For 55 years, Pat Arrend has called the same house in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, her home. At 84, she’s proud of her independence and her ability to handle life on her own terms. But right now, she’s locked in a bitter dispute with British Gas after the company moved her account to paperless billing.
Pat says she has no problem paying her bills—she always has—but she wants to do it in person, the way she always did at her local post office. Since the change to online billing, she’s refused to pay until paper bills are reinstated. That standoff has left her owing more than £1,400 and worried about being cut off.
“I can’t be the only person of my age in Brighton going through this,” Pat said. “When you reach a certain age you become a non-entity, but this non-entity will be heard.”
According to Pat, British Gas told her early last year that she could still receive paper bills even as the company transitioned to online payments. But after that promise, nothing came through her letterbox.
“From that date I received no bills. I just kept waiting and waiting,” she explained.
Then, months later, a letter arrived—not a bill, but a demand for £500 in arrears. It shocked her, as she had never once missed a payment before. She had always paid quarterly and always paid on time.
Since then, the debt has grown. British Gas now says she owes £1,400, and solicitors working on behalf of the company have started contacting her.
Pat insists she is ready and willing to pay but only wants to do so in person. “It has been an absolute waste of time,” she said of her attempts to fix the problem. “I spoke to them, and my son spoke to them. We’ve had two people verbally promise that I could have paper bills, but nothing has happened.”
She explained that relying on her children to make online payments for her undermines her independence. “They [British Gas] rely on us having a contact who can help us do online payments,” Pat said. “It’s not only about my independence, but my privacy.”
Her daughter Nicki shares her concern. With scams and fraud so common, she says it doesn’t feel safe to push elderly customers into paying online. “She doesn’t want to be making big payments online or over the phone—how do you know who you’re talking to? They say don’t give your details out but then expect people to pay online.”
Pat has also spoken directly with the solicitors pursuing the debt, but she says the conversations left her unsettled. “When I spoke to them, I said I’ve got no intention of spending a penny until it has been sorted. I found it quite unnerving because the solicitors asked if I lived alone, which made me worry who I was talking to.”
She said one of the most concerning questions came when they asked whether she kept medication in her fridge. “It made me believe they might be thinking of cutting me off,” she said.
The stress has taken a toll. Pat admits the ongoing battle has disrupted her sleep and caused her anxiety. “I have no intention of paying the solicitors because British Gas created this problem. They’re just walking all over people, and it’s not on.”
Company Response
After her story was made public, British Gas issued a statement: “We’ve spoken with Ms Arrend to apologise and have reassured her that she is now getting paper bills through the post. We remain in touch and will be offering a goodwill gesture in light of her experience.”
For Pat, the matter has always been about something bigger than the bills themselves—it’s about dignity and being able to live independently. As she puts it: “I just want to pay my bills in my own way. That’s all I’ve ever asked.”