British Gas - possible widespread problem

OrdinaryConsumer1

I was last billed for Gas for my home on 14th November 2013.

So when, by the end of February, I hadn't received an e-mail request for a meter reading or received a bill, I gave them a call. I was told "We had a glitch with the system and some customers haven't received reminders or berills for the winter quarter. Just submit a meter reading on line".

After that I waited until the beginning of this week to see if an E-mail/Bill came through from them. Nothing. So I wrote an E-mail to their Customer Enquiry people and got the following reply today:-

"Thank you for the enquiry you sent about meter reading notification email. I'm sorry for the delay in my reply.

I'm sorry that you haven't meter readings notification email from us to submit your gas meter reading.

Please don't worry, I've not fix this for you. Please be assured the your will receive the meter reading notification email from us to your registered email address (My e-mail address), in future.

Further, I've checked your account details and found that we were due to be bill your account on 11 February 2014.

Please submit your meter reading online to bill your account up-to date. Alternatively, you can also reply to my email with your current gas meter reading and I will be happy to bill your account.

Please feel free to contact me directly, by replying to this email, should you require any further help and I will be delighted to personally deal with your enquiry.

Thank you for contacting British Gas.

We're listening, so tell us what you think - if you've got a moment please complete my surveyto let me know how I've done."


Kind regards

XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX

This is the first time in 28 years (At the same address) as a customer of BG that I have experienced this type of problem.

Has anybody else been having problems with them recently?

Let's hope the use of English in paragraph 3 (Highlighted red) is an error !


Nick

rb10

Computers will always make the odd mistake. I assume you've now sent in your meter readings, so all is ok?

The greater problem is that you haven't switched supplier for 28 years - are you sure British Gas are still the most competitive for you?

OrdinaryConsumer1

And, do you know what, I 've lost my Nectar card as well. And surprisingly, I've experienced an overwhelming sense of relief !


I haven't got much faith in the marketeer inspired "Switch the supplier" drivel. because they all get their energy from the same few wholesale sources and quite frankly, the admin of some of the newly established companies is even more "Pants" than BG's Accenture run Uttar Pradesh outfit if that's possible.


Give me "real firm prices" every time (As professional purchasing
officers would demand) without the phoney discounts and supplier alternation mantra - designed for those with attention spans shorter than goldfish.


Nick

rb10

OrdinaryConsumer1 wrote: »

And, do you know what, I 've lost my Nectar card as well. And surprisingly, I've experienced an overwhelming sense of relief !

I have no idea what the relevance of this is, but this web page may be useful for you:
https://help.nectar.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/340

OrdinaryConsumer1 wrote: »

I haven't got much faith in the marketeer inspired "Switch the supplier" drivel. because they all get their energy from the same few wholesale sources and quite frankly, the admin of some of the newly established companies is even more "Pants" than BG's Accenture run Uttar Pradesh outfit if that's possible.


Give me "real firm prices" every time (As professional purchasing
officers would demand) without the phoney discounts and supplier alternation mantra - designed for those with attention spans shorter than goldfish.


Nick

There is a degree of obscurity surrounding switching energy supplier(s), as the amount of your monthly direct debit isn't necessarily the amount you actually end up paying.

But by looking into it properly, you can relatively easily compare 'real firm prices' - you need to look at the details of the tariffs, and compare the price per unit and daily standing charge.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

OrdinaryConsumer1 wrote: »

And, do you know what, I 've lost my Nectar card as well. And surprisingly, I've experienced an overwhelming sense of relief !


I haven't got much faith in the marketeer inspired "Switch the supplier" drivel. because they all get their energy from the same few wholesale sources and quite frankly, the admin of some of the newly established companies is even more "Pants" than BG's Accenture run Uttar Pradesh outfit if that's possible.


Give me "real firm prices" every time (As professional purchasing
officers would demand) without the phoney discounts and supplier alternation mantra - designed for those with attention spans shorter than goldfish.


Nick

An interesting argument, but flawed I fear.

Accenture don't run anything for BG anymore, they had a rather well publicised spat. I believe Capgemini are Centrica's consultant of choice, and before them AON Hewitt. To the best of my knowledge non customer facing outsourced operations were in Portugal, not Uttar Pradesh, but they all look the same right?

Of course there are few wholesale suppliers, extracting gas is a relatively complex operation, and the supply is falling. Whilst pricing is obfuscatory (deliberately so?) it's not beyond the ability of most people to dip their toe in and explore the market.

The residential market get much more "real firm prices" than professional purchasers get - the very biggest buyers get "Flex" contracts that track the wholesale market - less mark up than a residential buyer perhaps, but by no means more predictable.

People that have never switched in 20 odd years are often paying QCC and on standard tariff. I can guarantee with some confidence that if you are one of those people your bills would be 10-20% less if you were on a market leading tariff. But then it's all a con of course.

deinoflex

To reply to the original query, I've had the same problem, was due to have meter read request at end of Feb, nothing happened, thought maybe they were reading it themselves, kept logging on seeing if bills issued, emailed them through their messaging system last week, no reply as yet.

[Deleted User]

British Gas were the most expensive supplier for me when I checked the unit prices of five of the so called big six on their own websites in December.
EDF were the cheapest unit prices but because of the many posts on this website re them messing about with the direct debit payments and sometimes taking it twice I decided to stay with Eon as their system of DDs has been very stable and you get more control over your DDs if you run your account online.

OrdinaryConsumer1

At the moment the tariff side of it is not my main concern and I'm not minded to switch to DD payment (I pay by one-off electronic payment) because I think DD, in this environment, is used by the marketeers as an opportunity to lock customers into a supplier - can the ordinary consumer, particularly pensioners in which I am shortly to be numbered, afford to fund their old Gas supplier for one or two quarters excess DD payments whilst they sort out their abysmal admin - new suppliers want paying immediately. And, frankly, I don't take kindly being intimidated, with the use of oblique tactics, into paying by a method which suits the marketeers and creditors departments of these outfits but doesn't suit me.


