Got a British Gas problem? Let me sort it for you

sexki11en

sexki11en wrote: »

BBB, I appreciate you have just had surgery but I e mailed you 2 weeks ago and got a response saying you were in training and would look at it tomorrow for me. So far I have heard nothing. It's not exactly restoring my faith in the way i've already been treated by a company who have blacklisted me - when they don't even supply my property!

I just wanted to say that despite replying to your pm after the above message (to which you replied saying yu would check your inbox in the morning- I don't know why it won't multi quote) nearly 4 weeks on from my original e mail to you, 6 months after lodging my original complaint with British Gas, 40 phonecalls, around £60 on phonecalls and nearly 30 hours on the phone to British Gas - I have finally got them to admit they don't supply our property, never have supplied our property and shouldnt have sent debt collection letters and caused us the stress, time and money they have!!! (still awaiting written confirmation tho - I won't hold my breath)

I would suggest that if you are not going to help people with genuine problems then don't offer on a public forum.

I'm sorry if you feel I am being rude but the above should explain why I am angry!

yollom

BG and Customer services in the same breath...........!!!!

BBB

I have been instructed to stop helping through here as it's not going through the proper channels.

Please contact British Gas on 0845 555 200 with any problems.

Please accept my apologies for this.

tripled

Lol that number isn't going to get people very far...

08459 555 200

There is now a dedicated complaints route, which there never used to be, so my advice would be to take the following steps if anyone has a BG problem:

1) Phone - in many cases this is the quickest and easiest route, as accounts can be updated instantly and agents can also check information (which you may not have included in a letter). Take the name of the person you speak to. If it is a serious/complex problem (ie there is a threat of disconnection or mixed meters, multiple faults with the same account, etc) then follow the call up with the details in writing (keeping a copy and getting proof of posting) to the standard BG address (currently an Eastbourne PO Box).

3) If it isn't being sorted within 14-21 days, write to the complaints management team at the BG address.

4) If it still isn't resolved, go to energywatch/the ombudsman.

I often see people saying they have phoned/written/emailed x many times and they are banging their head against a brick wall. People often say the same thing to me on the phone, and whilst in many cases I can solve the problem simply by taking some time to go through the issues, I do wonder to myself why people have run up these phone bils or wasted so much time when they needn't.

These steps can be applied to any energy company (although don't write to BG if you have a problem with Powergen!). Taking these steps will resolve 90% of problems with a lot less heartache and stress. It also forces companies to be more proactive to stop complaints reaching energywatch/the ombudsman.

Cardew has posted similar advice to this several times before (although his is usually only three steps to energywatch not four!), as have I. Please follow it, it will make your life easier!

Also don't forget energywatch also give advice, so if you aren't sure if you have been advised correctly by an energy company, or think they may be hiding behind some spurious regulation to avoid dealing with your problem, just ask them

mike_the_bike_2

Seemed like a nice chap but unfortunately useless in his ability to provide any proper answers on the way British Gas operate..Probably constrained by the company he works for..

I'm still waiting on an answer from his support team as to why their engineers say they can't repair boilers because parts are not available when a cursory search on parts suppliers sites show they are readily available..Anybody care to enlighten me as the British Gas homecare team or contracts team can't or won't!

elektra

tripled wrote: »

Lol that number isn't going to get people very far...

I often see people saying they have phoned/written/emailed x many times and they are banging their head against a brick wall. People often say the same thing to me on the phone, and whilst in many cases I can solve the problem simply by taking some time to go through the issues, I do wonder to myself why people have run up these phone bils or wasted so much time when they needn't.

People end up wasting so much time on the phone because each time you believe the assistant when they say they are going to sort it you, add discount etc. When the bill comes you realise they haven't so get on the phone again. Whose to say someone reading it in a letter is going to understand it/action it any better than those on the phone.
I did put most of it in writing to Energywatch and did get an immediate call from BG and a revised bill was created but never received the bill and could nver get back to the person that called me. Then the bill after that was wrong again.

tripled

elektra wrote: »

People end up wasting so much time on the phone because eact time you believe the assistant when they say they are going to sort it oou, add discount etc. When the bill comes you realise they haven't so get on the phone again.

Don't phone again, follow it up in writing instead.

Whose to say someone reading it in a letter is going to understand it/action it any better than those on the phone.

Hopefully if you have written to the complaints team they should have a bit more authority and time to investigate it. If not, then you have a written record so can move straight on to energywatch/the ombudsman.

I did put most of it in writing to Energywatch and did get an immediate call from BG and a revised bill was created

So contacting energyatch made someting happen

but never received the bill and could never get back to the person that called me. Then the bill after that was wrong again.

So get back onto energywatch an let them sort it out. That's what they are there for

Personally I would like to se more people try the ombudsman so we can get some feedback on how good they are. Energywatch is only effective because they can generate bad publicity and refer complaints to OFGEM. The ombudsman actually has a legal agreement in place for them to abide by its decisions, however it is impartial whereas energywatch sides with the consumer.

It costs the energy companies a hell of a lot more to deal with an energywatch/obudsman complaint than internally (I think it costs an average of around #250 per case) so it is in their interests to resolve them as quickly and cheaply as possible.