British Gas Debt Collection Policy?

Honeydog

chanz4 wrote: »

Unless the advisor is dim you wont get a copy, as its sensitive and under 0 obligation to release

That's a really interesting point of view. I didn't initially ask for a copy of their policy - it was sent totally voluntarily by the advisor. I was complaining about phone calls from Capita which they start doing 2 weeks after the bill is due and I got a copied and pasted debt collection policy without asking for it.

The first advisor copied and pasted what he said was their policy in one email and another advisor read what the other guy had put and then emailed me his own version which had a very interesting (and hugely different - I'm talking weeks not days) timescale regarding the exact point at which they inform credit reference agencies.

So neither of them should have done that?

Depending on the reaction I get from BG I may post both of those emails here in full as particularly the guy's statement in the second one could have serious implications for quite a few people.

BG rep is very silent on this one. Wonder why.....

HD

spiro

Terrylw1 wrote: »

Not without following all the processes leading up to a PPM stage to justify their actions. Consumers will be protected from such harsh behaviour.

What process, you dont pay and they switch you onto PAYG. Their justification is that you failed to pay your bill on time and they are protecting you from getting further into debt which OFGEM and OFT will love.

chanz4

Payment terms are you pay within 14 days, after 28 days it becomes a debt where a warrant can be applied for

ihateyes

honeydog. when was the last time you paid. i find it strange it was be passed o/s BG 2weeks after bill! hd you paid your prev bill in full..... were your ddebs up to date?

Honeydog

ihateyes wrote: »

honeydog. when was the last time you paid. i find it strange it was be passed o/s BG 2weeks after bill! hd you paid your prev bill in full..... were your ddebs up to date?

I know you are only trying to help but the state of my account isn't a factor in this question.

I'm not complaining about BG having a debt management policy. I am also not complaining about them applying such a policy to me. If I choose to pay late (or forget to pay) then I accept that there will at some point be consequences. I'm just making the point that such a policy should be transparent and accessible to the people likely to be affected by it. Above all it should be consistent - not changeable at the whim of a Customer Service agent.

I do have exactly the same relaxed attitude towards paying my electric bill as I do the gas one and there's none of this nonsense with my electric supplier.

Anyway there's no point discussing it further until I hear from BG.

HD

Honeydog

chanz4 wrote: »

Payment terms are you pay within 14 days, after 28 days it becomes a debt where a warrant can be applied for

There must be a huge number of people who don't pay within 2 weeks to make it worthwhile for BG to employ Capita to chase them.

chanz4

Terrylw1 wrote: »

Not without following all the processes leading up to a PPM stage to justify their actions. Consumers will be protected from such harsh behaviour.

All a supplier has todo is wait 28 days, issue a rights of entry notification. The rest is the suppliers choice

chanz4

Honeydog wrote: »

I know you are only trying to help but the state of my account isn't a factor in this question.

I'm not complaining about BG having a debt management policy. I am also not complaining about them applying such a policy to me. If I choose to pay late (or forget to pay) then I accept that there will at some point be consequences. I'm just making the point that such a policy should be transparent and accessible to the people likely to be affected by it. Above all it should be consistent - not changeable at the whim of a Customer Service agent.

I do have exactly the same relaxed attitude towards paying my electric bill as I do the gas one and there's none of this nonsense with my electric supplier.

Anyway there's no point discussing it further until I hear from BG.

HD

You have to look at it this way, if a company disclosed their collections process would you ever pay a bill on time or would you wait until the last second where they are applying for the warrant?

Its the same with credit cards, they wont tell you exactly when they are about to send a default notice or sell your debt as you would just at that point pay it

Terrylw1

chanz4 wrote: »

All a supplier has todo is wait 28 days, issue a rights of entry notification. The rest is the suppliers choice

That's fine as long as the customer has been fully engaged and notified of the change. Since it may restrict their access to products and remove discounts they were receiving or may receive, Ofgem will be careful that they follow a path including notification of a change in terms.

Terrylw1

spiro wrote: »

What process, you dont pay and they switch you onto PAYG. Their justification is that you failed to pay your bill on time and they are protecting you from getting further into debt which OFGEM and OFT will love.

No they won't, if you just switch people over without following a process of notification since it increase complaints.

Collection paths exist and Ofgem review them from time to time. The introduction of smart won't change this, it will just change the routes to a PPM. A warrant will no longer be needed but you still have to be careful since doing this is going to remove access to certain products, removed discounts, etc.

The OFT won't be happy unless a procedure is followed to ensure to customer has been engaged. Consider the mobile phone industry which employs phone barring. You can't just bar a line without sending the correct notifications unless its a suspected fraud in which case the aim is to protect the customer and your business.

Its a slippery slope otherwise considering this technology will provide a method to cut off supply from the meter. Not that this is new anyway, you could do it on Smartpower metering via the pay point.