British Gas Rant

southernbelle

I am not really asking for advice here, as I don’t think there is anything more I can do. I just need to get my anger and frustration out after having had six months of stress courtesy of British Gas.

I moved into my new home at the beginning of February, and called BG to set up my account etc. They said that the house was on a business tariff (it used to be used as an office) but that they would change it over and let me know. Two weeks later I hadn’t heard anything, so I called them. They had no record of my initial phone call. Again, they said they would get it changed over. This went on for a number of weeks before I started the complaints process.

A few months after all this started I got a bill for the first quarter. I contacted my complaints advisor who said that I shouldn’t pay it, I should wait until they had transferred me over to a domestic contract and then they would back date the rates for the bill. Despite this, I began getting demanding letters and phone calls, and I had to explain each time what was happening. Everyone said they would put a note on my file but clearly they didn’t. It got to the point where I was just not answering my phone as it was making me so stressed everytime they rang. Twice in one hour on a particular day when I was sitting my law school exams.
At one point I emailed my complaints advisor and received a bounce back saying she had moved jobs – I then spent another hour on the phone trying to find out who it had been passed to. I don’t believe that should have been my responsibility – at this stage (was 5 months on at this point) BG should have been proactively managing my complaint.

Eventually my new advisor rang me. He seemed to find the whole thing quite funny. I did not. He also at one point said “of course, now you have reported to the ombudsman we will be taking this very seriously” – WHY HAD THEY NOT TAKEN IT SERIOUSLY BEFORE THIS POINT?

I have reported all of this to the ombudsman but haven’t heard anything back from them.

There has been more mucking around – he told me they had been transferred so I (again being proactive) called the correct department as instructed by him to set-up my domestic contract. No, it hadn’t been done. Another hour on the phone wasted.
I am now still waiting for the accounts to be transferred over. I have spent countless hours on the phone to BG – I am really at the end of my tether. Last time I was on the phone to them when I finished the call I was in tears. I don’t think they realise how much stress something like this causes. And to have a complaints advisor who thinks this is funny is disgusting.

And all because I am trying to pay my bill!:eek:

I can’t wait until all this is sorted and I can transfer providers. I don’t want to try yet because no doubt BG will muck that up too. Even if they were the cheapest company by a long way I would never choose them again.

Is there anyone else at BG I can talk to??

D_M_E

Try WRITING and emailing to the top man outlining your problem - keep it short and to the point


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dogshome

As advised by D_M_E, put your problems in WRITING

Don't want to add to the stress, but as a 'new' customer unless you specified otherwise, BG would have put you on their 'Standard' tariff ie most expensive

Chances are that when they do sort themselves out and send you a Domestic bill, it will be based on the 'Standard' tariff
I suggest that you look at BG's tariffs on their website for cheaper alternatives
and make sufficient noise so that they bill on the cheapest - It is after all entirely their fault that you have been denied access to a better tariff for 8 months

modsandmockers

Hi - I really hope you haven’t paid BG any money yet! Does the bill which they sent you have your name on it, and does it confirm that you are on some kind of business tariff? Have you asked the landlord/previous owner etc about whether they cancelled the contract when they vacated, and do you know the meter reading/s for the time when you moved in? Are you putting money aside ready for the day of reckoning (you might even earn a bit of interest while you wait)?

If you are named on the business contract, have you rung an alternative supplier to find out whether or not they can initiate a switch to one of their domestic tariffs (alternatively, so long as you are the named customer, don’t even tell them about the business account - just wait and see what happens - in this kind of call centre chaos there is always an element of chance and, let’s face it, you have little to lose!).

I have never got as far as dealing with the Ombudsman but, so long as you have confirmation that the dispute has been ‘taken on’, then my inclination would be to respond to any communication from BG by telling them to leave you alone and address themselves to the Ombudsman. And if you begin to hear from debt collectors etc, then tell them the same thing. So long as you are putting aside the money, then try to treat it as a kind of game - the problem is for BG to sort out and, as you have discovered, there is not really anything more that you can do. There is more to life than trying to get some sense out of an energy supplier!

I once tried for several months to persuade BG to start charging me for my electricity and, after three years at the address (in the very week that I was moving out), an ‘investigator’ called me and asked me to tell her the serial number of my electricity meter. I laughed out loud, and asked her how much she was willing to pay for the information. Eventually she agreed (in writing) to waive all charges for the entire three year period.

southernbelle

I've now received a letter from Buchanan Clark and Wells saying they are going to come round and cut the gas off.

All letters etc are addressed to me, the previous owner didn't cancel anything (phone, gas, electric...) so we've had to sort all of that out too.

I was emailing them, but since my complaint handler has changed they won't give me the email address anymore. I have a general customer services email address so I am going to try that later.

This is just causing so much stress, the letter about cutting the gas off ruined my bank holiday weekend as I couldn't get in touch with anyone until today.

I am just at the end of my tether.

[Deleted User]

I think your first mistake was ringing up the wrong company to start your complaint.British Gas domestic and British Gas business are two different animals. You were on a business contract.Just phoning up the wrong people and expecting a 5 minute switchover was nt going to work .Switching from business to domestic can be a long winded thing requiring proof that you are not actually still running any businesses from the property. The local council would need to provide proof of domestic rates now in force on the property. Business contracts are set in stone and you can t just walk away from them.
The letter you have received saying your gas will be cut off is a con. Disconnections are extremely rare and never happen just on non payment . It takes at least three cases of gas meter bypassing before they get the stilsons out and remove and cap the meter. Prepayment meters will be installed (with extra costs of both a locksmith and warrant of entrys added if needed) before any disconnections The same applies for the electric meter and never apply if there are vulnerable customers involved. Personally I think your way forward is to follow procedure and apply to BGB to change to domestic tariffs.They will send you the paperwork needed

patanne

A pity no-one at British Gas thought to tell her that during the first phone call 6 months ago when they said they would sort it! Or is that why the records of the call had disappeared 2 weeks later when they STILL didn't tell her?

southernbelle

I have applied to British Gas Business, not domestic, so no mistake on my end.

southernbelle

It's all very well saying that the disconnection letter is a con, but that doesn't help with my stress. I am three years now past a default and my credit history has been steadily improving, so if this affects it I am back to sqaure one.

BG have been abysmal all the way through. I did not phone up and expect a 5 minute switch over. I expected to be treated fairly and not have to spend hours on the phone.

[Deleted User]

southernbelle wrote: »

It's all very well saying that the disconnection letter is a con, but that doesn't help with my stress. I am three years now past a default and my credit history has been steadily improving, so if this affects it I am back to sqaure one.

BG have been abysmal all the way through. I did not phone up and expect a 5 minute switch over. I expected to be treated fairly and not have to spend hours on the phone.

OK, but whatever happens dont try to stop prepay meters being installed .It will only cost you a lot more money in locksmith/warrant fees of approx £250, so no point at all.Just means you will be stuck on the higher Standard variable tariffs..
If you are still a customer of British Gas Business they may have different criteria they are allowed to follow about disconnections, so I would get their advice first. Business rates can be very competitive . I meet many people living in normal houses who are on BGB.They claim back the V.A.T. of 20% so maybe that would be a possibility

southernbelle

Why should I have to pay warrant fees when they have no right to enter? I have been told by BGB not to pay any bills until it has been sorted out.