British Gas........aaaaaaaaaarrrrrghhhhh!!!!!!

need_my_wedge

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What a bloody shambles. I pay my gas and electricity by DD each month, and I read both meters and submit the reading each month so that my bills are accurate. Both accounts are in credit in excess of £150 each.......

So on the 2nd Feb I get an unexpected bill for £500+ of gas usage in the week since I submitted my reading....cue call to BG. I was informed that it was due to the meter reading I had submitted on a specific date. Since I hadn't submitted a reading on that date, they checked further and found that they had sent an engineer to read the metre as they could only take my submissions for 2 years without sending someone to verify. OK you say, till we check his readings - the electricity was spot on, but the gas was an .......ESTIMATE!! WTF? They send the guy to read the meter, two cupboards side by side on the wall, same key....he checks one and then guesses the other when the sole purpose of his visit is to check that I'm not putting in hooky readings......

They have a record of my submissions, the correct ones and reset the readings on their system, and adjust the bill so that I am back where I was, in credit and everyone's happy.

Until a week later......I receive a letter from BG stating that they are pleased to inform me that they have reviewed my bill and are pleased to tell me that my monthly payment is coming down from £172 per month (yep, I fuel the street) to £138. This is pretty good, except I've never paid £172 a month, not even close. Cue call number two. I am assured it is a computer error and that my payments are set at the £60 a month I normally pay, and I won't be charged £172 or £138.....

Log into my bank account today for something entirely different and spot payments out today........£172 to BG..........WTF!!

Call number 3, I demand to speak to a manager, and after doing everything he could to prevent me talking to the manager, the manager finally comes on line. I'm assured it's all a computer mistake, my payments are set to £67 as discussed in my call last week, they will follow up my complaint with their meter reading company, they will refund the £172 to my bank.............in 3 days....and they will give me £20 compensation for my trouble.

Is it any wonder I feel stressed and am disillusioned with them? Uswitch here I come.....
 

USER1999

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We had a new meter fitted by BG. Two years ago. We didn't ask for it, they insisted.

They still bill us off the old one.
 

Gazp

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I have to laugh when they send me emails telling me it's time for me to read the meter....isn't that what I pay them to do ? also, I must get 2 calls a week asking me to take out there boiler cover, which part of NO don't they understand
 

Mick47

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We had a new meter fitted by BG. Two years ago. We didn't ask for it, they insisted.

They still bill us off the old one.

Be careful mate, same thing happened to us .For two years or so I kept reading about gas rocketing in price but our bills were about the same, until one day I happened to be outside when the meter man called he casually mentioned that the meter serial number didn't match his sheet and that he'd report it. A few weeks later I got a bill for over £2000. I hit the roof, they admitted it was their fault but the bill would stand as I had used the gas. After a lot of arguing they reduced the bill by 15% as a goodwill gesture. So if you don't want a very nasty surprise in the future check and then double check that you are getting bills based on the correct meters reading.
 

USER1999

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Be careful mate, same thing happened to us .For two years or so I kept reading about gas rocketing in price but our bills were about the same, until one day I happened to be outside when the meter man called he casually mentioned that the meter serial number didn't match his sheet and that he'd report it. A few weeks later I got a bill for over £2000. I hit the roof, they admitted it was their fault but the bill would stand as I had used the gas. After a lot of arguing they reduced the bill by 15% as a goodwill gesture. So if you don't want a very nasty surprise in the future check and then double check that you are getting bills based on the correct meters reading.

Thanks for the heads up, but we do keep correcting them, and they keep on saying how they they will amend their records. Til next time. Hah!
 

Golfmmad

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You often see or hear of these type of BG cock ups with meter readings and payments.

What I would say though, I cannot fault them on their 3 star service contract that I have for my Central Heating. If there is a problem the engineer will usually be out the next day or certainly the day after.

Shortly after I moved to my present property I had some work being done by a plumber and he noticed a slight leak on the full height immersion tank, so I phoned BG service, an engineer looked at it and straight away said he would order a new one and duly fitted within a week, at no cost to me.

At my previous property, in the space of 10 years I had 2 pumps, 2 control panels, a thermostat timer and a replacement immersion tank, again at no cost to me.
Yes it costs £32 per month but that includes annual service and safety checks, free replacement parts to boiler and related parts to the central heating.

Lastly, I think you can't be too careful with Gas and feel happy to let the experts who have all the latest equipment and the up to date safety skills to look after my needs. :thup:
 

Bythesea

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Need my wedge.
Simple to solve your problem. Change to The Utillity Wharehouse.
Had two calls from other suppliers this week mention U. W. And they just give up and go away.
Good Luck.
 

AuburnWarrior

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British Gas are, without doubt, the most incompetent firm I've ever encountered!!!
I've had so many run ins with them due to their woeful systems that if I recounted them now you'd be reading my post all night!!! :smirk: I've always paid by DD and been in credit and yet BG have had debt collection agencies on to me!!! In the end, BG owed ME money!!! :rofl:
What I will say is that our plumber (GasSafe registered) installed a Bosch boiler and charged us £2,000. The old lady that lives next door to my Mother-in-law was charged £4,000 by British Gas for the same boiler!!!

I will never use British Gas again for my gas/electricity.
 
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