Phonecall to stop us leaving

witchypoo

We are in the process of switching to Online 4 account with Scottish Power, but today we had the customary "please don't leave us" call from British Gas. The woman asked if I'd approached them, which I had, and then she went on to tell me that BG are cheaper than SP in my area, and that if I decide to stay with BG they'll give me £40 of gas.

I explained that we've had 7 months of hell trying to sort out a problem with them, and that I understand at one point they had a million or more complaints to get through, that I didn't want to be stuck with the poor service any more, and that I had used an online compare site to decide, that it showed BG were indeed cheaper for gas, but that the one I had switched to was showing as much cheaper for dual fuel online account.

Am I cutting off my nose to spite my face or do you think I am right to continue to go with SP? The woman even mentioned we have a prepayment meter which just goes to show how useless they are since the huge problem began when we tried to change meters last Oct and finally did it in March.

espresso

Ignore the phone call. They are losing customers due to their pathetic customer service which you have experienced first hand. Go ahead with your switch, you can always switch again at a later date but see if BG change their attitude towards customers first.

saxmund

I had exactly the same call, I was told that they were cheaper than Powergen in my area. I said that the comparison site I used showed a small saving, and in any case I wouldn't contemplate staying with BG due to the appalling level of service I had had over the last year.

There is now a slight improvement... I can now log onto my BG account but I can only see my gas account, not the electric.

tripled

For dual fuel or electricity only, they guarantee to be cheaper than the local supplier's standard tariff, but this excludes online deals, such as the one you have chosen with SP. The #40 credit is not applicable if you switch to BG's online tariff, so in reality the saving BG can offer you is probably quite small.

witchypoo

Thanks guys, I feel better about ignoring it now - we left it that I would think about it and ring them if I change my mind. If they ignore online accounts then really my decision is final.
thanks again!