receive the compensation they're entitled to.

"It's crucial that suppliers keep appointments on time, and make amends when things go wrong."

A British Gas spokesman said: "In April this year we introduced new system of checks to ensure this can’t happen again."