Changing from British Gas

zabi89

I switched from British Gas to First Utility. Much better service and it's much cheaper too! (Fixed tariff)

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

What makes you so special that you don't have to follow the same complaints procedure as everybody else?

BG have 8 weeks to satisfy your complaint before you can take it to the Ombudsman. And do take it to the Ombudsman, the regulator is OFGEM, and they couldn't give a !!!!.

Did you find Ovo on the price comparison sites? I could! For an alleged Cambridge educated engineer, I'm surprised at the number of basic facts you seem to struggle with.

rgtr

Birdman

As you say I am an educated engineer ... thus i look out of the box ... the ombudsman is unlikely to be useful. ditto ofgem.

BUT it is necessary to stir the waters ...

rgtr

Hi all

we won .... read more here:

first the comment from the ofgem. yeah they do like to know what the sinners are up to - tho they cannot do anything about it.
""
I am concerned to read of the problems you have experienced with British Gas I would urge you to draw this matter to their attention and would expect the company to respond in accordance with the complaints handling standards.
""

i replied as follows:
""
I have of course complained to British Gas about their behaviour and excessive billing which seems to me simply to be a way of extracting additional monies.

That they have blamed OVO for their fiasco is also a nonsense.
a) Interim Bill issued to two DIFFERENT dates for gas and electricity with grossly over estimated readings £153.36 [£107.7 due and paid]
b) Final Gas Bill £48.69
c) Final Electricity Bill £54.21
after first complaint
final [replacement to the above three] bill £40.27 [allowing for £107.70 paid]
after next two complaints
" the outstanding balance has been written off "
viz no more bad publicity ... put simply nothing added up and still doesn't

as a one time member of the chartered institute of arbitrators and a being chartered engineer i have no problems in sorting this out: however most people would not have a chance and would give up on the ombudsman route.

the problem is that ombudsmen [and the staff in their offices] very rarely have any legal training or knowledge let alone any investigative capability. the system therefore effectively frustrates anyone raising a complaint.

british gas have singularly failed to answer the complaints:
1) why the interim bill .... they initially blamed it as an ofgem requirement !
2) why the failure to make a viable estimate - despite being in possession of final meter readings
3) why the failure to agree - blaming ovo energy. [my final readings were adopted in the end]
""

so there you go - a little education and persistence goes a long way.

so dont give up, dont follow their rules, follow your own.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

How on earth did you win?!

OFGEM's comment is an identikit platitude they trot out to people like you that are singularly incapable of following the complaints procedure.

As you were previously advised, the energy ombudsman deal with issues like this, and only after you have followed the agreed complaints procedure. OFGEM have no interest, and nor should they, they are a govermnent appointed regulator not a consumer group.

Back to the drawing board I'm afraid.

rgtr

Dear Bluebirdman of Alcathays - what a negative poster

a) ofgem is aware of the problem and my report just adds another round to their ammunition pile.
they are not, as you suggest elsewhere, useless. but they do need information.
b) i sorted my problem speedily to my advantage without wasting months with an ombudsman to achieve nothing.

get real - and a real name - of what are you frightened ? alacatraz is now closed ...

rgtr

Guess what - here we go again ...

This time its Southern Electricity

and again

Its Utility Warehouse

time for OfGem or whatever to get their act together:

should be simple: three strikes and you lose your licence ..... that would bring prices down and some service.

Even three HUNDRED strikes would put the fraudsters - sorry the respectable big utility companies - out of business.

WAKE UP WORLD
a) OMBUDSMEN are paid for by the big companies ... who do they fight for. They only delay proceedings for about three months.
b) Go for it - GO PUBLIC

and get a cheaper deal

penrhyn

Power to the people! Freedom for Tooting.

energyworker

These posts give me headaches.

You clearly have no interest in actually getting answers or in the processes involved, instead you just seem to content to shout random buzzphrases and bang on about regulators you clearly have no understanding of. Any attempt to explain this to you is met with a bizarrely written post full of platitudes.

I'm half expecting you to declare yourself a "freeman of the land next".