bloody british gas arghhhhhhhhhh!

stompin-sarah

yesterday(saturday) my electric went(im on prepay meter) and i couldnt find my key thing anywhere so i rang british gas up and they said to to certain shop with a reference number...the phone call was made at 1.30pm... they said leave an hour before going to the shop for the key... so i waited with 3 upset children for an hour then off we went to the shop when i asked about the key they just looked at me like i was stupid... so i rang british gas back up and they gave me another 4 shops to try... i do so and not one of those shops had they key either by this time i was very :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

so i rang them once again and they put me on hold for a whole 15mins whilst they found me some more shops..... bearing in mind i was on my mobile phone and my electric had gone.. they mobile was going to die pretty soon due to all the other calls made to them.. so whilst i was on hold the phone died :mad::mad::mad:

then i nipped to my mates and she mentioned a shop that her partner had got a key from a while ago.... i went to the shop and bingo... they had they keys!!! bearing in mind this was now 4pm....


i am so mad a british gas for this... they need to rethink about their services i think....

and the next time someone in town asks me "do u want to change over to our electric?" as long as its not british gas then i will be 1st in the queue!!!


sorry but had to rant about it!

~Beanie~

If you looked after your key in the first place or didn't let your leccy get so low that it runs out, this wouldn't have happened. What did you expect British Gas to do?

I work in a shop that has the gas / electric cards and keys. BG often send people in to get one without actually checking whether we have any in stock or not first. Us shop assistants, who are nothing to do with British Gas whatsoever, usually end up getting an undeserved earful from people like you who are frustrated at being sent all over by BG.

pinkshoes

Why didn't you push the button that allows you to have an emergency £5 (or is it £10) of electricity?

(and if you'd already used this emergency allowence, then why hadn't you topped it up when you first ran out??)

dacouch

i have had the same problem with BG, they sent me to 6 different shops, their customer service is disgraceful how did they go down hill so much.

Pink_fluff

As has been said already, If you hadn't let it run right down to the last few pennies of emergency, then they could have sent you a key. Solving the issue of running around shops.

Zara33

pinkshoes wrote: »

Why didn't you push the button that allows you to have an emergency £5 (or is it £10) of electricity?

(and if you'd already used this emergency allowence, then why hadn't you topped it up when you first ran out??)

There is no button to press any longer when they (BG) changed from token to the key. No key, no emergency.

pinkshoes

Zara33 wrote: »

There is no button to press any longer when they (BG) changed from token to the key. No key, no emergency.

Well that's strange, as ours was a key, and we had an emergency credit, and this was only 4 years ago... If we forgot, and the power tripped out, we just had to hold the key in the metre (whilst pushing a button perhaps... I can't remember) and it would credit the meter by £5. When we then topped it up, it would take the £5 from the top up.

Zara33

pinkshoes wrote: »

Well that's strange, as ours was a key, and we had an emergency credit, and this was only 4 years ago... If we forgot, and the power tripped out, we just had to hold the key in the metre (whilst pushing a button perhaps... I can't remember) and it would credit the meter by £5. When we then topped it up, it would take the £5 from the top up.

Perhaps this is where the confusion comes in...looks like i have a newer machine it's only a year old

nickyhutch

I have a key, and have £5 emergency credit. When that's gone, it's gone.

Nikkisun

You can get £5 of emergency credit (which is then taken back when you next top-up) but you need the key to put in the meter to release the emergency so if you have lost the key then you have no access to the emergency credit.

magoogy

i actually think you are all a bit mean to the op - sometimes you run out of gas/electricity - no matter how much juggling you can do - it happens...sometimes you lost things no matter how organized you are...it happens....

the op probably doesnt realise too that she will get charged for the replacement as i was going to get charged when i lost mine but, when i explained that my hubby was disabled and i couldnt get out to the shop to get the replacement and that i had enough gas/elec till the next day they said that since a disabled person lived in the household they would waive the charge and would send my new card out the next day via recorded delivery....luckily i was amazed the card did appear early the next day so panic over...

british gas told me if you have disabled/elderly or small children in the household you can sign up for a scheme they do where they will make a note on your account and it wont ever let you run out of gas/electricity - ive forgotten the phone number he gave me but if you phone up and explain and ask about it im sure they will help you.

Its not always easy to get out to the shops to get topped up so at least if you are registered with this scheme you know you wont run out - reserve tank i think he called it..

i also think the new electric keys are sooo annoying as yes you do need the key to top up with and if im out getting electric and it goes my hubby cannot use the emergency and is without till i get back with it (not happened but could)...