Транспортный департамент Лондона вернул ошибочно удержанные 42 фунта водителю из-за путаницы в знаках

My electricity bill is £200 but British Gas took £19,700 from my account and a month later they hadn't paid me back: SALLY SORTS IT We run a family farm and have had a British Gas account for six years, paying about £200 a month for electricity. Last month the company sent a bill for £19,700 and took the money from our account via direct debit. It turned out a meter reader sent by British Gas in May had read it incorrectly. As soon as the money left our account, I made contact and the company admitted its mistake. One month on and we still haven’t got our money back. It has put us under severe financial pressure and caused huge stress. M.G., Powys, Mid Wales. Sally Hamilton replies: What a shock to have such a huge sum harvested from your account. Not many people could withstand that kind of financial bolt out of the blue. You had to act quickly to replenish the funds, which involved plundering your own retirement savings so that other bills could be paid and bank overdraft charges minimised. This heaped extra pressure on the running of the sheep, pig and arable farm which you operate with your father and which was already suffering from the drought in Wales. You are having to use feed for your sheep as the grass has dried out. Even though British Gas admitted its mistake following your frantic calls, it seemed incapable of acting as fast in returning your money as it did collecting it. It kept telling you it needed approval from its finance department before refunding you, because of the large sum involved. I was perplexed that it was able to loot your account in the first place by 100 times more than your usual bill. Under something called the direct debit guarantee, bank customers should get ten days’ notice of any change to the amount taken. The guarantee also promises that customers will be refunded immediately if the sum taken turns out to be wrong. Even though British Gas admitted its mistake, it seemed incapable of acting as fast in returning the money as it did collecting it I asked British Gas how it came to make such a blunder and urged it to get the cash back into your account. It confirmed the original error with the reading, but said the refund element of the direct debit guarantee didn’t take effect because the bill at the time was deemed an accurate reflection of the reading. It said it sent notice of the direct debit going out 14 days beforehand. I imagine as busy farmers, this was not spotted. Delays continued, with British Gas requesting a photo of the meter showing the true readings before it would return your money. Exasperating as this was, you provided it, and the company corrected the reading, rebilled your account and processed a refund of £18,654 (the sum taken minus charges for actual consumption) within days of my contact. A spokesman says: ‘We’ve confirmed this to M.G., and have apologised for not putting it right sooner. We have asked him to provide details of any bank charges incurred due to our error which we will review, and we’ll be providing a gesture of goodwill.’ You estimate your costs at £600 but must wait until the end of your business quarter in September to be sure. You said: ‘We really appreciate what you have done. Within a couple of hours of contacting you, we achieved more than we did with a month of calls to BG.’ Your experience serves as a cautionary tale for all direct debit users to check the accuracy of the sum an organisation plans to take. British Gas confirmed the original error with the reading, but said the refund element of the direct debit guarantee didn’t take effect In July, I took my 11-year-old son to two Metallica concerts in east London. This was the first time I have driven in the capital in about 25 years. On our way in, Google Maps alerted me there were tolls. We went through Blackwall Tunnel on Friday, and I paid the following day, as is permitted. When I went to pay the tunnel charge again for the Sunday of the second concert, I decided to take a belt-and-braces approach to ensure that I did not risk any other penalty charges. But the TfL app was confusing and each time I checked, it stated the Congestion Charge ‘is due’ for my car. This led to me paying two daily congestion charges of £21 each. I later found out I shouldn’t have paid it at all, as we didn’t go into the relevant zone, but Transport for London won’t refund me. G.P., York. Sally Hamilton replies: The rules of London’s roads can be bewildering for locals, never mind someone who hasn’t driven in the capital for decades. The key charges to watch out for include fees for driving through various tunnels, entering the central congestion zone and charges for high-emission vehicles. Fearful of facing hefty penalties for getting it wrong, you tried to ensure all bases were covered once you were in London. You wanted to set up auto-pay, where TfL takes the appropriate charges automatically. But as this is only suitable for future travel and doesn’t take into account journeys made, you attempted to check what you already owed. On clicking on ‘Check what I need to pay’ on the TfL app and entering your car’s details it clearly said that the Congestion Charge ‘is due’ and the Blackwall Tunnel charge ‘is due’. The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge was not due as your car meets the required emissions standards. You were surprised by the Congestion Charge as you didn’t think you’d driven through the central zone where it applies. But you had noticed a red ‘C’ in a white circle when using the Blackwall Tunnel and thought this must have meant the charge was due. You thought it wise to pay up and paid £21 twice (it is £18 if you pay in advance). The advice the app gave you was generic rather than tailored, and when you realised your mistake you requested a refund. It was denied, as TfL says it does not reimburse drivers for charges applied for days that have already passed. You felt this unfair as you tried everything in your power to be compliant. I felt you had a good case because I agree the page you looked at on the app that suggested a charge was due could be misinterpreted. On speaking to TfL, I discovered something I felt made your case even stronger. The ‘C’ sign you had seen near the Blackwall Tunnel referred to the tunnel ‘charge’, not the ‘congestion’ charge. Both these signs are of the same design – so no wonder you thought you had to pay the Congestion Charge in addition to the tunnel toll. From an online search, I found that others have fallen into the same trap. I am pleased to say TfL agreed to reimburse your £42 as a goodwill gesture. - Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email [email protected], include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.