British Gas won't allow bills to be paid other than online - made two complaints

Parsnip1

Would be grateful for any help. I'm trying to help my elderly neighbour who is confused by anything technical. She was transferred to British Gas a year or so ago when her previous supplier went bust. Its a very simple issue - she just needs bills to be posted to her and to pay them at a post office or bank. I have phoned them with her a number of times - including getting her on their Priority Services Register - when a very helpful advisor said we could do exactly that. However, she has yet to receive a bill in the post. We made a formal complaint which was ignored (to be fair, the registered post wasn't signed for so may have got lost) so followed up with a complaint escalation, asking that all correspondence is by post. So I was furious to discover that she received a telephone call (presumably from the complaints dept, she wasn't sure) who apparently informed her that she had to pay online, which she is unable to do. I don't know where to take this to next. Another complaint? Any other options? Our MP? Any ideas most welcome.

[Deleted User]

Ombudsman would be the next place - 8 weeks after your first complaint.

Neil_Jones

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/help-and-support/bills-and-payments/getting-a-paper-copy-of-your-bill might be of interest (see bottom about web chat)

Gerry1

Parsnip1 said:

It's a very simple issue - she just needs bills to be posted to her and to pay them at a post office or bank.

Not a good idea because that's the most expensive tariff.  Is there any reason why she can't have Monthly Direct Debit?

Parsnip1

She was on Direct Debit but she found it too confusing with her memory issues and anxiety. At one point her Direct Debit didn't cover the bills (they obviously didn't adjust it as they should have done) and she panicked. She just wants a bill to arrive, and then go and pay it, she feels that is the only way she can budget.

If I go into her account on my computer, I can see that she is down to have bills in the post, but she hasn't actually received any! That may of course be due to the postal issues. So we may have half the issue resolved, but not if the phone call she received from the Complaints Dept says she must pay them online.

As far as the Ombudsman is concerned, do we need to contact British Gas for a deadlock letter? The first complaint was sent on 3rd October, so otherwise we could contact them now?

Thanks for all the help.

EssexHebridean

Once 8 weeks has passed you can go straight to the Ombudsman. 

MWT

Parsnip1 said:

If I go into her account on my computer, I can see that she is down to have bills in the post, but she hasn't actually received any! That may of course be due to the postal issues. So we may have half the issue resolved, but not if the phone call she received from the Complaints Dept says she must pay them online. .

Since the complaint have they actually raised any new bills on her account at all?

It may be that the next bill will be posted to her, but it just hasn't been raised yet as I don't think they would be doing monthly paper billing...

pinkladyvenus

I use to receive my bill by post from British gas, once they changed their computer billing system the problems started no email to tell me a meter reading is required, or that a new bill is on my account. The paper bills that I regularly received stopped. ( I pay cash over the counter at P.O). I have complained and had no response and am also at the Ombudsman stage.

Parsnip1

Thanks MWT, in the complaint I asked for August's bill to be posted, even though we eventually paid it on my computer, and the November bill has been raised but she hasn't received it yet. (Which could be due to the postal issues, but even with those should have arrived by now.) But that still doesn't explain why she was told on the phone she had to pay online.

pinkladyvenus said:

 I have complained and had no response and am also at the Ombudsman stage.

Thanks PinkLady, that is very interesting. Good luck.

Does anyone know if there are any organisations campaigning against everything having to be done online? I live in a community with a lot of elderly people who don't have, don't want, or aren't comfortable using computers or smartphones, and it is becoming a real issue.

Neil_Jones

Parsnip1 said:

Does anyone know if there are any organisations campaigning against everything having to be done online? I live in a community with a lot of elderly people who don't have, don't want, or aren't comfortable using computers or smartphones, and it is becoming a real issue.

Being "elderly" is not an obstacle to going online or doing things online.

No end of 60/70/80/90+ year old people online.  If they don't want to go online that's their problem.  But that's the way things are.

Remember lots of government services are online now and done digitally, the days of queuing up at the post office on Pension Day are long gone, and even the Government stopped doing all that earlier this year:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/post-office-card-accounts-closure-extended-until-november-2022

Krakkkers

Those campaigns are probably online ! However i have some sympathy with the cause because Russia shows an unnatural fascination with the transatlantic internet connections and has a internal internet prepared in Russia.
Everything online is like relying on Russia for gas.
We have to harden all our services against attack.