One average Solihull resident’s sibling is very annoyed indeed. They continue to get bills from British Gas for services that haven’t been used since their loved one died almost two years ago. The victim dead the prosecution settled on in July 2023. As she did not have any family remaining in the UK, it placed enormous hardship onto her sister who resides in Australia.
The other sibling had been running things from overseas. They were met with significant challenges when attempting to secure care, register the death, and plan the funeral. These duties were made all the more challenging by the logistics of managing such things from thousands of miles away. Even after the sister’s death, British Gas continues to send bills to her account. They continue to send promotional email communications about that account, which was established to handle her estate’s business.
A few weeks ago, the sibling got a bill for £92, which British Gas have threatened to pass to a debt collector. The ongoing situation has caused even more pain, as it is a constant reminder of the failure to recognize her sister’s death. On the one-year anniversary of her sister’s death, she got hit with another bill. This time, it was for £580, which merely worsened her emotional load of grief and outstanding bureaucratic obstacles.
Attempts to find a solution have only heightened the outrage. The sibling has contacted British Gas through other channels, including email and by phone. She has engaged the law firm managing her sister’s probate to put the matter on record legally. In spite of these interventions, the company has not made the needed corrections to its database or stopped contacting people about those who have died.
As this unfortunate, ongoing situation develops, it raises several critical questions. How do companies handle accounts after the customer passes away, particularly when there are no surviving immediate family members to take care of the transition. The sibling’s experience highlights the complexities and emotional toll associated with managing a loved one’s affairs from overseas, especially when faced with bureaucratic obstacles that seem unyielding.