CENTRICA

A British Gas agent entered the wrong meter reading and the company erroneously paid a customer £38,611.59 for a feed-in tariff claim, leaving the money in the customer’s account for over seven weeks while staff had no clear process to reclaim it. British Gas eventually recovered the funds, offered £500 compensation and later paid the correct (slightly underpaid) FIT amount. The report also describes a separate case where British Gas wrongly recorded missed payments and a default on a closed account, harming a customer’s credit before correcting the errors and issuing a small goodwill payment. » More on theguardian.com

Centrica owner says 90% of British Gas customers prefer digital chatbots and has cut 1,300 call‑centre and back‑office roles after a 20% drop in calls. A reader disputes this, arguing reduced access to real people and deliberate design of phone systems push customers to digital channels. The reader portrays the shift as cost‑cutting that transfers time and effort to customers rather than reflecting genuine customer preference. » More on theguardian.com

Centrica has given notice it will shut the Rough gas storage facility off Yorkshire next April unless the government agrees long-term financial backing for a proposed £2bn upgrade. The company says commercial returns are inadequate and that storage is essential for UK energy security, while the facility currently is not injecting gas for this winter. The dispute raises broader policy questions over Britain’s 2030 gas security, including the mix of storage, interconnectors, LNG import capacity and North Sea production, and calls for a joined-up government strategy. » More on theguardian.com