25 May 2007
A customer paying his 7.75 gas bill found himself struggling with 7,000 of debt after a billing error caused strife.
Martin Carroll, a 41-year-old from Dudley, West Midlands, was paying off the small sum for his final British Gas bill before switching supplier, the Sun reports.
But 7,075 was taken from his Halifax bank account, a significant debt to handle as he only had 200 in the account to begin with.
The dispute took a frustratingly long time for Mr Carroll to resolve, as British Gas and Halifax blamed each other for the error.
Eventually, the gas supplier refunded the money into his account, offering an apology and 50 credit to help make up for the mistake.
A spokesman for British Gas confirmed to the newspaper: "We have arranged for the 7,075 to be transferred back to the customer's account.
"It appears that an incorrect amount was entered by the customer service agent when taking payment for the 7.75."