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British Gas
Can anyone help me please, I got an electric vehicle last March and I called British Gas in July and explained that I had a charger installed from Pod and just needed an EV tariff. I was on a fixed 3 year deal but the lady I spoke to advised me that the EV tariff would be more suitable.
I was advised that my meters would need updating to smart meters, I agreed and they came out and did the work, the gas one was installed incorrectly and they came out and fixed it. It is still not sending readings and they are sending the sub-contractor out 2moro.
This is not the issue, this issue is I had an email 24th November saying I was on the EV tariff but uswitch of all people emailed me to ask why I was on a variable rate for my energy, when I logged in I discovered that I had not been switched over. No communication from British Gas.
When you talk on chat you are chatting to an AI bot, swear and scream at them - no response - a human would not put up with that.
You call them British Gas, I don't as you don't speak to anyone British anymore when you call, you speak to lovely people in South Africa who are on less than minimum wage and are not paid enough to care. You explain your issue and they put you on hold and the line goes dead, you call back and go through the same rigmarole again , until you are cut off again. It is hard to build a relationship with someone the other side of the world, hard to have any bonding and rapport.
It's like Groundhog Day but not funny. You can't call of a day with 30mins lunch as you are on hold for 45mins, you call when you come home and you have 10mins as the call centre closes at 6pm.
Every time I am promised a call back it has never happened, I am at the end of my rope with them and today have had an email saying I have an incorrect meter and they can't give me an EV tariff.
This is absolutely appaling service if I did this to my clients, I would no longer have them as client's.
If you want to remain sane and not upset your family as you are constantly angry please do you save your self heartache and do not use British Gas please use anyone else.
Mr Lewis keeps recommending them as a fantastic supplier, is he on the board?
Frustrated Energy User
Comments
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Email service_energy@britishgas.co.uk and make a formal complaint.
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In the Which? 2026 survey, only EDF and Scottish Power were rated worse than BG. Ditch and Switch unless the exit fee is prohibitive.
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Most BG email addresses aren't monitored or give bouncebacks saying they're full.
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We've been with British gas for 18 months now. The last time we used them before that was probably 25 years ago. We've not had any problems. I'd be off if there were any. They fitted smart meters for us last year as well. It's not uncommon for the gas meter not to send readings, as they go via the electric meter. There'll be horror stories with every supplier. If you aren't happy, switch.
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That is the email address that I write to constantly about my complaint and they reply, even though I'm not a BG customer.
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Better to follow the formal complaint procedure on the BG website to in case the complaint needs to later be escalated. The EO often looks for evidence before accepting the case.
As @WiserMiser says:
"Most BG email addresses aren't monitored or give bouncebacks saying they're full."
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British Gas complaint procedure encourages phone calls. Far better either to use the webform or email. If using the webform be sure to take a screenshot for evidence. They will reply to the form, either by phone if you give a number, or by email from .. guess which address! They then tell you that you can reply to the email as necessary. BG like to call you but then you have no evidence for the ombudsman so best to encourage email.
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If you're not locked into a fix with them, and can leave without penalty, do so. I'd take the opportunity to migrate away asap. I too experienced 6+ months of nonsense from South Africa when they kept billing my parents after they had moved supplier - which we did owing to BG's appalling/incorrect billing.
Their customer service is appalling and it won't improve. Even leaving can be difficult as I discovered when looking after my parent's account. Staying will only prolong the agony. These money saving sites primary focus is cost, not the appalling service for which BG (South Africa) are legendary.
Even when the Ombudsman got involved(after the 8 weeks) they continued to produce erroneous bills. Got complaint upheld (twice!) and got token compensation, but still BG continued….I've kept all the paperwork as I still expect another bill at any time. Leaving is the best option for your sanity.
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Did you know?
- An email address that an email purports to come from is not necessarily sent from that email account.
- Even if the email has come from that email account, it does not mean that the inbox is monitored.
Of course, if you have received an email from BG that invites you to reply to that email, then feel free to do so. I'm sure BG have an email management system in place that automatically forwards your email response to the original message that the reply is to. But if you just send an email to BG without it being a reply to an email from them (one which invites you to reply), expect it to either not be read or not even be delivered if the email account inbox is full.
Agree whole heatedly about better keeping matters for complaint in writing and ensuring copies of all communication sent or received are independently stored. But following the supplier's complaint procedure is also a must.
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But that would appear to be as a result of BG specifically inviting you to reply to that email address in an email they had sent you.
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