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

Terrylw1

Only real way you can protect yourself with any Supplier is to make sure you get your bills amended to firm readings very single quarter. If not, you have to surrender to their estimation programs and if you haven't been with them for at least a year, they don't know what you will use.

At least then when you have a years readings covering your usage, you can tell your Supplier when they raise it too high as you can prove to them that they are in the wrong.

BT have been doing this to people for years as well and you have less real control over that as you can't easily monitor telephone usage hence a lot of customers end up "lending" BT a lot of money, great for their interest rates.

Quasar

I swapped once from Southern Electric to npower and never ever ever again. npower c0cked it up so badly that they got my supply number wrong so in fact I had never changed over from SE who were still supplying me and charging me, and npower of course wanted their bills paid - for another property since as I said they had the wrong supply number for me.

I won't bore you with the whole story. Suffice to say that it took EIGHT months of me ringing up and they telling me it would be sorted out and still I got reminder bills and threats. Until I sent a recorded delivery to the managing director, with copy bills etc and the supply number which their staff didn't even know what it was.

Anyway I kept paying SE as they were the ones I was still with, and never paid npower bills - they got it so muddled that they in the end refunded me all the bills (about £130) - money they didn't owe me because I never paid them!!!! I wanted to ring them up and tell them about this latest mess but I was scared it would all start again, so I kept the cheque for 3 months then banked it, by way of compensation for all the stress, phonecalls etc.

I'm with BT, British Gas (yep...) and Southern Electric, but I won't switch ever again.

Terrylw1

Yeah Q, and whilst that was going on - whoever's MPAN/MPRN that was would be stuck with Npower not knowing why.

Go straight to Energywatch if you ever get it again, it wouldn't have taken as long then as they would deal with the central Customer Relations team on your behalf. The MD complaints go straight to them as well (via his PA. Andy Duff if anyone wants the name of the MD!)

Good for you keeping that credit. If they are so incompetant that they can't see that, they deserve to be ripped off! I'm guessing they refunded it in error and then thought it's not worth pursueing given the fact there was an MD complaint in.

computerwoman

with ebico aka southern electric I get 4 month bills not quaterly so 3 bills a year I do online meter reading which I give them every february/july/november I get my bills via email and can look them up on my account online there are always in the middle of the month so it pan's out nicely and once ayear I get a meter reader who reads my meters to keep a check on them so that I don't fiddle it I suppose...I have been with them just over a year and can not fault them...my bills have never been over 100 quid each and infact I didnt get a gas bill this month as I havent used any gas since the last bill or at least not enough to warrant a bill...my boiler was broke and I didnt realise it cos the gas man came out 4 times and said he'd mended it but hadnt so I have had no hot water for months out of the taps I was using the water out the kettle for the pots and having a shower instead of a bath...hense no gas bill this time and my lecty was only £96 for 4 months not bad I don't think but then I'll let you know in a years time if they have screwed me big time...hope this helps anyone...:D

ampersand

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.

#########
Just wanted to second this Cardew - every call I have with Southern Electric is friendly, efficient, courteous.
Thoroughly recommended, even if one is in difficulty(former British Gas nasties)-
also transferred via EBICO, THE ETHICAL PROVIDERS - many articles on site.

melissa'smoney

The complaints manager said a letter had been sent out on the 1st but i honestly have never recieved one (if i had i would have complained earlier!)

My bills are always based on real readings not estimated ones and i gave a man come only the otherday to do a proper reading...!?

She said my DD didn't need to go up and didn't understand why they had...!?

C o m m u n i c a t i o n......!!;)

computerwoman

just had an email from ebico answer 11 question to enter a free prize draw for a fair trade christmas hamper 10 to give away...nice one how sweet of them...how many other provider's give you that kind of service...well impressed with them...:D and a big thankyou for being with them...:D

jackieb

melissa'smoney wrote: »

The complaints manager said a letter had been sent out on the 1st but i honestly have never recieved one (if i had i would have complained earlier!)

My bills are always based on real readings not estimated ones and i gave a man come only the otherday to do a proper reading...!?

She said my DD didn't need to go up and didn't understand why they had...!?

C o m m u n i c a t i o n......!!;)

I was in credit with my gas account to the tune of £90 when Scottish Hydro decided to raise my £56 DD, up to £57. I phoned them and asked why, as I was in credit. They said they had to take into account the winter bills, but i'd been paying £56 for over a year already (so i'd already paid £56 a month during a winter - and also, since the beginning of the year the gas and electricity prices have went down! ) However, Scottish Hydro kept my DD at £56 after I phoned. I'm now £141 in credit with them. I don't think many of the companies have a clue, to be honest.

computerwoman

there is going to be a price hike with every company in january 08 something to do with the price of oil...but I would rather be in credit than not...so well done you...I am not looking forward to next year's bill's cos of the price hike...and if we have a bad winter which is forecast then we will all be using more...:eek::D

autismmum

i change via quidco every three months i recieve on average 55.00 cash back, so i get one months elec and gas free out of three. just a thought if you'd like to try it, just take meter readings every month so you know who you need to pay what. i know this will soon end as contracts are comming in to stop people doing it, but until then its buy two get one free for me.