British Gas Not Accepting Cash Or Cheques

Sallyscripto

Is this happening to anybody else or just me?

I am with British Gas and I get a quarterly bill.  I use the payment slip provided on the bill and take the cash to the Post Office.

Last week when I got my bill I found there was no payment slip and where it states "simple ways to pay" there is no mention of being able to pay by cash, cheque or using payzone, only to pay online or pay by phone.

I phoned British Gas to query this and I was told they are in between banks at the moment and cannot accept cash or cheques.  I think I am being fobbed off as I cannot believe such a big company would be without banking facilities and apart from which, how can they still accept payments online or phone.

I would send them a cheque instead of using cash but again, I cannot do this as they have not provided the payment slip.  Even their website that tells you how to pay does not include cash or cheques.

I could pay online but its the principle of the matter and I prefer to pay in cash.

I should imagine that there will be a lot of people who have been debanked going cold and hungry this winter.

Wonka_2

Sallyscripto said:

I could pay online but its the principle of the matter and I prefer to pay in cash.

Given neither of your duplicate posts are getting responses it would appear it's not that big of an issue - at least not in this parish.

Out of interest given you have the ability to pay by cheque (even though you're looking for support for the Farages of this world) why the preference to incur the extra efforts of paying by cash ?

Alnat1

Cash and cheques cost companies more to process through the bank so many have now stopped accepting them and ask for automated methods of payment. I believe most energy suppliers have also stopped quarterly billing and do monthly or 6 monthly only, so that might be the next thing you find has to change.

I don't think many people pay with the slip now anyway, the majority of the population wouldn't have large amounts of cash hanging around their house to pay quarterly bills. It might be that you have to accept more modern and safer methods of payment, walking around with large amounts of cash is something the majority of the population tries to avoid doing.

Sallyscripto

My post was a duplicate because I realised I posted it on the wrong board.

Its no effort for me to go to the Post Office, I'm lucky, its only up the road.  

I want to go to the Post Office for the same reason that in supermarkets, a lot of people prefer to use a checkout manned by a human and not a machine.  If you don't use it, you lose it.

CSI_Yorkshire

Sallyscripto said:

I should imagine that there will be a lot of people who have been debanked going cold and hungry this winter.

I imagine there will be an extremely small number of people who have been 'debanked', and almost none of them will be going cold and hungry.

Sallyscripto

Alnat1 - I am very frugal with my gas.  My bill for this quarter is £58.44.  My bill before was £47.15

Alnat1

Sallyscripto said:

Alnat1 - I am very frugal with my gas.  My bill for this quarter is £58.44.  My bill before was £47.15

Will your February bill be low too?

Sallyscripto

My last February bill was £120.57 but with the government giving folk money off its energy bill, it came to £6.20 as I was £114.37 in credit

pinkladyvenus

I have sent British gas a cheque with no payment slip enclosed just a covering letter with my account number and address etc when they kept failing to send me a correct bill. My last bill came with a payment slip. I also insist on paying cash over the counter at the post office or by cheque.

Sallyscripto

Thank you pinkladyvenus.  A constructive comment at last.  

I was worried that without the payment slip, it might go astray or they would refuse to accept it but with your advice I shall print a copy of my bill and send a cheque.

Thank you again.

pinkladyvenus

Sallyscripto said:

Thank you pinkladyvenus.  A constructive comment at last.  

I was worried that without the payment slip, it might go astray or they would refuse to accept it but with your advice I shall print a copy of my bill and send a cheque.

Thank you again.

You are welcome