Why did I move back to British Gas?

jaybeetoo

I recently moved back to British Gas using the MSE Cheap Energy Club.  I'm already regretting my decision.

As I've posted elsewhere, I received an email from BG telling me my smart meters were incompatible with their systems.  This is despite the fact the smart meters were installed by BG!

I went onto the BG chat to report the problem.  The chat told me I couldn't raise a problem via the chat and I'd have to call them.

I called BG and was told they can't open a problem until 28 days after my account was opened.  When I asked why I was told it is BG policy.

BG have a lot to learn about customer service.

Kitchen_Sink

jaybeetoo said:

I recently moved back to British Gas using the MSE Cheap Energy Club.  I'm already regretting my decision.

As I've posted elsewhere, I received an email from BG telling me my smart meters were incompatible with their systems.  This is despite the fact the smart meters were installed by BG!

I went onto the BG chat to report the problem.  The chat told me I couldn't raise a problem via the chat and I'd have to call them.

I called BG and was told they can't open a problem until 28 days after my account was opened.  When I asked why I was told it is BG policy.

BG have a lot to learn about customer service.

You can find the supplier's complaint procedure here.
https://www.britishgas.co.uk/aem6/content/dam/britishgas/complaints/we-are-listening.pdf

You don't even need to be a customer of a supplier to raise a complaint against them

onlyfoolsandparking

Why would ANYONE be with British Gas???? 

swaledale_one

I went back to them just so I could get the latest and most accurate smart meter ..4 phone calls and 2 months later the meters were fitted...I'm now on my 2nd price change over ie was on fixed till may 2020 now fixed till feb 2021 used uswitch and it switched over within 24hrs pretty incredible really...only thing I had to do was phone BG to switch back to quarter DD as uswitch set up monthly DD automatically. 

Biscuit_Tin

onlyfoolsandparking said:

Why would ANYONE be with British Gas???? 

Fishing for thanks, maybe?

British Gas are the largest UK energy supplier with almost 1 in 4 households supplied by them. What's more at least 40% have been with them for at least the last 5 years.

They can't all be wrong. Presumably they are happy with price, customer service, established large supplier unlikely to go bust, etc.

Even MSE has been recebtly suggesting people take up the BG offer, but don't go direct as their best deal is available only via third party sites. If you go via MSE Cheap Energy Club, you will get £25 cashback for a dual fuel switch.

If you don't already have it, you also get 12 months free central haeting care thown in - don't forget to cancel before 12 mpnths are up if you don;t want to pay, else they will start to autonatically charge.

Talldave

swaledale_one said:

I went back to them just so I could get the latest and most accurate smart meter ......

...which is?

onlyfoolsandparking

Biscuit_Tin said:

onlyfoolsandparking said:

Why would ANYONE be with British Gas???? 

Fishing for thanks, maybe?

British Gas are the largest UK energy supplier with almost 1 in 4 households supplied by them. What's more at least 40% have been with them for at least the last 5 years.

They can't all be wrong. Presumably they are happy with price, customer service, established large supplier unlikely to go bust, etc.

Even MSE has been recebtly suggesting people take up the BG offer, but don't go direct as their best deal is available only via third party sites. If you go via MSE Cheap Energy Club, you will get £25 cashback for a dual fuel switch.

If you don't already have it, you also get 12 months free central haeting care thown in - don't forget to cancel before 12 mpnths are up if you don;t want to pay, else they will start to autonatically charge.

Well if people are happy to pay more (usually A LOT MORE!!) for EXACTLY the same product then who am I to suggest otherwise.

RelievedSheff

We have been very happy with British Gas for the last 10 months and have just switched via the MSE energy club to another even cheaper BG deal with £25 cash back and 12 months home emergency cover.
We don't spend a lot on energy as it is, with our previous tarriff we were paying £50 per month dual fuel and were overpaying at that and building up a large credit. This new deal will see us spending even less and has saved us almost 1p kwh for gas as well as a few p per day standing charge for the gas. 
I'm not sure we are paying A LOT MORE than any other supplier in our area.

phillw

Biscuit_Tin said:

They can't all be wrong.

Why can't they all be wrong?
Some might be on the online exclusive tariff, but even that is a couple of pounds a month more expensive for me. Eon and scottish power are cheaper & aren't likely to go bankrupt anytime soon. I switch all the time, all the energy providers have terrible customer service.
The people who never switch are just scared of dealing with that terrible customer service.

onlyfoolsandparking

RelievedSheff said:

We have been very happy with British Gas for the last 10 months and have just switched via the MSE energy club to another even cheaper BG deal with £25 cash back and 12 months home emergency cover.
We don't spend a lot on energy as it is, with our previous tarriff we were paying £50 per month dual fuel and were overpaying at that and building up a large credit. This new deal will see us spending even less and has saved us almost 1p kwh for gas as well as a few p per day standing charge for the gas. 
I'm not sure we are paying A LOT MORE than any other supplier in our area.

Would you care to share just exactly what you are paying, then I could probably confirm whether your paying A LOT MORE! or is it a secret lol 

onlyfoolsandparking

phillw said:

Biscuit_Tin said:

They can't all be wrong.

Why can't they all be wrong?
Some might be on the online exclusive tariff, but even that is a couple of pounds a month more expensive for me. Eon and scottish power are cheaper & aren't likely to go bankrupt anytime soon. I switch all the time, all the energy providers have terrible customer service.
The people who never switch are just scared of dealing with that terrible customer service.

I agree, I've never seen any of the 'Big six' beat the smaller companies tariffs in the long run.