Absolutley fuming with British Gas!!! I'm so angry!

melissa'smoney

I've not been with them long, transferred over with a promise of lower DD's (was £71pm with scottish power) to £55 for dual gas and electricity....he worked out all my usage, meter readings etc and i was happy with the payment.

Just gone online to check my statement as i got paid today and checked my DD list (purely by chance) and they've upped it to £94 due to come out tomorrow!!!!! :mad::mad::mad: No notification, no phone call, no nothing!! :mad::mad::mad:

I've rung them and i've gone mad and in the end i've spoken to a compalints manager who has no idea why this has happened....i'm not in debit for either gas or electricity so there was no need for my payments to have increased!!

I've cancelled the direct debit (luckily) and i've been given a complaint ref number and she's going to listen to the sales call when i originally joined and get back to me...

They say based on my consumption i should be paying £66pm not £55 so my RANT IS:

Why arn't they honest with you when you join on how much you actually need to pay rather than reeling you in with a nice low DD figure only to increase in a few moths down the line...:mad::mad:

I'm so angry i could cry!! I'm just glad i spotted the £94 and had time to cancel it otherwise i really would have been in trouble....

Ironically ive just swapped over to Southern electric and i'm glad i did now...

Cardew

Every Utility Company and Comparison site if you phone them will quote you a cheaper Direct Debit - they are on commission and that is absolutely standard practice.

If you don't believe me, phone any company and say you are paying £XX to company Y and they will give you a cheaper DD quote.

Its called deception and it is how these operators make money. Honesty simply doesn't pay for them. The management of these companies condone this practice because they want more customers.

If ever you change company's you must give them your consumption in kWh as giving them your DD figure is an invitation to be conned.

As for increasing your DD, they are required to notify you under the Bank's DD code of practice to tell you it is being increased(note tell you, not ask you)

As you were not told of an increase(not hidden in the small print somewhere?) the Bank would have to refund any extra under their DD guarantee; and if you incurred bank charges for being overdrawn they would also refund this; so you wouldn't have been in trouble.

Do you not feel that your DD with Southern might increase "down the line"; at least with the apparently better customer service from Southern you might get notified.

melissa'smoney

Cardew wrote: »

Every Utility Company and Comparison site if you phone them will quote you a cheaper Direct Debit - they are on commission and that is absolutely standard practice.

If you don't believe me, phone any company and say you are paying £XX to company Y and they will give you a cheaper DD quote.

Its called deception and it is how these operators make money. Honesty simply doesn't pay for them. The management of these companies condone this practice because they want more customers.

If ever you change company's you must give them your consumption in kWh as giving them your DD figure is an invitation to be conned.

As for increasing your DD, they are required to notify you under the Bank's DD code of practice to tell you it is being increased(note tell you, not ask you)

As you were not told of an increase(not hidden in the small print somewhere?) the Bank would have to refund any extra under their DD guarantee; and if you incurred bank charges for being overdrawn they would also refund this; so you wouldn't have been in trouble.

Do you not feel that your DD with Southern might increase "down the line"; at least with the apparently better customer service from Southern you might get notified.

Hi thanks for your reply....yes i am aware of the reling in practice with 'lowered DD' as Scottish Power did it to me, i rang BG and went through my bill ie kwph and how much i was using etc as i had only done it via DD with SP and why i slipped up. BG went through everything and assured me i was on the right amount and this is why i'm mad.

Yes they have agreed that they should have notified me of the increase to £95 which they didnt but they dont understand why t was done in the first place when my account is in credit!?

I'm sure Southern electric will do the same but i moved as they are 4p cheaper per kwph than BG.....we'll have to wait and see!!

x

trinidadone

I always believe British Gas are very expencive, did you use one of the compariton sites to select BG, or pot luck (and loads of sale rubbish from BG?)

melissa'smoney

Lee_Dunford wrote: »

I always believe British Gas are very expencive, did you use one of the compariton sites to select BG, or pot luck (and loads of sale rubbish from BG?)

I used this site and the subsequent comparrison tools on utilities thread...cam out cheapest so switched!! thanks martin!!
Would never have chosen them otherwise due to what you have said above!

Cardew

melissa'smoney wrote: »

I'm sure Southern electric will do the same but i moved as they are 4p cheaper per kwph than BG.....we'll have to wait and see!!

x

The first 225kWh per quarter for electricity might be 4p cheaper with Southern but what about all the rest of your electricity and gas?

I don't know what tariff you were on with BG, or how much you use, but I really would be surprised if Southern were much cheaper than BG Click 4 on dual fuel. On most comparisons they are pretty close in price.

melissa'smoney

Cardew wrote: »

The first 225kWh per quarter for electricity might be 4p cheaper with Southern but what about all the rest of your electricity and gas?

I don't know what tariff you were on with BG, or how much you use, but I really would be surprised if Southern were much cheaper than BG Click 4 on dual fuel. On most comparisons they are pretty close in price.

I'm confused i don't know who to go with!?! :undecided:undecided

quidsin

Hi BG done this with me a few times, upped the the DD payment without telling me, so i contacted the bank to get the DD returned. Then I spoke to a BG manager- pointless wasting your time with the brainless gits on the customer helplines, then got the DD reduced. Listening to the local consumer programme on radio WM, BG up the DD's in february then when their customers phone up and complain, they are told its because the winter period has ended- putting thousands into BG's account- and when summer ends do they reduce the DD's? well NO!!!!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=588740

Terrylw1

Hi,

Sales people on are commission with targets so whilst many are honest, many are not so you are just a commission to some.

It could have been an honest mistake but it could have also been a direct con by telling you you will have a lower DD knowing the system would immediately put it back up once you were off the phone and registered.

It could be (if a mistake) that the DD was worked out based on summer quarters when they should really have done it to a winter quarter.

Why not wait until the complaints manager gets back to you and then make an informed decision. If you speak to Energywatch they will tell you that all Suppliers have the same complaints against them, it just some are more prolific and have larger customer bases meaning they show up more.

Best to use those comparison sites because you then rule out the numpty or dodgy factors knowing you have done it yourself. You should also take quarterly readings so you know exactly how much you use and when. Without that, you can never work out what you really use.

Did the complaints manager (and yes/he she will have a pretty god idea of whats happened, they just don't want to get into it) tell you if they had actually sent you a letter? RM lose tons of mail so it's not uncommon. I've heard that one from customers in the utilities sector many times and a lot of the time a letter has been sent. If that ws the case, they would believe they have done what they should as far as notification goes.

Good luck

computerwoman

I hope and pray that you cancelled the DD with your bank cos if you didn't they will still take it...and I am with ebico (southern electric) who are ever so cheap alot cheaper than powergen...:D

jackieb

I used to swap back and forth but it got confusing. Despite paying by DD for over 10 years and never missing a payment, British Gas hit me with a bill for over £500 when I left. I'm staying where I am now (Scottish Hydro). They started me out with a monthly DD for £27 for gas (now £56), and £30 for electric (now £101!) They underestimate what you're going to be, then you end up getting your DD's whacked right up. To be fair i've always had plenty warning that they're going to do it.