Why are British Gas so &%&** incompetent?

teabelly

We have moved house and needed to get the electricity reconnected. BG were the old suppliers so were stuck with dealing with these muppets. Last Friday I asked for the electricity to be reconnected and also went to Atlantic for a new gas supply (apparently BG couldn't understand that if the place has no meter they could still supply even when I said there was no current supplier in place). Atlantic rung me back the same day and arranged for a man in a van to come out on Wednesday of this week. No fuss, no mess, no bother.

In the same amount of time I have had to fax proof of identity and completion to BG. They wouldn't accept the first letter. I sent another one with a date and they rang me back to say it would take another 48 hours before they'd be even arsed to update their system with the fact they had all the relevant information at hand to arrange an appointment. Then they denied they had said the information was ok and that what I had sent the second time would do as proof of identity. After a short argument they eventually realised I was right and they did have everything!

It is now Friday, I still have not yet received a single phone call to arrange an appointment to reconnect the electricity. I was promised a call back by the reconnections team from the customer relations team by close of business yesterday. None happened. Another promised call before noon missed. And another one promised for within half an hour of my second call. There is a lead time of several days just to get an appointment because of a shortage of meter people so you'd think these cretins would pull their fingers out and get things organised. But no. I complained to energywatch on wednesday at their attitude and incompetance as if atlantic can do it within a few working days then BG can manage to do the electricity. Complaining to energywatch has made no difference. Even being pushed by the customer relations department still hasn't made the reconnections people get off their backsides and sort it out.

There should be a way to force a supplier change due to incompetance. It would soon show who was any good and who was useless.

The MD's contact details on another thread may be rather useful as if they haven't called back by 3pm I'll be writing a stern email. :mad:

Any ideas on what I can do or say to make them get it done? Are there any legal regulatory requirements which I could use to force them to switch the leccy back on or pay me a daily compensatory amount for not doing their statutory duty? Is it worth trying to bypass them and either tackling the distributor or getting another supplier to just chuffing well stick the fuse back in?!

SwanJon

Not sure if you can swop without a connection, but if you could, the process could take 4-6 weeks, so you might be quicker berating BG. Try escalating it higher.
If they knew it was going to take this long, they could have at least told you.

teabelly

I can't swap until they have connected it. I checked with the chap from energywatch. Someone in customer relations is keeping on at them and keeping an eye out for last minute cancellations in the hope that they can get it done.

I'm keeping on at BG. I have a draft email to Phil Bentley which I am updating as I go along.

There needs to be away of switching suppliers much faster than 4-6 weeks. The MAC or PAC method which broadband and mobile suppliers use would be a good system to use and that can often be done in a week.

mikewebs

Why are BG so Incompetent? Easy one that, they spend so long banking the money that they couldn't give tuppence for the customers! I've been waiting years for a statement from them - still haven't got it but they still take the money out of my pocket!

Cardew

teabelly wrote: »

There needs to be away of switching suppliers much faster than 4-6 weeks. The MAC or PAC method which broadband and mobile suppliers use would be a good system to use and that can often be done in a week.

If they do find a way to switch in a week, the first thing to stop should be the stupid financial incentives the comparison sites(and Quidco for that matter) offer to customers to switch.

Otherwise the websites(or quidco customers) will be making £50 a week by switching and costing £Millions more - costs that are passed on to all customers.