I felt I had to write this review after having to deal with this company for the first time and being pretty disappointed. Having moved into a new flat and coming from a flat where all the bills were included in the rent meaning never having to deal with all these companies and now having to set up all the new accounts for things such as electricity, gas and water I found this company particularly tiresome to deal with.
We were meant to phone up on the day we moved in to the new flat and pass over all the readings on the meters and the correct information to set up new accounts and the such like. I had no problems at all when contacting the water supplier and the electricity supplier but when it came to the gas this was more of a problem that I could of dreamed.
After phoning up the main line for British Gas that was listed in the phone book and getting through the rather long and tedious alternated service to find myself sat in a queue where I was being told I could be waiting for up to 25 minutes before my call was answered! This really did surprise me a lot considering what a large company British Gas is I would of assumed that they would have a very large customer service team working the phone lines to give a better service to their customers.
I did however need to get through to someone and pass all this information on to create an account for us so I persisted and held on the line waiting for a human operator and getting more annoyed by the second with the repeated voice that kept asking me if
I was calling regarding a gas leak that I would need to phone Transco or to save money I could switch my electricity supplier to British Gas. I don’t know how many times these messages were repeated in the half an hour that I was holding on the line but it was enough to drive a person slightly mad.
As the timer on my phone hit the 32 minutes mark I finally got through to someone who I believed was going to be able to sort out everything for me. How wrong I was. After explaining to the operator that I have just moved into a new home and needed to set up a new account and give over my meter reading I was promptly told that I needed to call a separate number where I would speak to the home movers team and they would be able to help me with everything I needed! I was aghast that this information was given on the alternated service and totally annoyed that I now had to go through the same rigmarole on a different number.
So calling this number I was then confronted with exactly the same situation as before and that I would need to hold for at least 25 minutes to speak to a real person. The same messages kept coming across the phone line about gas leaks and saving money and driven to the point of madness I nearly ended the call but after 17 minutes holding on I finally got through to someone who again I believed could help me. The lady on the end of the phone asked for my address and seeing as this flat is a new build they could not find any reference to it on their system. I found this particularly strange, as both the water and electric board were able to bring up the address with no problems whatsoever. They then asked me for the meter serial number which I gave over and the lady on the end of the phone said her system had crashed and could I just be put on hold while she was able to sort it out. How frustrated was I when I found myself listening to the same-recorded voices asking if I was calling regarding a gas leak or wanted to save money by switching suppliers! I was back into the alternated system waiting for another operator to pick my call up!! I had at this point been on the line for the second time and the counter was hitting 42 minutes!
I wasn’t until my phone counter hit 53 minutes that I finally got through to speak to a different phone operator who again tried to find my address on the system but to no avail. When I explained that the previous operator was taking my serial number of the meter to find my location he took these details and came up with a meter in Bath registered to someone else! He explained that the serial numbers were often used for several different meters; I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing! The phone operator really had no idea how I could sort out the problem to get my address on the system other than to wait a while for the address to perhaps be registered! Seeing as the flat we have just moved into has been bought under the shared ownership scheme I thought I would give the housing association a call to see if they could give me any ideas. However I had certainly had enough for the day and decided that the next day would perhaps be a better idea to carry on before I had a nervous breakdown.
So the following day I was prepared to call both the housing association and British Gas. I also received a letter through my door addressed to the builder of this property from British Gas. I opened the letter to see a bill for an amount of gas relating to Plot 12 and seeing as we are Flat 12 I thought this might be of some use when contacting the gas board even though a different postcode was listed on the letter. I still phoned the housing association who told me to forward the letter to them and give this information over to British Gas and that would help them find the account details.
Getting back on the phone to British Gas was as much as a problem as it had been the day before with a waiting time of 25 minutes and those annoying messages playing again and again I finally got through to a human operator after holding on for 21 minutes and after giving over the address that could not be found and the serial number that was not registered to this address I explained that I had received this letter for the builder of the plot of flats and although it stated a different postcode this account is probably relating to the property. Halfway through a sentence the line went dead and my call was ended through no fault of my own! I had been cut off, disconnected and made to feel even angrier about the whole situation!
Again I was left to redial the home movers number and wait in a queue until my call was answered. After 27 infuriating minutes I was finally connected to a different call operator who I wasted no time in explaining all the right information for them to get details up on screen where I could set up a new account and give over my meter reading. This was the simplest call that I had made and was my final call to British Gas. I was told I would get a welcome pack within 5 to 10 days and this should give all the right account information. I received it within the week and although the account information states Plot 12 instead of Flat 12 and the postcode is different to our correct one I thought I would just put up with it how it is for the time being. Seeing as I am set to making payment quarterly and the bill will arrive through the post I should not have to deal with British Gas for a little while to come.
The actual gas supply itself has been nothing other than fine. It works, it comes through the pipes and that is good enough for me. I have yet to receive a bill from British gas but I am sure this will come through shortly. The main problem that I find with this company is their poor telephone system. They should surely get a more extensive alternated service that will put you through to the right person to talk to. The phone operators themselves could be more helpful and I think transferring calls to the correct department instead of having people call a separate number would be far more useful.
All in all the gas supply from British Gas I find runs smoothly but trying to contact them to sort things out is a total nightmare and I think one that the company should address. I would not really suggest going with another supplier just because of this fact as the gas supply does seem more than adequate. However you do have to be somewhat patient when dealing with this company via the telephone so be warned.
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I hope you enjoyed writing this review and having a good bitch about british gas because I know.
Newboy3 01.06.2007 02:14
Sadly, an all too familiar story. British Gas are still entrenched in their old public utility mentality where customer service and the needs of the consumer seem to take second place. They are cumbersome and bureaucratic and probably the most expensive supplier. Wait till you get your first bill. You may change your recommendation to a ‘No’ … Tony x
levenite 29.05.2007 13:01
Good review, i hate the phone systems they are using, they never seam to have the department you want, but loads of other useless ones.
May 26th, 2007
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (4%):
