British Gas causing problems

grastgirl

So the short version is:

Moved into new rental house in Mar 06
Got BG to transfer from old rental house to new, with no problems
Paying by DD until Aug 06, then DD seem to suddenly stop
Realise this wehn I get my bank statement in Oct 06, try to ring but they're having computer problems
Notice on their website that they're changing systems over, so I leave it thinking it will all come out in the wash
Feb 07 start coming on here and realise it could cause really big problems for me, so decide to sort it out, phone BG, they say it's sorted
Mar 07 phone them again as there's been no letters/bills through and try to sort it again, seems they've been trying to charge my landlord
Mar 07 still don't seem to be getting letters, so I phone again
Yesterday debt collector comes round to try to collect the debt from my landlord (who's obviously not paying because it's not his debt) hoping to either get the money or cut us off. Thankfully he believed my flatmate when he said there had been problems with the bills and just told us to ring BG. I rang them and hope I've sorted it out.

What I want to know is, if it doesn't get sorted what should I (and/or my landlord) do? Will I have to pay the fee for the debt collector coming out (£50) even though it was their mistake? I was planning to move out in a couple of months, so I really need this sorting out.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

olly300

Write a letter to British Gas NOW explaining when you moved in, approximately when you have contacted them on the phone and that you are still waiting to hear from them. At the end of the letter inform them that if you don't receive a gas bill within 21 days you will take them to the regulator. DON'T mention the debt collector to BG.

Send it via recorded delivery to prove that you posted the letter and that there is no way they shouldn't have got it.

Then if you don't receive a gas bill within 21 days complain to https://www.energywatch.org.uk

As you pay the bill by direct debit you don't want BG taking all the money out at once which they will legally be entitled to do if you stay quiet.

grastgirl

It's not just a case of they didn't set up an account in the first place, we set one up and it was all working fine for about 4 months, then they suddenly stopped taking the money via DD and sending bills.

When I spoke to them yesterday they said they would set me up with a new account and then bill me separately for the difference, so I don't think there's any danger of them taking it straight out with the DD I set up (unless you know better of course).

Perhaps a letter to confirm what was arranged over the phone at least might be an idea? What can energywatch do about it if I don't get a bill? My landlord should be phoning them today to make sure the debt collectors are being called off, seeing as they actually had the debt against his name and account.

I should point out that I'm quite happy paying them for what we've used. I would prefer to pay it off all at once to get it sorted out anyway, as I'll be moving out soon enough.

olly300

grastgirl wrote: »

Perhaps a letter to confirm what was arranged over the phone at least might be an idea? What can energywatch do about it if I don't get a bill? My landlord should be phoning them today to make sure the debt collectors are being called off, seeing as they actually had the debt against his name and account.

A few years ago I moved out of a rented flat and asked an electricity company for the bill. They said not they wouldn't send the bill on telephone and didn't give a reason. (Hard to believe I know but woman at the other end just said "No" ) They were asked again in writing and didn't respond. I then contacted the regulator and I received a letter of apology from the electricity company and was let of paying the bill which was about £40.

If you ask for a letter of arrangement you will just get a letter that doesn't reflect what has actually been agreed. This is to cause doubt on any legal obligations between you and the company which will make it harder for you to take any action to against the company if things go wrong later.

If you state what has happened, what you agreed to and demand a bill otherwise you will go to the regulator in 21 days. (Sending the letter by recorded delivery. ) You should get your bill or the regulator will get them to bill you.

altyfc

BG are the pits. I have had ongoing problems with them for about 3 years.

Write to Energywatch - they usually get their backsides in order.

grastgirl

It does sound like I should write to them as you suggest, I'd been thinking of writing a letter detailing everything before to try to get it sorted out. Do you think I need to go into all the details or just make sure they send me a bill?

BritishGasWorker

grastgirl wrote: »

It does sound like I should write to them as you suggest, I'd been thinking of writing a letter detailing everything before to try to get it sorted out. Do you think I need to go into all the details or just make sure they send me a bill?

Hi Grastgirl..

I am sorry that you have had such problems....I would suggest instead of sending a letter to call British Gas and request to speak to the person team manager to see whats happening if they cant help you, energywatch will not take your case on until you have spoken to the complaints department within the company. All they will do is pass you straight onto the complaints department. Hope you get this sorted

grastgirl

I'd rather have it sorted out than just make a complaint for the sake of it. Surely complaining would be a bit premature (relating to the latest phone call) until i know they still haven't sent me a bill? Besides I'm sure my landlord has been trying harder than me to get this sorted out (presumably including managers/complaints dept etc) and obviously has not been getting anywhere.

I just thought a letter explaining everything might be easier to work from, especially if it had details of both accounts in it, than a phone call, if only because someone could take their time over it rather than it affecting their call length averages (or whatever not so useful stat they use for people's bonuses).

BritishGasWorker

grastgirl wrote: »

I'd rather have it sorted out than just make a complaint for the sake of it. Surely complaining would be a bit premature (relating to the latest phone call) until i know they still haven't sent me a bill? Besides I'm sure my landlord has been trying harder than me to get this sorted out (presumably including managers/complaints dept etc) and obviously has not been getting anywhere.

I just thought a letter explaining everything might be easier to work from, especially if it had details of both accounts in it, than a phone call, if only because someone could take their time over it rather than it affecting their call length averages (or whatever not so useful stat they use for people's bonuses).

Call and ask to speak to a manager...letters take time

pingu

i am on hold now over 1 hour now:eek:

i am phoning on behalf of sister who moved this new house which has card meter called BG two week ago engineer called and put some credit on it but no card arrive called back last week card is on its way but they run out of gas yesterday and BG are closed on sunday

now i am still waiting for someone to answer the bloody phone:mad:

tripled

They shouldn't need a letter explaining it, it's a very simple enquiry dealt with dozens of times a day by homemove agents. However, I don't see it would do any harm to write a letter confirming the details from when you moved in, at the very least it should result in someone looking at your account again.

Setting up an account is routine, but it can take up to 28 days to go through. If it hasn't gone through before, it is likely either a system fault or agent error, so now you have spoken to them again it should be resolved, although system faults can take a while due to a massive backlog of cases.

If the landlord's account is still open the £50 charge would have gone on his account, not yours, he would need to call in to have it refunded onto his account.

Call length targets have been removed from quarterly bonus calculations for homemove agents (I don't know if the same is true for other departments), but there is still some pressure as they are targeted on gross sales, so if there isn't a sales opportunity they will want to move on as quickly as possible. Also managers have some pressure to make sure handling time doesn't go up too much now targets have been removed.