I'm very cross with British Gas

Katykat

In January, my MiL received a phone call from BG, asking her for a meter reading. Her meter is at the back of a cupboard, under the stairs She told the call handler that she was 90 yrs old & would not be able to read it, but he told her that it was easy to read and he would guide her through it. She has a fixed line phone which is not near the meter so she had to keep going back & to between the meter & the phone. She eventually gave him the reading but when she told me what happened she became upset about it but wouldn't let me ring & complain " in case they cut the gas off". Now we know that wouldn't happen but that's the way she thinks. Now she has received the bill and it's for £678. She's terribly upset about it, but its obvious that she read the meter wrong. She rang to query it and was told they are looking into it. I want to know, can she refuse to read her own meter? I've told her that the next time they phone for this, to say " No, if you want the meter reading, then send someone to read it". Can she insist on this?

Browntoa

They will estimate the reading until they decide they want a proper reading

I would suggest when people visit her that they do a reading and give it to British Gas, not an ideal answer but takes the responsibility off her shoulders

AndyPK

Or the meter hasn't been read for ages and the bill is correct.

I assume your not local to her

[Deleted User]

Thanks Katykat for highlighting this disgusting practice by BG. I ve been rabbiting on a lot about this moneysaving practice that only BG seem to have had the bare faced cheek to try. They are like a bunch of money grabbing sharks trying this on. It started a few years ago where if BG did nt have details of mobile phones or internet they would employ OUTSIDE call centres to phone around on landlines willy nilly to grab meter readings before the designated meter readers were due to call. The people who are more likely not to have internet or have furnished BG with their mobiles are....those who are , shall we say..knocking on a bit in years and therefore more likely to be infirm or disabled. People who would be in danger to be crawling around cupboards or standing on chairs. I ve even had a blind bloke ( registered blind on my handheld computer details) very upset that he d not managed to get the readings. These people in the call centres are badly trained and a bunch of liars saying anything to get their way. It seems to have relented now to just an automated message but sometimes their will be kid on the end badgering for meter readings presumably to gain a small commission.Yes of course she can refuse to read the meter, tell her to slam the phone down if it happens again. I still see this happening a lot and most of the elderly are utterly bewildered why some glib kid is phoning them. Some even say that the meter readers no longer come round at all and they have to get them the readings.
Please make a strong complaint to BG and ask for compensation (£10 usually ) and to make damn sure it never happens again, or you switch supplier...switch to Sainsburys British Gas anyway , they re a lot cheaper.. I m just going on Martins comp site now to do the same thing

Donald144

Your local gas distribution network (there are 8 in the UK) will move the gas meter for free where an elderly person cannot access the emergency shut off valve.
If there is space for the meter to be moved outside, and the supplier is notified then this will allow it only be read by meter readers, without having to enter the home.

Joyful

Make sure your mum is on BG's priority service register. You can then ask for her to go on guaranteed meter reads and it will stop the phone calls too. This should have been offered to her as soon as she mentioned difficulty in reading her meters .

[Deleted User]

Joyful wrote: »

Make sure your mum is on BG's priority service register. You can then ask for her to go on guaranteed meter reads and it will stop the phone calls too. This should have been offered to her as soon as she mentioned difficulty in reading her meters .

Theres plenty on the register, makes no difference, they still carry on ringing. The call centres used for this work are nt the well trained and good mannered BG staff but contracted call centres with probably much less training. I hear all the stories when I go round later and hear them complaining.. I mean..does nt registered blind count as a priority register customer ?.. I actually photographed that on my handheld as an example of what BG were getting up to with this tactic. This blind person was very upset he could nt comply with this person badgering him, saying he d wait or ring back for it. Its a lousy practice BG embarked upon and I m surprised theres not been a few injuries or law suits started..there may have been.

Andy_WSM

sacsquacco wrote: »

I m surprised theres not been a few injuries or law suits started..there may have been.

What because people won't say "no, send someone to read it, I am not able bodied enough to do that" - It's a telephone, not a mind control device.

firefox1956

I know how difficult it can be with the elderly but perhaps you could suggest to you Mum that if she gets any calls like this from anybody else just say 'no thank you' & put the phone down..
Then perhaps ring you & tell you....
HTH

[Deleted User]

Andy_WSM wrote: »

What because people won't say "no, send someone to read it, I am not able bodied enough to do that" - It's a telephone, not a mind control device.

Dont be stupid ..yes they dont like to say no. when you re 85 years old your world changes a lot you know. Most do slam the phone down, but some try and comply, specially if the lying toe rag on the other end says the gas mans not coming round, they are chasing a bit of commission so have an incentive to go too far.. I ll dig out the photo of the registered blind bloke they tried it on to show how far they go. They have a list of landlines only to trawl thro. The readings they are chasing are not specially important "must reads " but standard quarterly reads, the ones they are used to getting

Andy_WSM

sacsquacco wrote: »

Dont be stupid ..yes they dont like to say no. when you re 85 years old your world changes a lot you know. Most do slam the phone down, but some try and comply, specially if the lying toe rag on the other end says the gas mans not coming round

I wonder how British Gas, who'm you have an evident dislike for, feel about you calling their staff "lying toe rags"?

I never expected you to agree with me. I was stating a point.