British Gas call centres vs Scottish Power

martyp

Hi all,

What are the British Gas call centres like? Are you most likely to get someone in the UK or abroad? I just called and went through to South Africa so just curious.

I've been with Scottish Power since buying my house 10 years ago and have always appreciated them having call centres in the UK (despite it taking as much as 45 mins to get through at times). The thing is though I've had various problems with them and have had to get the ombudsman involved twice in the last couple of years.

I am looking to take the leap and go for the Big Energy Switch but just wondering what the call centres were like for British Gas, are they mostly in the UK now? I don't mind South Africa to be honest, they tend to be upbeat, personable and easy to understand.

I do like the thought of supporting UK call centres though generally.

Joyful

Most of the staff are in the UK.

martyp

Excellent, thanks Joyful. I wanted to check also about switching as it mentions I should call my existing supplier to confirm they'll refund my credit balance. Surely they would do that anyway? Thing is would they potentially treat me differently if I was to call saying I was going to leave them? Worried they might end my contract with them or something like that. Sorry, I've never switched supplier before so unsure whether I need to call the existing supplier or just go through the online switch process and leave British Gas to it?

[Deleted User]

@martyp

When you switch, the new supplier will liaise with your current (outgoing) supplier and once British Gas get the closing reading from the new supplier, there will generate a closing bill and refund any credit (or bill for any debit). There is no need to contact the outgoing supplier yourself.

That's the way it should work. You just sign up to a new supplier, they ask you for meter readings on the day of transfer and the new supplier gives those reading to British Gas (in your case). The outgoing supplier uses the reading, generates a bill and returns credit/ask for debit within 6 weeks. SImple clean and easy.

However you may wish to help yourself and give the meter readings to both parties on the same day (and take a photograph of the meter with the readings for documentation purposes).

Also if you currently have a large credit with British Gas which is not warranted to cover future use then call British Gas and ask for the money to be returned (or at least a large part). Give them current readings and ask for a bill as of today and demand the credit is returned. Don't mention you are thinking of going else where, just say that the credit is too large and it needs to be returned.

Then start the switching process once you have hung up the phone to British Gas.

martyp

Thanks gsmlnx, I've started the switch to British Gas now. The Scottish Power website had a page detailing the switch process for leaving and does indicate credit back. I'm wondering if I might get all the perks with British Gas that I had with Scottish Power:
2 long running Ombudsman complaints
Long wait times to speak to a customer advisor who hasn't got a clue
Customer Services via e-mail that give the same repeated unhelpful response (based abroad).
Incorrect billing
Random and confusing direct debit amounts that don't always relate to what the website says
A website which is up and down
Extra services that you pay for that don't work
Random phone calls to ask why I've cancelled boiler cover I never had or signed up for.
I won't bore anyone with more

GingerBob_3

martyp wrote: »

Thanks gsmlnx, I've started the switch to British Gas now. The Scottish Power website had a page detailing the switch process for leaving and does indicate credit back. I'm wondering if I might get all the perks with British Gas that I had with Scottish Power:
2 long running Ombudsman complaints
Long wait times to speak to a customer advisor who hasn't got a clue
Customer Services via e-mail that give the same repeated unhelpful response (based abroad).
Incorrect billing
Random and confusing direct debit amounts that don't always relate to what the website says
A website which is up and down
Extra services that you pay for that don't work
Random phone calls to ask why I've cancelled boiler cover I never had or signed up for.
I won't bore anyone with more

It's good practice not to divulge your phone numbers to energy suppliers. They will repeatedly ask for such details, but just tell them you're ex-directory.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

GingerBob wrote: »

It's good practice not to divulge your phone numbers to energy suppliers. They will repeatedly ask for such details, but just tell them you're ex-directory.

[Deleted User]

@martyp

I got the suppliers the wrong way round, ops silly me.

As an ex SP customer, the final bills from them were a bit of a disaster (one year ago since I left). Both final bills were subjected to official complaints due to tardiness of supplying the bills and for incorrect billing information on both when they did arrive.

Of course, I knew the final bills would be wrong as:
1. I had been complaining for 5 months that SP had lost all my meter readings;
2, SP had not credited my gas account with the direct debit payment but put it all against the electric bill despite an official complaint warning them;
3. That the previous bills had all been wrong first time round.

That's why I left and after sorting out the mess and getting my credit back, I will not touch SP again ever.

And BG wont get my business either although I left them in 2006 so they may be different now.

GingerBob_3

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

Is that a selfie or did you use a mirror?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

GingerBob wrote: »

Is that a selfie or did you use a mirror?

Trust No One

martyp

GingerBob wrote: »

It's good practice not to divulge your phone numbers to energy suppliers. They will repeatedly ask for such details, but just tell them you're ex-directory.

Thanks GingerBob, in this case it was Scottish Power already having my number on my account. For some odd reason I had two accounts showing as two different properties in my profile when I logged in which were identical. I asked them why I had two and one was related to a tariff with an energy monitor and online monitoring (which was very unreliable and didn't work at all much of the time). That was after they insisted it was down to me moving recently (which I hadn't done for 10 years) then relayed me between about 4 confused departments. They closed one of the two accounts/properties and that triggered another department to ring me daily asking why I cancelled my boiler cover (which I'd never had with them). I explained that to them and they then realised it was the energy monitor I had on my tariff. As part of an ombudsman complaint they sent a liaison officer out to me and then I got another letter saying they were doing the same (makes me wonder who the first guy was!). That letter they sent me they apparently had no record of anywhere. That letter said my next direct debit would be on the 23rd as always and be for £49 but they instead took £57 out on the 1st. When I called they insisted I'd always paid on the 1st of each month (despite it showing the payment each month on the 23rd previously! I've never known a company to be such a complete shambles!
Their online system was pretty much useless, I had it set to refund any credit balance and it never happened, it randomly gave me new direct debit amounts based on my usage but the direct debit didn't change. That's when you could even get into it in the first place!