British Gas not honouring promise to match or beat RHE's deal

Grizzlebeard

I am not a Lawyer, and my opinions are based solely on my common sense, personal sense of justice and Googling terms and words on the periphery of my experience. Verify with qualified sources before acting on anything I say.
Here goes! My thoughts -
The Small Claims Court may well find in favor of the plaintiff, but that judgement can't be automatically applied for any one else - even if they're in exactly the same position. Each case would need it's own hearing and judgement. This is a big part of the reason Corporations make generous settlements out of court, and usually with a gagging clause to stop the word spreading. From my experience of the British Gas corporate mentality this is the sort of thing they'd do. Who knows they've likely done it already with some 'irksome' customers. My desire to sort out BG is for every badly treated customer to get fair redress, since as I say, my personal exposure is only a few quid. The ideal outcome would be a ruling from a Regulator with the legal teeth to enforce it systematically, but I really don't know if there are enough injured parties for Ofgem to spend time pursuing it as a class action matter.

Gimel

Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated.

BG themselves at one point suggested we take the issue to the Ombudsman, but I was wary figuring that prospect didn't scare them and were using that to get us off their backs. Now, reading their response here to the Ombudsman's ruling, it confirms for me where they're at.

I'll ponder the info and views in this thread before weighing up what to do.

MoneySavingNovice

Gimel said:

Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated.

BG themselves at one point suggested we take the issue to the Ombudsman, but I was wary figuring that prospect didn't scare them and were using that to get us off their backs. Now, reading their response here to the Ombudsman's ruling, it confirms for me where they're at.

I'll ponder the info and views in this thread before weighing up what to do.

It's much appreciated that you have come back and updated the forum,  so thanks for this......moving on from the mutual appreciation society....British Gas are obliged to inform you that you can escalate your complaint to the Ombudsman so don't read too much into the fact that they have.

While I do think that the Ombudsman is fairly toothless, British Gas don't actually want you to go to the Ombudsman as it costs them money, they have to implement the finding (in theory at least)  and it looks bad on their annual report.  The other thing to consider is that if you do decide that you need to go to court to show the courts that you have attempted to resolve this through the Ombudsman service strengthens your argument.  As there is no cost to you,  there's nothing to lose.

Let us know how you get on and good luck!

MoneySavingNovice

Sorry to hijack your thread, Gimel,   but I thought I would report back on the final outcome of my complaint against British Gas for not matching or beating the Robin Hood tariff ...or Ebico in my case.

Basically, the Ombudsman has agreed with me.   They have insisted that British Gas move me to a better tariff than either the Ebico one or the one that British Gas incorrectly placed be on and awarded me £50 compensation from British Gas due to their "...shortfalls in customer service and inconvenience caused"

The interesting thing is that the tariff that I have been moved to, British Gas denied that it existed!   When I put this through a price comparison website it's not listed.   It appears that British Gas have some inexpensive tariffs which they don't publish but keep for people like me who have legitimate complaints. 

Bottom line is that I'm now better off than I was when it was Ebico....except that the effort to get me there was considerable. 

Grizzlebeard

Thanks for the update MoneySavingNovice. Congratulations for all your hard effort. It's a moral as well as financial win.

I'd be interested to know, if you can work it out, if the savings you expect to make on the new tariff before your contract ends will be more, equal, or less than what they've already overcharged you since they took over. (Assuming they haven't backdated the tariff and already credited you the overpayment.)

I suspect a bit of 'smoke and mirrors' - to make themselves look generous - when all they're really doing is putting things back to how they should have been from the start. (Compensation aside though, that's a separate issue.)

Saying they can't give a customer with a genuine grievance "a tariff which doesn't exist" is more smoke and mirrors. They do it all the time when the Retention Team phones up customers who are leaving BG and offer them special discounts to stay. Truth is it's only a few key clicks in the computer system and they can charge any customer or group of customers they want any price they choose. They do this when it suits them and deny it's possible when it doesn't.

MoneySavingNovice

Sorry I've just realised that you asked a question:-

....I'd be interested to know, if you can work it out, if the savings you expect to make on the new tariff before your contract ends will be more, equal, or less than what they've already overcharged you since they took over. (Assuming they haven't backdated the tariff and already credited you the overpayment.)

Yes, the Ombudsman backdated the tariff,  and while I haven't got the actual money back I do have a credit on the account which has covered this quarters bill and most likely next.

It's been a lot of hard work and is more of a moral than financial win.