british gas / centrica / shares

lovelyjubbly

Hi there, some help please

I purchased british gas shares when they were first floated on the market, I have since been sent centrica shares and national grid shares, were these to replace the british gas shares, or do I now own all three?

barak

lovelyjubbly wrote: »

Hi there, some help please

I purchased british gas shares when they were first floated on the market, I have since been sent centrica shares and national grid shares, were these to replace the british gas shares, or do I now own all three?

Blimey - that was ages ago! Didn't you read/don't you still have the enclosing letters?

No doubt somebody will come up with the precise answer. I'm afraid I don't have the time at the moment except to say that BG , National Grid and [apparently] Centrica shares still exist, but they may not be the 'ones' you are talking about as they have been through several re-incarnations.

lovelyjubbly

Hi barak, I must have read the letters at the time, but my memory is not what it was and I can't think whether they said the centrica and national grid shares were 'extras' or replacement for british gas

gt94sss2

I suggest you contact Equiniti (formerly known as LloydsTSB Registrars) on 0121 415 7029 about your BG and Centrica shares and Capita (for National Grid shares ) on 020 7098 1198

They should be able to tell you how many charges you own in each company and which of your share certificates are valid..

This may also help.

Regards
Sunil

nilrem_2

lovelyjubbly wrote: »

Hi there, some help please

I purchased british gas shares when they were first floated on the market, I have since been sent centrica shares and national grid shares, were these to replace the british gas shares, or do I now own all three?

The following are all still valid (AFAIAA)

BG group PLC (g)
centrica
national grid

I have the above and they are all still paying dividends, I agree though that it does get confusing!

lovelyjubbly

Thanks sunil and nilrem for your replies, very helpfull. Thaat answers all my questions.

Beatrice_2

Like Lovelyjubbly above, I had 100 British Gas shares purchased for me in 1987. I would like to know a) are they still British Gas shares or are they Centrica? Reading the above responses, it seems to indicate they are still British Gas. Is this correct?

b) I contacted BG on line and asked how I found out the value and went about selling the shares. They told me I had to contact Equiniti and register for a User ID and password. I did. However, even after registering and accessing their site, I still can't see the value of my shares as I need to key in a "unique ID number" or something for the shares. I have no idea what this number is and cannot find anything from BG down the years that might tell me about this number.

c) I have the Share Certificate here. Its for 100 shares. If I phone BG on the number they gave me in the email they sent, the cost is a scandalous 8p a minute. Am I right in assuming that my only way forward is to ring this number and discover whether I have shares in BG or Centrica and the current up to date value? My mum bought the shares for me and to this day I have not thought anything further about them. Now I am toying with the idea of selling them but need to find out their worth first.

Thanks for any help

gt94sss2

Beatrice wrote: »

If I phone BG on the number they gave me in the email they sent, the cost is a scandalous 8p a minute. Am I right in assuming that my only way forward is to ring this number and discover whether I have shares in BG or Centrica and the current up to date value?

Use the 'normal'(cheaper!) numbers given in my post above.

If you owned British Gas shares in 1987, you probably own shares in 2 or 3 different companies now.

Regards
Sunil

Beatrice_2

Hi Sunil - thanks for your reply. I called the number you gave but the automated message said they were unable to discuss share prices or buying and selling on that number. In the end I called the number BG sent to me in an email (8p a minute!), they say they cannot find the shares under my name or the address I was living at at the time and suggest that I copy the share certificate and send the copy to Equiniti and see what they can find. I have no recollection of selling the shares so Lord knows what has happened to them. The guy could also find no listing of shares for me with Centrica.

Thanks for your help tho

nilrem_2

I don't wish to be the 'bringer' of bad news but If you have share certificates in the name of British Gas I don't think they are valid any more, they were replaced several times in the past and only BG shares dated 13 Dec 1999 or later are now valid apart from the Centrica ones, are you sure you didn't have the BG replacements and sell them some time ago keeping the old British Gas certificates forgetting that they were out of date?

Beatrice_2

Hi Nilrem, well if I've sold them, I certainly don't remember selling them and the guy I spoke to this morning at the number BG gave me, didn't tell me that only shares dated 13 Dec 1999 or later were valid. I am going to send a photo copy of the share certificate off to the address he gave me and see what they say. Maybe I've had a total memory lapse!