Termination Notice for British Gas Contract (Micro Business)

emmasam

Hello Everyone! Need some advice please ... I can see that some energy suppliers are good enough to respond on this forum so any help or advice from anyone would be really good at the moment.

I'm a very small business / sole trader coming to the end of a 12 month contract with British Gas for my electric. (Well, it ends in January 2013 to be precise). They wrote to me in September offering to 'Renew' my tariff at some ludicrous bonkers prices. Needless to say I was not going to stay with British Gas when there are better deals to be had on the market. However, as they addressed the letter to the wrong building in my street I did not receive the Notice of Renewal until AFTER the date they had stipulated to terminate the contract.

So my current predicament is I've only given them 77 days notice and not 90 as required in their letter. I sent the termination immediately I was given the post. All my other post from BG is addressed correctly - its just this one letter that was wrong which is really weird! (Different department I guess...)

In your opinion/experience - how likely is it that they'll refuse my termination given that I'm only giving them 77 days notice? (! I mean, can you believe that - 77 days!!). I really will not be able to afford their 'Renewed' prices. I've been offered a really good tariff with Scottish Power. Less than I'm paying currently (!) so why on earth would anyone agree to pay another supplier more - and why is the termination notice so strict? Is it because they hope you won't notice and let it lapse and be stuck with their craaazzzyyy prices??

Help!

dogshome

Check the info. on Ofgems web site regarding microbusinesses - BG are supposed to write to you 90 days prior to a contacts End Date, and from the date on that letter you have 30 days to either find a new supplier or renegotiate a new contract with BG

Whilst Ofgem profess not to get involved in customer problems, send them a copy of the wrongly addressed letter and ask them what you should do.
It's also well established in law that a wrongly addressed letter cannot be claimed to be proper notice in a contractual procedure

emmasam

Thanks Dogshome for your speedy response! I hadn't seen the Ofgem w/site before. Very useful. But your second point is most interesting and which I will point out when they eventually get back to me reference agreeing to terminate or not. A painful 10 days of waiting now!

chanz4

if addressed wrong should be fine, as their error

cwalsh9695

I've a siimilar problem. I own a small pub. Renewal sent to wrong address, Gas and Electricity prices have been increased by 80%. Only found out on my last bill.
So on a massive roll over contract
I have managed to negotiate it down, but only if i signed a 3 year fixed contract. Feel like I've been mugged.
Can I cancel this new contract (only taken out on Monday) under financial services contracts, 14 day cooling off period. would I incur any penalties.
Just begrudge paying BG anything ever again.

One for yourself!

dogshome

Hi cwalsh9695
I'm afraid that your circumstances are different to emmasams in that you have run through the whole course and signed a new ageement - Yes, you can challange BG on the wrongly addressed and therefore late notice, but with the new contract in place you are going to have to use a Legal Eagle and the courts to do it.

It's little consolation, but over the past few months a pattern is appearing in these threads regarding BG and Business Supply renewals
1) Non-arrival or late arrival due to wrong addressing of Contract End notices
2) New contract issued with horrendous prices
3) When customer complains BG offer a new contract with lower prices, but new contract term is 3 Years

emmasam

Interesting point dogshome...making us sign 3 yr contracts to get best prices. Very naughty. If that's not pressure selling I don't know what is!! cwalsh9695 its an awful feeling isn't it! Knowing you have to hand over hard earned dosh to BG when you could be getting a better deal elsewhere.

I will post the outcome of my scenario once I've heard back from BG...