British Gas took 15 months to issue a final bill and refund more than £1,500 to a customer, despite a ruling from the energy ombudsman nearly a year prior. Beth Kojder moved out of her one-bedroom flat in south-east London in October 2024 and subsequently filed a complaint with the ombudsman after failing to receive a final bill or refund.

The energy ombudsman ruled in Kojder's favor in February 2025, instructing British Gas to fulfill her request. However, the ombudsman lacks the legal authority to enforce its decisions. Kojder received an offer for her refund this week, shortly before her case was scheduled to be heard in a small claims court.

British Gas stated that it was "implementing the ombudsman's remedy" for Kojder and apologized for the delay. Kojder described the process as "relentless, tiring, and completely draining" in a statement to the BBC. She had provided meter readings to British Gas when she moved out of her flat, requesting a final bill.

The delay highlights ongoing concerns about customer service and billing accuracy within the energy sector. While automated systems are increasingly used for billing and customer interactions, cases like Kojder's demonstrate the limitations of these systems when dealing with complex situations or errors. The integration of AI in customer service aims to improve efficiency and personalization, but requires careful oversight to ensure fairness and accuracy.

The use of AI in billing processes, for example, relies on algorithms to predict energy consumption and generate bills. However, these algorithms can be inaccurate if they do not account for individual circumstances or if they are based on incomplete or outdated data. This can lead to billing errors and disputes, as seen in Kojder's case.

The latest developments in AI include the use of machine learning to improve the accuracy of energy consumption forecasting and to detect potential billing errors. However, these technologies are still in their early stages of development, and their effectiveness depends on the quality and availability of data.

Kojder's case underscores the importance of human oversight in automated systems and the need for energy companies to have robust processes in place to resolve customer complaints quickly and effectively.