Just to update readers on the situation.
Update

On the basis of the E-mail received from BG Customer Services (Above), I go on-line and submit my latest meter reading by means of my on-line account. The software immediately generates an amount due (Whilst I'm on-line) and posts, it as such, in the account as an amount outstanding However, the system should produce a PDF version of the formal Gas Bill - in the past this usually happens the day after I've submitted the meter reading (Overnight processing involved, I don't know ?) and I download it.


Immediately following this, I advise the Customer Service advisor at British Gas (The same one I was corresponding with originally) that I have submitted a meter reading and 24 hours latter I get a reply back containing what looks like a facsimilie of my web account page showing the amount outstanding. But no PDF version of the Bill. I'm not prepared to pay against this E-mail. I don't believe it constitutes a legal demand for payment.

So, here we are Tuesday, with the meter reading submitted Sunday evening and the on-line system still says that there is no PDF version of the Formal bill to download. Obviously, not working.

Another E-mail has gone off to BG Customer Services asking when I can expect to be able to download the PDF bill and that I won't be paying the amount outstanding until I get the bill -legally they can't demand it until an invoice is presented.

I should point out that the system worked right as rain for the last two years or more.

In summary, it would appear that the Customer side of the account software is not working - both the E-mail meter reading reminders and electronic billing are not working, but the part of the software that posts to BG's ledgers is working.

I just wondering if this is a new BG customer service provider (Portuguese or otherwise) just trying to "Encourage" people to pay by Direct debit ( I pay by one off electronic payment )- its suitably ham-fisted enough to be the product of a marketeer run creditors department.


That's another couple of hours of my life I won't get back.


If this goes on, the Chief Executive will be getting a "Both barrels" letter.


IMHO these privatised utilities are unbelievably arrogant and dismissive in the way they treat their customers.


Nick

OrdinaryConsumer1

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

An interesting argument, but flawed I fear


Neo liberal, patriachial patronage much appreciated.

but they all look the same right?


Certainly the standard and use of English is consistently below a standard the ordinary person would think is necessary for the efficient conduct of business


But then it's all a con of course.


As An ex-purchasing professional, in HMG service, I'd agree with you.

Nick

---

OrdinaryConsumer1

Update:


I get a E-mail reply back today, confirming that the BG customer service rep has tested the software which enables me to download a PDF version of my bill and found that it still isn't working- I'm told that the PDF bill should normally be produced within 48 hours of the submission of a meter reading.

In the meantime, I'm told that he's arranged for a paper version of the bill to be provided which should arrive before the 26th March.

When I subsequently check my on-line account I find that click button for a downloadable PDF file has been removed from the relevant account page and a new click button to request a paper copy of the bill has been substituted in its place

I e-mailed him back this evening saying that I haven't requested this, its unacceptable and will envitably result in any payment I make to BG being delayed further - with the PDF system, I am able and have made electronic payment straight into BG's receiving account within two days of submitting a meter reading. Now its going to take up to 10 days to achieve the same.

One thing I'm not doing is paying them without receiving a legally recognised demand for payment, whether its paper or electronic.

Absolute lunacy ! The PDF system was highly convenient to me as well as beneficial to them. And if you look at the PDF Guide entitled "Lots of Ways to Pay" on BG's "How to Pay page"
It states they will still accept one-off electronic payments.
THE DOWNLOADABLE PDF works here !
Presume that the Customer Service types are all on incentives to get everybody onto Direct Debits. But that doesn't suit me.
I've told BG to put the account back as it was and if they can't do that to tell me ASAP.

Nick

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

OrdinaryConsumer1 wrote: »

Update:


I get a E-mail reply back today, confirming that the BG customer service rep has tested the software which enables me to download a PDF version of my bill and found that it still isn't working- I'm told that the PDF bill should normally be produced within 48 hours of the submission of a meter reading.

In the meantime, I'm told that he's arranged for a paper version of the bill to be provided which should arrive before the 26th March.

When I subsequently check my on-line account I find that click button for a downloadable PDF file has been removed from the relevant account page and a new click button to request a paper copy of the bill has been substituted in its place

I e-mailed him back this evening saying that I haven't requested this, its unacceptable and will envitably result in any payment I make to BG being delayed further - with the PDF system, I am able and have made electronic payment straight into BG's receiving account within two days of submitting a meter reading. Now its going to take up to 10 days to achieve the same.

One thing I'm not doing is paying them without receiving a legally recognised demand for payment, whether its paper or electronic.

Absolute lunacy ! The PDF system was highly convenient to me as well as beneficial to them. And if you look at the PDF Guide entitled "Lots of Ways to Pay" on BG's "How to Pay page"
It states they will still accept one-off electronic payments.
THE DOWNLOADABLE PDF works here !
Presume that the Customer Service types are all on incentives to get everybody onto Direct Debits. But that doesn't suit me.
I've told BG to put the account back as it was and if they can't do that to tell me ASAP.

Thanks for the pointless fresh air at the end of your post.

So a relatively small component of BG's online account offering isn't working, and you're kicking off big style. Fair play, I've seen some big flounces on this forum (bloke asking SP to cut him off then chasing off "intruders" with baseball bat)(bloke taking npower to court for billing him correctly) but this is right up there.

If you don't like it, vote with your feet and change suppliers. Oh hang on, you don't believe in that. As a "professional purchaser" I find that astonishing, but maybe you're an "ex" purchaser for a reason.

As ever with these things, the more you post, the more I smell WUM.