Advice for OAP heating

undaunted

spiro wrote: »

The PSR is about the parties dealing with the customer knowing they have an 'issue' (health, hearing etc) and gives them some extra 'rights' which in this case would have been covered by providing electric heaters FOC. I'm sorry but it is not the suppliers responsibility to fix the issue that is down to the customer.

Perhaps if MrThrifty doesn't have this poor lady shot first, you & her supplier would rather she froze to death instead than anyone do that little bit extra by following the license conditions & codes of conduct to try & help her?

From the Ofgem link (which also refers to ERA safety net)
"[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]Proposal: [/FONT][/FONT]The ERA is keen to build on best practice and develop a procedure that operates in parallel to the work of other local agencies, such as social services and charities etc to allow for assistance to be provided to those most vulnerable in the community.

Suppliers will in the last resort refer a customer to the appropriate authority, in most cases social services, where there is good reason to believe that the customer is in a

vulnerable group and their health is at risk – this referral will be made in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Information Commissioner."

From ERA safety net:
Data Protection Act 1998
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]Guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office states that when an energy supplier has reason to believe that a customer is vulnerable and that disconnection may well cause real risk to the customer’s health and safety, or to others within the household, the energy supplier may legitimately disclose the customer’s name and address to a person or organisation who it is reasonable to assume may be able to intervene on the grounds that this is in the best interests of the customer.
[/FONT][/FONT]
"Priority Service Register
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]Domestic electricity and gas suppliers have licence obligations to offer special services to customers who are of pensionable age, blind, deaf, disabled or have a long-term medical condition (i.e. chronically sick).
[/FONT][/FONT]
Suppliers encourage eligible customers to take up their PSR options and the industry continues to work towards improving awareness of the PSR such as working with advisers, health workers and social service providers, to encourage eligible customers to register themselves on the PSR.

Disconnection of customers subsequently identified as vulnerable
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]Under the Safety Net, suppliers will not disconnect a customer who, for reasons of age, health, disability or severe financial insecurity, is unable to safeguard their personal welfare or the personal welfare of other members of the household. However, if such a customer is disconnected and subsequently identified as vulnerable, suppliers will aim to reconnect the customer as a priority. This will normally take place within 24 hours of the supplier confirming that the customer is vulnerable. Suppliers will also endeavour to understand why the situation arose and take steps to prevent it happening in future. "
[/FONT][/FONT]
It would appear that, thanks to the "that's not my job brigade" nothing of the kind has been applied to this poor old lady in spite of the supposed protection she's entitled to

spiro

undaunted wrote: »

"Priority Service Register
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]Domestic electricity and gas suppliers have licence obligations to offer special services to customers who are of pensionable age, blind, deaf, disabled or have a long-term medical condition (i.e. chronically sick). [/FONT]
[/FONT]
Suppliers encourage eligible customers to take up their PSR options and the industry continues to work towards improving awareness of the PSR such as working with advisers, health workers and social service providers, to encourage eligible customers to register themselves on the PSR.

Disconnection of customers subsequently identified as vulnerable
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]Under the Safety Net, suppliers will not disconnect a customer who, for reasons of age, health, disability or severe financial insecurity, is unable to safeguard their personal welfare or the personal welfare of other members of the household. However, if such a customer is disconnected and subsequently identified as vulnerable, suppliers will aim to reconnect the customer as a priority. This will normally take place within 24 hours of the supplier confirming that the customer is vulnerable. Suppliers will also endeavour to understand why the situation arose and take steps to prevent it happening in future. "[/FONT]
[/FONT]
It would appear that, thanks to the "that's not my job brigade" nothing of the kind has been applied to this poor old lady in spite of the supposed protection she's entitled to

Two points on this:
1) Customer has to agredd/ask to be on the PSR suppliers can't just add them even if the know they should be on it.
2) In this context disconnect is about disconnecting the supply i.e. capping the gas, not about saying appliances are not safe to use and must not be used.
If this person was in rented property and an annual safety check was done the engineer would have done the same and the LL would have been within his right to suppy electric heaters as an alternative source of heating. Councils do this all the time and it can be days/weeks/months before the original appliance is repaired/replaced. They tend to ignore the fact that elec heating is more expensive than gas.

morphy_richards

I'm interested to know if I could use this ERA as leverage to get BG to refund some of her elec bill. We are friends with an engineer who reckons he can reconnect her fire quite easily from my descriptions of what's going on so fingers crossed he can.
I will try to research some more & get back to BG to at least try and get them to undo some of the financial damage seeing as I can't make them restore her fire (apparantly their engineer is "not a builder" & will not drill up through the floor from her basement where the meter is)

undaunted

For me thats why I saw the charis route as a possible option - you could then get your own gas safe registered person in to do the job at an agreed price & pay them with that grant.

I think you can argue with British Gas re the ERA, that they could & should have been more helpful to a vulnerable old lady, for compensation etc but it wont necessarily be quick or result in them reconnecting her fire.

Perhaps you should write to someone - Watchdog, Daily Mail or Sun Money / advice sections etc. It's sometimes surprising how helpful these people become when they think a bad media / PR report is headed their way.

Terrylw1

spiro wrote: »

The PSR is about the parties dealing with the customer knowing they have an 'issue' (health, hearing etc) and gives them some extra 'rights' which in this case would have been covered by providing electric heaters FOC. I'm sorry but it is not the suppliers responsibility to fix the issue that is down to the customer.

Not to fix the issue, but to give advice.

I think a supplier would have a hard time justifying this position when they are copping the elec usage. If the current elec heating solution means the customer pays more, they fall foul of the advice they are expected to give under PSR.

If a customer made contact over this issue, I would expect the operator to check on their personal circumstances, which at a minimum can avoid problems later in a complaint.

Suppliers know full well that failing to act on a situation that they could for an elderly person invites media interest.

undaunted

spiro wrote: »

Two points on this:
1) Customer has to agredd/ask to be on the PSR suppliers can't just add them even if the know they should be on it.
2) In this context disconnect is about disconnecting the supply i.e. capping the gas, not about saying appliances are not safe to use and must not be used.
If this person was in rented property and an annual safety check was done the engineer would have done the same and the LL would have been within his right to suppy electric heaters as an alternative source of heating. Councils do this all the time and it can be days/weeks/months before the original appliance is repaired/replaced. They tend to ignore the fact that elec heating is more expensive than gas.

It is not essential that they are on PSR for help to be given. If you read the above you'll see it is possible to refer them to a suitable agency even without obtaining permission if absolutely necessary

Whilst I accept what you say about the context above you surely aren't seriously suggesting that the ERA would consider it unacceptable to disconnect her if she was in debt but find it absolutely fine to leave an old lady who is not in debt without supply rather than offer advice / sign posting to help her address the problems in a sensible manner?

Richie-from-the-Boro

morphy_richards : Last Activity: Today 5:14 PM

British Gas , Centrica, Transco, whoever and whatever I'm not sure that """a full on attack on BG""" will do any good at all, your personal history / issues with BG may be clouding the issue a little. The way I see it no one has actually done anything wrong, maybe there were communication issues and / or misunderstandings between the owner of the property and the 'gasman' and why he isolated the supply and issued stop gap emergency alternative heating.

The situation needs resolving over the next 4-6 weeks, I've no doubt that the householder will be sitting there right now feeling cold even though the fire are full on. Can we assume the AP has no funds whatsoever to affect a resupply ? who have you contacted to find the money and get the work done ?