Serious Problems With British Gas. Direct Debits Being Taken Twice.

JSR

annbarbs wrote: »

British gas would not really be that stupid as to give my bank details to another customer would they?

Virgin Media did it to me so it does happen. There is not much anybody can do just with your bank account/sort code so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Jeremy Clarkson famously printed his bank account in a national newspaper and all that happened was that somebody was able to set-up a direct debit to a charity.

System

JSR wrote: »

Virgin Media did it to me so it does happen. There is not much anybody can do just with your bank account/sort code so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Jeremy Clarkson famously printed his bank account in a national newspaper and all that happened was that somebody was able to set-up a direct debit to a charity.

Of course they can. If someone else has you bank details they can take money out of your account. I think I have been treated badly by British Gas.

Did you read that link to the thread I posted on.about British gas trying to bill me for my previous address?Even though I closed my account there?When I moved out of my old address 2 years ago?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2983648
So this is not the first time I have had problems with British Gas. I have not had any problems with my other billing companies,only British Gas.

I am getting nowhere with the complaints department.is there anyone higher I can complain about British Gas to? I also think I should dump British Gas and find another energy supplier something I should have done a long time ago. But now that this has happened to me. I think I should get rid of British Gas and find another energy supplier. As I am getting nothing but aggravation from British Gas.

There is one way out of this problem. And that is to cancel the direct debit which I could do by telling my ban and British Gas I changed my mind and don't want it. Then just pay by magnetic payment card by cash at the pay point as I was doing before. At least then I won't have to worry about them dipping in my bank account and taking money they should not be taking.
As clearly I cannot trust British gas with my bank details if they are so stupid they cannot even set up a direct debit correctly as other companies can.

Yes I should defiantly look around for an alternative energy supplier. As I would be better off getting away from British Gas.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

annbarbs wrote: »

Well my bank have refunded my my £20 that was taken out of my account.So that will go back into my account in a couple of days. As I only found out yesterday that the duplicate DD had been taken on the 1st for my electric.

My bank tell me they have also cancelled the duplicate direct debits for 1st and 7th. So when mt gas payment goes out of my account on the 7th it should only be one payment of £40 not two. though the bank said if a duplicate payment does go out on the 7th they will give me my money back again.

If your Gas and your Electricity Direct Debits are being taken separately, I think there's a possibility that you might not be benefiting from any Dual Fuel discount that's available. I'd check if it were me.

annbarbs wrote: »

If someone else has you bank details they can take money out of your account.

Really? So every time I pay someone with a cheque I am opening up my account to them?

dancingfairy

Can you not get the bank to put a block on 1 set of the DD's on a permanent basis?
Otherwise cancel the DD's with the bank and BG and start again I guess.df

System

Well my bank say they have cancelled the duplicate direct debits. So on the 7th of May only one payment of £40 should leave my account not two. They say they have also cancelled the duplicate payments of £20 of my electric. However they one bank clerk said that BG could still take out duplicate payments in the months to come. As British Gas could change the direct debits. But if that happens the bank will give me my money back as they have with my £20.

I decided to set up the DD payments for my gas and electric on different days of the month(electric on 1st each month and gas on 7th each month.) Because otherwise that would be a lump sum of £60 a months. So £20 and £40 on different days is easier to pay.

I don't understand why duplicate payments for both my gas and electric were set up. As it is not possible that a company can be so stupid as to make that mistake. I pay my telephone,TV license and other bills by direct debit and this has never happened to me before. As no one has made that mistake so this is a first.

I think the mistake by British gas could have be because I requested my gas and electric payments to be taken on separate days(1st and 7th) instead of DD for both gas and electric taken the same day each month. So it is obviously an error on British Gas's part. The problem is that British gas denies it all and say they have only set me up for one payment of gas and electric. When they have not. They have set up a duplicate payments of both my gas and electric by mistake. As my bank has confirmed to me.

I think the best solution would be for me to cancel the direct debit. And tell British Gas and the bank that I have changed my mind. I don't want the direct debits. Then go back to paying my monthly payments by cash. That could be the only way to stop this. as otherwise British Gas in their ignorance and stupidity could keep on taking out duplicate payments of £20 and £40 and I don't want that.

System

This is not the first time I have had problems with British Ga
See this other thread here-
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2983648

Some of my post from that thread,link above.

My post from thread about LCS,British Gas problem on the other thread It just happened to me. I got a letter from the same people saying I am responsible for the gas and electric supply from my previous address from 7 December 2009 to 18th july 2010. But I moved out of my old address on 6th Dec 2009 and British Gas closed both my gas and electric account the following day.when I gave them my final meter reader for that address. I am now living at a new address where I have been living since 6th dec 2009.

