A year with British Gas as my supplier for my Gas and Electric (Dual Fuel)

Derick_R

A year with British Gas as my supplier for my Gas and Electric (Dual Fuel)

• June 2020. I received confirmation emails my account was set up and my monthly payments (direct debits) were based on my own gas and electricity usage estimates which I gave British Gas at the start of my 12 month contract.
                          Gas  9,550 kWh          Electricity 2,750 kWh
• September 2020. I received an email stating :-
              "You're on one of our energy plans that needs smart meters, it was part of the agreement when you signed up." 
              This was not true because I did not want smart meters and I chose the plan because it was advertised not to need to switch to smart meters. Also at around the same time I started to receive phone calls from smart meter install team. I still don't want Smart Meters.
• October 2020. Every month I gave British Gas my meter readings, this was on a voluntary basis as they only need to receive my meter reading when they request them two or three times a year. However even though I was under my estimated usage of both gas and electricity British Gas put my monthly direct debit payment up. On this occasion I used their on line facility to reduce the payment back to the amount I had been paying which had also built a healthy balance on my account.
  I also noticed they had also changed my projected usage of my Gas and Electric
  From   (gas) 9,550 kWh          (electric) 2,750 kWh           To  (gas) 12000 kWh             (electric) 2,900 kWh
• March 2021. My Direct debit was once again increased even though I was on track with my electric and gas usage. This time British Gas would not let me reduce the direct debit payment back to the original monthly amount on their website.
• May 2021. I had to use the phone help line which took 3/4hour to get to speak to anyone and was then disconnected. I recalled the phone line and had to wait a further 3/4 hour and this time my payment was reduced back to the original amount. However now there is a warning message on my account stating:
              "You're not paying enough (End of plan balance: £121.00 in debit)"
  This is not true. I have only two more payments before the contract end and I am in credit with British gas and within my target gas and electric costs.
  I also received a letter from British gas Home care department saying I agreed to an auto renewal my home care boiler cover. I have managed to cancel this auto renewal on my account but as yet, not entirely sure it has been cancelled because I have not received any confirmation although I have taken a screen shot of the cancelation as proof and cancelled the home care Direct debit with my bank too,
              In another email, British gas has given me an offer of an 18month contract which I must take up before the 11th May 2021. In the T&Cs it does say by accepting this new contract I am also agreeing other conditions. ie having to have Smart meters installed. I also assume by leaving my existing contract by the 11th May 2021 will make me eligible to be charged £60.00 early exit fee for exiting my existing contract before the 50 day Offgen rule to be able to leave a contract without an early exit fee.
    

 

 

 

 

Hasbeen

You may get some replies, but you have posted in the Petroleum Gas and Heating Oil Forum? 

In future for any other advice on Energy would advise the forum link below. Deals with Electric and Gas. On forum as big black Energy clickable link.

Energy

Cardew

Derick_R said:

•             In another email, British gas has given me an offer of an 18month contract which I must take up before the 11th May 2021. In the T&Cs it does say by accepting this new contract I am also agreeing other conditions. ie having to have Smart meters installed. I also assume by leaving my existing contract by the 11th May 2021 will make me eligible to be charged £60.00 early exit fee for exiting my existing contract before the 50 day Offgen rule to be able to leave a contract without an early exit fee.
  

BG are a mess at the moment and I suspect the main reason is most of the operators are working from home.

Not sure if I understand your point in the above paragraph.

You started your current 12 months tariff on ?? June 2020. If you give notice within 50 days of intent to leave you don't have to pay the £60. So even if you joined on 30 June 2020, counting back 50 days means giving notice on or after 11 May 2021.

Changing to another tariff with the same company means you don't pay an early exit fee - or at least I have never heard of this happening.

I would look very carefully at the BG email offer. I had a similar letter for my BG contract ending 31 March 2021. The headline figure for the increase was misleading, albeit legal!

Incidentally I started the switch to another company and a couple of weeks later had a call from BG retentions department offering me considerably cheaper tariff than the email offer - albeit still not competitive.

[Deleted User]

Cardew said:

Changing to another tariff with the same company means you don't pay an early exit fee - or at least I have never heard of this happening.

Zog Energy used to change exit fees (if outside the 49/42 day end of contract period) for all tariff changes.

Derick_R

Cardew said:

Not sure if I understand your point in the above paragraph.

You started your current 12 months tariff on ?? June 2020. If you give notice within 50 days of intent to leave you don't have to pay the £60. So even if you joined on 30 June 2020, counting back 50 days means giving notice on or after 11 May 2021.

Yes I started my current 12 months tariff on 30 June 2020 and British gas are offering a new tariff up to the 11th May 2021. So I am guessing that they want me to take up an early exit offer and then charge me the pre 50 day £60.00. 
I also agree that the the headline figure of the offer email for the increase was misleading, BG even try to show that the new prosed tariff is cheaper than the one I am currently on. 

Cardew

Hasbeen said:

You may get some replies, but you have posted in the Petroleum Gas and Heating Oil Forum? 

In future for any other advice on Energy would advise the forum link below. Deals with Electric and Gas. On forum as big black Energy clickable link.

Energy

Whilst you are correct that people are more likely to get replies in the Energy section - from the regular contributors -, the OP has posted in the LPG, Heating Oil, Solid & Other Fuels . (not as you state)

For new posters it would be reasonable to assume that 'Other Fuels' would mean gas and electricity. Indeed there is nothing in the title of the 'Energy' section to indicate that gas/electricity are generally covered in that section.

I did drop an message to MSE years ago suggesting they clarify the titles.

The tone of your post was gentle and helpful, but we do get curt and unfriendly posts reprimanding new posters for posting in what they consider the 'wrong' section

Derick_R

Thank you Cardew for your explanation.. 
This is my first post and as you say I thought my British Gas post should go in the  LPG, Heating Oil, Solid & Other Fuels section. The way I look at it is: the Forum is a street and the Energy section is a house on the street. Each house has rooms of which the Energy (house) has 2 rooms. 1 room is everything to do with LPG, Heating Oil, Solid & Other Fuels and the other is Water Bills. 
In the Energy (House) there are all the discussions listed which I thought my post would show in too.. !!!! 

Hasbeen

OP. As Cardew has posted this site is a very bad design and does catch the unwary out. New and old posters alike.

And is indeed aimed at the LPG, Heating Oil, Solid & Other Fuels users. So LPG. Oil, Solid (Coal, wood etc) and other fuels?

Personally other fuels to me are the green type usage "fuels", but there is a green section for that as well.
Which is again used heavily.

This Forum less so. 

As can be seen only 3 replies to your post here, whereas I would speculate substantially more if posted in  Energy  forum, which is very popular.

As  Cardew suggests it would be more beneficial to both new and older posters if the Energy heading was changed.
To perhaps just Gas / Electric? But the "Experts" running mse think otherwise 

But you did well to get the Homecare cancelled. Would this be the free one for a year then hit with large payment for continuing?

You should be able to move to a new internal contract with BG without having to pay BG exit fees.
At this time.  Also. Your supplier cannot charge you an exit fee in the last 49 days of your tariff;

Personally. I always use Switch with Which and the CAB switching sites to compare as they show all suppliers, without having to decipher other sites  filters? 

Remember when using such comparison sites it is advisable to put in actual yearly usage in kWh.
And also get quotes for both dual and separates. As many find it is cheaper to get electric from one supplier and gas from an other.

Good luck in switching and if you have any more questions or need any further advice ? Then come back here to your existing thread or the main Energy site