Problems with British Gas

factoryworker

Premier wrote: »

Based on this, I sometimes am left wondering if it's not the BG staff themselves that don't care, but rather the restrictive practices & procedures that they perhaps have to work under (not uncommon in huge organisations).

methinks you've hit the nail on the head

DaveMurphy

I'm certainly not looking for a free ride, mainly I'm looking for information on how best to complain about the treatment I received and find as much information as possible on what guidelines and regulations apply.

There was some horrendous failure in the ET system in my case, it shouldn't take 4 years of complaining to get it sorted. Once it was sorted the receiving company certainly shouldn't have started addressing threatening letters to "the occupier". There's also something very badly wrong when a final bill gets issued for one amount then somehow doubles a week later.

I really don't think it's unreasonable to ask BG to write off at least some portion of this debt in compensation for the appalling customer service. If complaining results in a policy review which avoids this kind of situation in the future, all the better.

For what it's worth I have already moved house and changed supplier, my current bills are up to date and I intend to keep them that way. I did learn a few things from this horrible mess at least.

It's good to hear that BG are actually training advisors in relation to help available for vulnerable customers. Hopefully that will make a difference in the future.

DaveMurphy

Oops, wanted to clarify this as well.

factoryworker wrote: »

Dave Murphy;
. You lambast LE but my reading of your notes suggests you did change supplier, but they returned as goodwill

This wasn't the case at all. I told them I hadn't transferred to them from their very first contact and was told it would be sorted out. This later turned into "we can't transfer you while you owe us money" and just got ridiculous from there.

I later found out that London Electricity were fined by Ofgem for "totally unacceptable doorstep selling practices" not long after my erroneous transfer took place.

Cardew

DaveMurphy,

Some points:

1. The 'thanks' button, as indicated above, is normally used to signify agreement with the post.

2. Nobody signs contracts with any Utility Company. Under the Gas and Electricity acts of Parliament you have entered into a legally binding contract as soon a you use any gas/electricty. Again all companies have to send bills addresed to The Occupier'

3. The time to have sorted out this matter was when you " ignored the demand letters for the full amount"

4. A pre-pay meter is the accepted method, for all companies, for all customers who cannot/will not pay their debts.

DaveMurphy

Why would first contact after an erroneous transfer be addressed to "the occupier"?

At what point did I say I ignored demand letters for the full amount? I asked British Gas to send me bills so that I could pay current usage and figure out an amount I could afford for arrears. Bills for current usage were in fact paid in full once I discovered the means to find out what they were via the online billing service. I added an amount I felt I could afford towards arrears.

For point 2 could you tell me the relevant section covering this? I'm having trouble locating it - I'm looking at the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989

Cardew

DaveMurphy wrote: »

Why would first contact after an erroneous transfer be addressed to "the occupier"?

(1)At what point did I say I ignored demand letters for the full amount? I asked British Gas to send me bills so that I could pay current usage and figure out an amount I could afford for arrears. Bills for current usage were in fact paid in full once I discovered the means to find out what they were via the online billing service. I added an amount I felt I could afford towards arrears.

(2)For point 2 could you tell me the relevant section covering this? I'm having trouble locating it - I'm looking at the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989

(1)You wrote in the 7th paragraph of your initial post:

"I mad some payments of the actual bill amounts plus a little to cover at least some of the arrears and ignored the demand letters for the full amount."

(2)[QUOTE]
Question

Can they bill me if I never signed a contract?



Answer

You do not need to have signed anything for a legal contract to be in place. A special type of contract can exist for gas and electricity.
When does this happen?
When you move into a property where the previous occupant used electricity or gas, and you haven't signed a contract yourself. It can also happen if you are landlord and your tenants have moved out, and the next tenants have not yet moved in.
What is the contract?
A contract will be 'deemed' to have been created between you, as owner or occupier, and the supplier which had the last contract to supply the property. Suppliers have special 'deemed contract' rates which will normally be a little higher than their 'in contract' rates.
Why do 'deemed' contracts exist?
They mean that properties can continuously be supplied with gas and electricity when ownership changes, even when suppliers do not know who the next occupant is going to be. It means new occupants usually find the electricity and gas still work when they move in.
Do I have to pay the 'deemed' supplier?
Yes. For all the energy you use unless and until you switch suppliers. It is a legally binding contract. If you sign a standard contract, it will replace the deemed contract.
Where does it say this?
For electricity, it is set out in an amendment to Schedule 6 of the Electricity Act 1989, contained in Schedule 4 paragraph 3 of the Utilities Act 2000. For gas it is set out in the Gas Act 1995, Schedule 2 (Schedule 2B to the 1986 Act), paragaph 8.

