British Gas - Not Received Vouchers

Jademarie28

I have not had one voucher from British Gas yet. I am a single parent to a one year old on a very low income. I try most days to contact them about it, every day it is nearly a 3-5 hour wait on the phone and live chat I am number 350 something to speak to someone. Everytime I get fobbed off and told it isn’t their fault and they will look into it and nothing ever happens. I have raised a complaint on resolver and had no response from them (nearly 3 weeks). I have raised a complaint directly through them also have not heard anything (nearly 2 weeks). They never seem to give you a straight answer, I am struggling very badly with the increase and have no childcare to be able to work anymore hours and cannot afford to put my son into nursery. These vouchers will help me out massively and they are withholding them even though they say they are not! I just want the vouchers I am rightly entitled too and don’t physically know how else I can get them or get a response from British Gas. 

acs61

i am the same, i sent 3 complaints (british gas), had a chat with online chat bot  was useless sending me round in circles,
finally got through to british gas only to be told that vouchers are only sent to electric meter payg and not gas,,  i heat my house on gas and it has trebled in cost trying to heat a room for one hour every other day to stop pipes freezing, 
why dont every household get the vouchers whether payg meter or not,,  i dont qualify for any other handouts as im not yet a pensioner, im on low income with 2 adult sons living with me, they miss out the middle band of the public every time, but our struggle gets worse
how do we get the vouchers   

[Deleted User]

Hi,

acs61 said:

finally got through to british gas only to be told that vouchers are only sent to electric meter payg and not gas,,  i heat my house on gas and it has trebled in cost trying to heat a room for one hour every other day to stop pipes freezing,

you will qualify through your electricity account, there is not a separate payment for gas.

ariarnia

acs61 said:

i am the same, i sent 3 complaints (british gas), had a chat with online chat bot  was useless sending me round in circles,
finally got through to british gas only to be told that vouchers are only sent to electric meter payg and not gas,,  i heat my house on gas and it has trebled in cost trying to heat a room for one hour every other day to stop pipes freezing, 
why dont every household get the vouchers whether payg meter or not,,  i dont qualify for any other handouts as im not yet a pensioner, im on low income with 2 adult sons living with me, they miss out the middle band of the public every time, but our struggle gets worse
how do we get the vouchers   

i think theres two separate problems here. 

not getting the voutchers at all. after 8 weeks from first complaining you can escalate your complaint to the ombudsman. BG do not have to reply for you to be able to escalate.  the ombudsman team are really helpful but if you get stuck or need help we are also here   

https://www.ombudsman-services.org/complain-now 

i know having the money now would be best but the voutchers can be reissued right until the end of june (you have to use them by the end of june) so you wont miss out and the ombudsman might even order BG to give you some compensation (normally something like 30 or 50 quid) for the bad customer service. 


the second thing is about the gas pay as you go. as frugal has said. the money is paid on your electric account. the point is that most people have an electric account but not all have a gas account. you can 'put the money on your gas account' by taking the money you would normally use to pay for your electric and using it for gas instead if that makes sense? so it all works out the same eventually. 

if you pay for your electric by direct debit or on a bill then look at your electric bill and you should see the money there. if your electric is also pay and go and you havent had the voutchers then you need to complain to your electric supplier (which might be the same people as your gas or not. you can check here if you dont know https://www.findmysupplier.energy/). if they dont respond then its the same as above and you can go to the ombudsman after 8 weeks. 

but if you dont have an electric account (if you pay your landlord for your electric for eg) then you wouldn't be eligible for the voutchers but theres a separate scheme that the government have been working on that you might be able to apply for. it will be via application on a government website and paid by your council i think. i dont know the full details but if you google your council you might find a page like this with the info https://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/news/support-for-households-that-don-t-have-direct-relationship-with-domestic-energy-supplier-or-use-alternative-fuels/

macman

acs61 said:

i am the same, i sent 3 complaints (british gas), had a chat with online chat bot  was useless sending me round in circles,
finally got through to british gas only to be told that vouchers are only sent to electric meter payg and not gas,,  i heat my house on gas and it has trebled in cost trying to heat a room for one hour every other day to stop pipes freezing, 
why dont every household get the vouchers whether payg meter or not,,  i dont qualify for any other handouts as im not yet a pensioner, im on low income with 2 adult sons living with me, they miss out the middle band of the public every time, but our struggle gets worse
how do we get the vouchers   

Are you saying that you have a PPM for your gas but a credit meter for your electricity?
If so, the credit will be made to your electricity account each month. Have you checked it to see if the first three payments are there?
It's not possible to credit or issue vouchers to gas accounts for the simple reason that many people do not have a mains gas supply, whereas almost everyone has an electricity account.
You will also have received the £150 C Tax rebate earlier this year if in bands A to D.