Collective Switch

British_Gas_Rep_Matt

liviboy wrote: »

Hi Matt,

Not sure if you missed my earlier post on the 8th April.

My biggest issue is the fact I have been lied to, in writing, on a number of occasions and NOBODY at BG cares! Andrew is only interested in my gas being switched, he refused to give me his email address or direct number (unlike Vicky Morgan) and being passed from pillar to post is just getting tiresome!

I will be leaving BG as soon as the tariff is up and I doubt I'll rejoin in the future. I used to work for MFI and know watchdog can be a bit OTT at times but I think they've honestly got British Gas bang-on!

It's not the fact things are taking long, it's the lies and passing in which I'm unhappy with! I've yet to talk to anyone in BG who I feel are being honest with me. Vicky Morgan I did but then she let me down 48 hours later!

This, by the way, from a customer who WANTS to GIVE you money!

Hi liviboy, while I'd be shocked to learn you've been deliberately lied to, I agree it's something we need to look into to find out why previous advisors advised your switch had been completed.
I'm sure Andrew will be happy to pass feedback to the advisors manager asking them to look into the standard of service they've provided and will keep the complaint on your account open until you're happy it's been resolved.
In the meantime Andrew will keep in regular contact with you but regrettably it's not common for advisors to have a direct number. If you should need to reach Andrew before he’s agreed to get back to you, please call our Collective Tariff Team on 0800 975 9712 and they'll make sure Andrew gets in touch with you sooner. Thanks, Matt

liviboy

British_Gas_Rep_Matt wrote: »

Hi liviboy, while I'd be shocked to learn you've been deliberately lied to, I agree it's something we need to look into to find out why previous advisors advised your switch had been completed.
I'm sure Andrew will be happy to pass feedback to the advisors manager asking them to look into the standard of service they've provided and will keep the complaint on your account open until you're happy it's been resolved.
In the meantime Andrew will keep in regular contact with you but regrettably it's not common for advisors to have a direct number. If you should need to reach Andrew before he’s agreed to get back to you, please call our Collective Tariff Team on 0800 975 9712 and they'll make sure Andrew gets in touch with you sooner. Thanks, Matt

The e-mail team (overseas) which I quoted in my earlier post definitely and deliberately lied to me. They told me you WERE supplying, told me they had processed the meter reading, told me the account would be setup on my online account within 28 days. That was obviously just nonsense and there is no other word but lies.

No disrespect, but I doubt that even with the fact that I have the e-mails from said advisers that any sort of action will be taken. I've went through a similar thing in the last 6 weeks with Vodafone. You can bet your life that if it was YOU, in the UK, who gave false information out you'd be challenged by your boss. I very much doubt anything will happen to the overseas e-mail team. It's just the way it is. And I will have no way of knowing if my complaint has been concluded to my satisfaction because no doubt that will be "restricted information".

The UK-based people may not have DELIBERATELY lied, but ultimately what they told me as a fact or indeed "guaranteed" turned out to be nonsense and, according to Andrew, I should never have been given any of the dates in the first place (this is obviously including previous complaint handler Vicky who e-mailed me the 5th of April date).

It's a fine line between a lie and a mistake. But ultimately I feel lied to by Vicky Morgan who told me she would be personally dealing with the complaint and then left the next day to her new job. I feel lied to by the manager I subsequently spoke to who told me that my case had been passed to a complaints manager called Nadine Morgan-Staples and that she would "definitely" be in contact and he was e-mailing her to that effect. No contact was ever received.

Eventually (circa 6 days later) Andrew called. He told me Nadine was non-customer facing (some manager!) and he was dealing with my issue. I yet again had to explain everything even though it was all written in the notes and, to be honest, we spoke for an hour and he said very little of substance. He refused to give me any indication of timescale, refused to give any explanation for the delay, refused to give a personal contact (I have both Vicky's and Nadine's email addresses so it doesn't take rocket science to figure Andrew's out but he point blank refused).

My complaint, as eventually described to Andrew, is mainly that British Gas simply don't communicate with customers and when they do they give false information. My existing supplier knows I have asked to switch as I received the gas e-mail about 3 weeks ago from them...that means *something* is happening but nobody at British Gas can give any information. Everybody that has any answers are "non customer-facing" and never seem to be working on the day that I'm talking to somebody.

I actually feel sorry for Andrew because he's getting me after being told nonsense by e-mail, lies by telephone, and nothing whatsoever about when you will actually start supplying my gas. I sometimes wish I was a bit more shouty and sweary on the phone...perhaps then things would get done as right now I just feel ignored.

liviboy

Wooo!! Success at last!