[/QUOTE]

factoryworker

DaveMurphy wrote: »

Oops, wanted to clarify this as well.



This wasn't the case at all. I told them I hadn't transferred to them from their very first contact and was told it would be sorted out. This later turned into "we can't transfer you while you owe us money" and just got ridiculous from there.

I later found out that London Electricity were fined by Ofgem for "totally unacceptable doorstep selling practices" not long after my erroneous transfer took place.

i don't for a minute believe ANY energy company that accepts an erroneous transfer (ET)would not return supply with debt- you are either dissilusiones or do not want to accept the reality- yes some companys drag their feet on accepting ET's but once they do they do so debt and all; i am aware of Et's they have transpired 2 years after the event, and whilst the industry standard is ayear, in exceptional cicumstances this is waived by mutual agreement by the 2 involved companys. genrally from acceptance it takes the usal 4-6 weeks to return supply but can take around 6 mths billing wise to get corrected. I do not fo a second think it took 4 years for LE/BG toagree the ET in the circumstances you describe;

to higlight misselling fines is to cloud the issue and says more about you than it does about LE; Npower have been similarly fined which highlights yes, it is a problem in the industry, but does not support your anger; i am all for people being treated right and getting reconpense where detrimentally cheated; the problem is you are not distinguishing between recompense and retribution; on the one hand you seek assistance but then query motives of those involved in the industry who freely (at risk of employment) try to guide you, and on the other hand you post a response to somene else who has a concern goading them to seek retribution rather than resolution. You need to reread these posts and look at the crux of the problem. You knew you were being wrongly billed and chose to pay nothing/token amounts; you look to blame everyone else for their mistakes, but are unwilling to accept your own.

I sympathise fully with anyone who has had physcologiacl difficulties; if you have a missing arm people can see that and sympathise with that; but people can't see difficuties people have in their heads so the same sympathy is not fortcoming. you seem articulate know, but i accept that may not be the case when this situation occured; the problem i have is you were with it enough not to pay anything, by your own admission.

i doubt want to getting in a slagging match-im here to support those; as someone who has experienced a lot of of the things most people would consider life breaking (i.e. drug/alcohol addiction, relationship breakdown, debt, etc), i know that you can move on-but you must 1) admit your faillings 2)acknowledge your strengths and 3) draw a line on what is done.

you cannot put spilt milk back into the bottle - you are better spending your anger on dealing with now and the future than a cancrous desire to seek retribution for what has gone before

factoryworker

Dave murphy....

quick question.....how much did you pay to any energy company between 2001 and 2004

and what are your annual consumption figures?

DaveMurphy

Ok, you're ignoring the part where I said I made payments for the full bill amounts plus a little towards arrears. British Gas refused point blank to negotiate an affordable payment plan.

When I say ignored demands for the full amount I mean the full outstanding sum required to bring the account back in credit. At no point have I asked the question you're answering here - "can they bill me if I never signed a contract". Reading back I did mention that I'd never signed a contract so I can see why you brought this up, it's definitely something I wasn't aware of before.

Again, my major complaint here is that British Gas refused to send me bills of current usage and made it extremely difficult for me to formulate an offer of repayment I could afford. This was compounded by a final bill somehow doubling within a week with no explanation.

Anyway, thanks for your feedback, you've given me some food for thought and helped clarify my thoughts for the letter of complaint I intend to write.

factoryworker

DaveMurphy wrote: »

Ok, you're ignoring the part where I said I made payments for the full bill amounts plus a little towards arrears. British Gas refused point blank to negotiate an affordable payment plan.
Again, my major complaint here is that British Gas refused to send me bills of current usage and made it extremely difficult for me to formulate an offer of repayment I could afford. This was compounded by a final bill somehow doubling within a week with no explanation..

to sound awfully Jeremy Paxman here, but im not ignoring where you paid the full bill amounts, but you are ignoring answering, 1) how much did you pay between 2001 and 2004 and 2) what is your consumption on an annual basis; this does have a bearing for those in regards to 1) if you paid somewhere akin to what you used between 2001 and 2004 you may have a case to seek 'assitance/goodwill', and 2) if your using 6000kwh elec but were paying for 4000 in 1 above knowing you've got the conservatory heated 24/7 with an oil filed radiator, this indicates your level of 'vulnerability'

I dont like your retribution posturing, but if mistakes have been made, i'll happily point you in the right direction; you've got to be open and honest instead of picking holes in peoples postings. Answer the questions