And I can prove that I moved out of my old address on 6th Dec 2009.As I am on benefits and my the benefits people will not pay housing benefit for 2 addresses. So it would be impossible for me to be still living at my old address as well as my new address. And I am a council tenant and my old address was a temporarily flat with the council which they moved me out of on 6th Dec 2009 to a permanent flat. Which is where I am now. I have been living at my new home since 6th Dec 2009 not at my old home which I moved out of on 6th Dec 2009.

And British Gas said all their records of me are up to date and they did close my gas and electric account at my old address on 6th Dec 2009.

Which means I am NOT responsible for paying any bills at my old address from 7th Dec 2009 to 18th July 2010 because I moved out on 6th Dec 2009,so I no longer live there.

Now British Gas have made another mistake and have set me up for duplicate direct debits which they won't even admit to.
It sucks that I have had to go though all that with British Gas. I think I should change my energy supplier.as I have had so many problems with British Gas and as someone else on the other thread said. The mistakes they make a very amateur and British gas are giving me this grief.

I mean first they bill try to bill me for an address I have not live at for 2 years because I moved out. Now this-duplicate direct debits. I think the best think for me to do is dump them and get a new energy supplier.

System

Because I have had, and are still having so many problems with British Gas. I now want to leave British Gas and get a new energy supplier. I have been treated badly by British Gas and I think I have received poor customer service. As first the other problem, now this. They have set me up for duplicate direct debits, and they won't even apologize to me, or admit they have made a mistake.

But it's my money I am loosing because double payments are being taken out of my bank account due to their mistake. I want to make a complaint about British Gas to someone higher up than just British Gas complaints department. Who can I report them to regarding this?
As I have had no results with British Gas head of complaints team.

As they deny they have made a mistake with my account and insist they only set me up for one payment. When statements from my bank and my bank told me British Gas clearly have set me up for duplicate direct debits by mistake.Which British gas won't admit to.
So yes I should now get away from British gas and change my energy supplier as soon as I can.

notbritishgas

OP, you say a duplicate DD of £20 was taken for your electricity account on 1st May. Did you ask BG if both amounts credited your electricity account or only one of them.

If only one of them did then an earlier posters thoughts about the second DD being for someone elses account is quite possible, especially as BG would only see one DD on your account which ties in with their replies to you.

If both of them showed on your account then BG would have to accept that they had set up duplicates on your bank account.

Nada666

Wow, for someone who is annoyed by duplication you sure like writing the same thing over and over.

As you say yourself:
I have only made the complaint over the telephone not in writing [as] I only found out about all this yesterday afternoon.

An error has been made in setting up your debits. Your bank has sorted things out at their end. Your problem is is that the first level telephone support you talk to have little idea of what is happening or much control (which is as it should).

So what is the problem? Write a written complaint (headed "Complaint") and ask them for an explanation as to why duplicate debits were set up and why no admission or apology was given. (Their reply to this may be rather short.)

If you no longer want to shop with British Gas then no longer shop with them. Change supplier.

System

Nada666 wrote: »

Wow, for someone who is annoyed by duplication you sure like writing the same thing over and over.

As you say yourself:
I have only made the complaint over the telephone not in writing [as] I only found out about all this yesterday afternoon.

An error has been made in setting up your debits. Your bank has sorted things out at their end. Your problem is is that the first level telephone support you talk to have little idea of what is happening or much control (which is as it should).

So what is the problem? Write a written complaint (headed "Complaint") and ask them for an explanation as to why duplicate debits were set up and why no admission or apology was given. (Their reply to this may be rather short.)

If you no longer want to shop with British Gas then no longer shop with them. Change supplier.

I already have made a complaint the British Gas complaints department over the telephone.Duplicate direct debit payments are being taken out of my bank account by British Gas. my bank and bank statements confirms this and that the duplicate payments are going to British Gas.

British Gas deny this and say they are not getting any duplicate payments from me and that they did set up my direct debit correctly.
So British gas are either lying or they just don't know what they are doing.

You tell me how such a thing can be happening to me? when I have all of my other bills such as BT,Sky TV,TV license Council Tax and others by direct debit and they never take duplicate direct debits or payments.
So why are British Gas doing this? why and how could they make such a stupid mistake? Which they won't even admit to.

Please is there someone a higher up, a complaints body or organization I can complain about British Gas to, apart from just going to the complaints department at British Gas? As I know that Offgem does not deal with complaints about our energy supplier anymore.
As I cannot deal with this on my own as I am getting nowhere with British Gas complaints department managers.