A massive apology on behalf of BG, everything sorted on the account, gas switched over and an understanding that the e-mail team just talk nonsense!

A fabby phone call and all is well in the world again!

That's all it takes - someone to actually take ownership of an issue and get it sorted! Thank you Andrew!!! A shining example above the rest!

momo1

I had an email from cheap energy club on the 11 feb saying my switch was in progress and have heard nothing since. I've had no contact at all from British Gas. I was glad to leave British Gas some years ago and reading the pages here am regretting applying to switch. Will it happen or not?

amf

amf wrote: »

I too went for the collective switch. Too much went wrong during the cooling off period that I cancelled the switch. BG confirmed cancellation on 19 Feb. Today I got an e-mail from BG, welcoming me and asking me to supply opening meter readings!

You really couldn't make it up:eek:

BG has now sent me my gas bill despite the cancelled collective switch :mad::mad: They have now really reached unbelievable levels of incompetence, which I thought were beyond even BG:(

Former_MSE_Roxanne

momo1 wrote: »

I had an email from cheap energy club on the 11 feb saying my switch was in progress and have heard nothing since. I've had no contact at all from British Gas. I was glad to leave British Gas some years ago and reading the pages here am regretting applying to switch. Will it happen or not?

Hi momo1,

British Gas should've been in touch with you about your switch by now - it's worth giving the collective switch team a ring on 0800 975 9712. This team should be able to help clarify what's going on and provide an update.

Former_MSE_Roxanne

amf wrote: »

BG has now sent me my gas bill despite the cancelled collective switch :mad::mad: They have now really reached unbelievable levels of incompetence, which I thought were beyond even BG:(

Hi amf,

I'm sorry to hear this. If you haven't already, it's worth giving the collective switch team a call to ask for clarity on the situation and for what to do next. The number for the team is 0800 975 9712 - hopefully they'll be able to help get this resolved.

amf

MSE_Roxanne wrote: »

Hi amf,

I'm sorry to hear this. If you haven't already, it's worth giving the collective switch team a call to ask for clarity on the situation and for what to do next. The number for the team is 0800 975 9712 - hopefully they'll be able to help get this resolved.

Thanks for that advice Roxanne. As I didn't want to speak to these numpties I used BG's online complaint form yesterday. It seemed to do the trick as I received a call today from their complaints team apologising for error. He said that they would put it right.....but it would take 2 weeks as I had previously been with Sainsbury's Energy, which is BG in disguise.

jeallen01

jeallen01 wrote: »

Update:
This morning I received 2x emails (1 for electricity & 1 for gas, I assume) from SP informing me that final bills had been issued. Went to my SP a/c and downloaded the two separate bill pdfs.


They totalled just under £100 that I owe them, which is roughly what I expected, and the website stated that the money will be taken by DD from the relevant bank a/c two weeks from the dates of the bills, i.e. 22nd April and so we will see what happens on that date.

Update on 21st April:
Checked the bank a/c from which the SP DDs are taken, and the final amount for the combined G&E bills was taken earlier today. So I am just waiting for final confirmation from SP that my a/c is actually closed, and that they will not try to take any further money from the bank a/c. (OTOH, I have now deleted the SP DD from those that can be taken from the bank a/c to make sure!).


Total time from opening the BG a/c up to now is just over 9 weeks - as opposed to the 6 it was "supposed" to take - but the changeover now seems to be virtually complete.


The only real problems occurred in the first couple of weeks from the supply changeover date with the issues about submission of the changeover date G&E initial readings to BG. Nevertheless quite a lot of time was spent ensuring that things were moving along.

Ellie2758

I switched over two accounts to British Gas. I had all the problems that have been listed earlier but I really thought things had finally been sorted.

Now I discover that despite me having given them the actual energy readings for one of the accounts more than 3 times they have given my old supplier estimated readings - greater than the actual readings.

So, I rang British Gas to find out why this has happened. I was told that they DO have the readings that I gave them - several times as I've said - but that they only have a "limited time" to pass those readings over to the new supplier. Also, the readings were only in "the notes" - not where they should have been. What on earth this means I do not know. I gave the readings via Facebook, on their website and by phone. The last time I gave the readings was 5th March and the account switched on 8th March.

Like so many others, I received repeated emails and texts from them requesting the readings I had already given. I would respond and give the readings again and be told all was now sorted. But it appears that it never was.

I urge everybody to check their final bills - especially if you only received online billing from your old supplier as I did.

What an absolute farce this whole switchover has been.