British Gas keep changing my payment method from quarterly DD to monthly DD

Mee

Hi!

Just logged in to find for the fourth or fifth time my fixed tariff payment method is showing up as Monthly by DD rather than quarterly.  I'm getting very stressed about it. I've tried web chat but I'm 95 in the queue and I've tried Twitter  DM where there is on average a three day wait. I've also logged a complaint (av 21 days) and quoted my complaint number in my DM.
I'm really worried they'll deduct money from my account and I don't want to submit a reading as I don't pay monthly.

Update: They've just replied to my DM so I'm hoping this will be resolved sooner that expected.

macman

Does you tariff require monthly DD? Many do.
You could also invoke the DD guarantee with your bank.

Mee

macman said:

Does you tariff require monthly DD? Many do.
You could also invoke the DD guarantee with your bank.

Thanks
No the tariff doesn't require monthly DD it is the same tariff I've been one since last year - it keeps happening. I'm worried that by invoking my DD guarantee they may cancel my fixed tariff...

pochase

Have you been moved to their new platform recently?

There was a user a few days ago who was told variable direct debit is not available to them as they are now on the new platform. Help pages still show it as available.

Is the monthly direct debit still variable or is it a fixed DD now?

Mee

I'm an idiot. It seems I have been looking at the Tariff details link which I'm informed for the very first time is the tariff info in general. However, when I log in an it says time for a reading I assumed the worse.

According to BG I'm still on quarterly variable by DD.

I remember checking the T&Cs at the time and there was no payment spec on my fixed rate tariff.

Mee

pochase said:

Have you been moved to their new platform recently?

There was a user a few days ago who was told variable direct debit is not available to them as they are now on the new platform. Help pages still show it as available.

Is the monthly direct debit still variable or is it a fixed DD now?

That sounds mad.  I wonder if that was someone on WebChat - I find that is the poorest of BG's comms channels.

jrawle

Mee said:

I'm an idiot. It seems I have been looking at the Tariff details link which I'm informed for the very first time is the tariff info in general. However, when I log in an it says time for a reading I assumed the worse.

According to BG I'm still on quarterly variable by DD.

I remember checking the T&Cs at the time and there was no payment spec on my fixed rate tariff.

No, you are not the only one to be caught out by this. When I took a fixed tariff recently, the tariff details page showed that my tariff was on "Monthly direct debit", which is what they call fixed DD. I was concerned they had switched me, as I am supposed to be on variable DD. However, when I received the confirmation e-mail, it correctly said Variable DD.

There are only two prices for credit customers: direct debit or cash, and their Tariff Information Label seems to incorrectly call the former "Monthly direct debit", even if the customer is on another sort of direct debit. Why can't they just say "Direct debit" on that page, and leave the exact billing method to a different page?