MSE News: British Gas locks thousands into expensive tariffs

KimYeovil

Pinktooth wrote: »

This puts me off BG when I move to new house and choose between EDF and EON anyone in Nuneaton and done the comparisons for best supplier?

It's only when British Gas do this that you are put off. You are quite happy for Eon to engage in the same practice. Strange.

KimYeovil

Shaden wrote: »

All,
IMPORTANT
[snip]

Yup, that is bog standard. You have ten days to notify the supplier you are not happy with a change in the tariff and can continue to be supplied at the original price until you transfer to a new supplier (if you apply immediately).

MarkyMarkD

But this isn't a variation in the terms of the contract. It's an application of the existing terms of the contract, which provide that you may be rolled onto another fixed/capped rate contract after the initial one epxires.

Mikki

Yes, but they didn't notify me of the new contract nor it's charges. I did not have the chance to decline the new terms - this is what we are arguing about.

You cannot impose an exit charge if you have not given the customer notification of a new contract or its new terms, and not given the customer a chance to opt out of the new contract.

MarkyMarkD

But they did ... they emailed you and you didn't read the email (or at least, I guess that's what happened).

Mikki

No - you assumed wrong - as has been explained before, they did not e-mail me nor send me a letter.

cinders59

telephoneman wrote: »

Saw this thread and thought I'd check my business renewal that's just come in from BG for my electric.


I rang them up to check on my current prices and these were the results;
Current Standing charge - 38.12p per day, NEW - 62.62p per day
Current Unit Charge - 8.33p/kWh, NEW 14.87p/kWh

What a bunch of crooks! Needless to say they offered me a better deal over the phone (although still an increase) but I'm going to shop around.

I just read this and cannot believe it. When I received the letter, I just assumed that it would be fixed at the same rate.
I am just going off to ring them now and find out.

MarkyMarkD

Mikki wrote: »

No - you assumed wrong - as has been explained before, they did not e-mail me nor send me a letter.

Er, no.

British_Gas_Price_Guarantee_2009_terms_and_conditions wrote:

7.2 If we raise your prices or make a change to this contract that puts you at significant disadvantage, we will let you know in writing within 65 working days of the change. The price rise or change will not affect you as long as you:

(a) tell us that you want to end this contract within 10 working days of the day you receive notice from us of the price rise or change; and

(b) arrange for another supplier to supply your gas and electricity and we receive notice of this from your new supplier within 15 working days of the day you gave us notice that you wanted to end your contract.

The contract terms require them to notify you within 65 days of any increase in price. Your price was guaranteed until 31 December 2009. 65 days from 31 December 2009 has not yet elapsed.

Therefore they can charge you anything they like from 1 January 2010 and wouldn't yet have had to tell you.

So, what they have done in informing you that you are subject to a £35 cancellation fee for Price Guarantee 2011 (or whatever) was an error - you are still within the period of price increase which allows you to exit.

Mikki

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

But they did ... they emailed you and you didn't read the email (or at least, I guess that's what happened).

MarkyMarkD - you are not reading the replies to your posts properly - this is what you wrongly assumed - that they e-mailed me, so er yes, you assumed wrong.

British Gas have contacted me to say there was an error, I should have been notified of the new tariff, I was not and therefore no exit fees will apply to me (so your last post was correct ).

MarkyMarkD

BG don't know what they are doing. They haven't breached your terms, because they weren't due to have notified you of the increase until 65 days after it applied.

Just because their complaints department are incompetent, doesn't mean that they got it wrong in the first place.