I now get deja-vu and amnesia at the same time. I feel sure I have forgotten this once before! ( San...
I now get deja-vu and amnesia at the same time. I feel sure I have forgotten this once before! ( Sandi Toksvig)
Member since:14.09.2005
Reviews:88
Members who trust:109
This is to warning all British Gas customers concerning the misfortunes which may befall them should they be so unfortunate as to have their meter changed, especially if this happens, as it did to me , without their knowledge! If you can’t be bothered to read the full version of events – skip to the abridgement in the final paragraph!
Firstly, I should explain that I live in a basement flat and my gas meter, together with meters for the other five flats in the block, is in a cupboard ( accessible to any who seek to gain entrance) opposite my front door. Sometime in mid 2006 a meter reader called and I directed him to the aforementioned cupboard. He mentioned that he had the wrong meter details for my account, that my meter had been changed (without my knowledge) and that he would inform British Gas.
In October 2006, I opened the door to another meter reader and had a case of “deja vu” when he repeated the same tale. This time I decided to ring and inform British Gas myself. After the usual frustrations of pressing correct numbers on my telephone key pad to find a destination and then finding out I was in a queue “because of the volume of demand”, I managed to speak to a very polite but tuneless voice and gave her the full story plus all the details. Written on the new meter, I managed to find the final old meter reading and the date the new one had been installed, February 2006.
I passed these details on together with the number of the new meter and the present reading.
She confirmed they had no record of this meter change , that they were not responsible for changing meters as this fell to another outfit, that they would sort everything out and send me an accurate bill based on the new meter reading.
In November 2006, a very pleasant woman rang me asking me to confirm all the information I had previously given and to provide the present meter reading. In addition, she suggested that, until this was resolved, she would cancel my monthly direct debit instruction.
I subsequently received a letter informing me that the directdebit instruction had been cancelled in response to my request, followed shortly afterwards (in December 2006) by a communication informing me that I was £405 in credit. I rang asking for a refund of this credit only to be told (after long silences whilst my records were checked and re-checked) that, once my billing enquiry had been resolved, I might actually owe this amount but that there seemed to be some query on my account concerning a meter change. In response to their request for information on this, I again gave them full details of the old and the new meter plus the meter readings.
In January 2007, I received a telephone message asking me to ring British Gas to give them details of my new meter and the present reading. After another frustrating button pressing session, a pleasant but rather patronising young man took down all the details I offered yet again. I explained that all this information was already within their domain. He checked and, after some minutes of silence (which I was paying for!) , he confirmed that I was correct, that all was on my record and that I should not have been troubled for this information again. He would register a complaint with those who had raised this query.
Trying to muster some patience, I asked why this matter was still not resolved after three months. He explained that they must have confirmation of the change from the meter installers and that, until that happened , they could not issue me with a correct bill. My voice must have risen a tone at this point as I expressed disbelief – after all I had given them all the information requred on three separate occasions prior to this. In a tone one uses to a troublesome child asking awkward questions, the voice, seemingly now issuing from between gritted teeth, explained that this was in my own interest because , if things were not properly resolved and documented I would encounter no end of problems should I , for example, wish to switch suppliers! I gave up once I was assured this would all be sorted out shortly.
I was tempted to switch suppliers there and then but I have been tied into the “ frozen prices until 2010” deal since September 2004 and therefore restrained myself!
Instead I gave up and devoted myself to good works for three months in an effort to forget! I had registered for my account online but , when I checked it occasionally, I could only ever get chapter and verse on my electricity account (also with British Gas) – the gas section remained blank.
However in April 2007, I received a British Gas bill (in the post). I felt some excitement as I ripped it open assuming that all would now be resolved. Alas it was an estimated bill and, not only that, it quoted a reading which was quite clearly based on the old meter readings as the usage figures on the new one bear absolutely no relation to the old.
More telephone button pressing, this time with increased vigour, more queuing and I was through to a British gas voice. I explained my tale of woe and, after about ten minutes of cross questioning, she seemed to understand. I asked to speak to the person dealing with the problem and even quoted the name of the gentleman I had spoken to in January. However she informed me, he was from the “back room team”. I asked to speak to the “back room team”. She offered no apology as she explained that the “back room team” do not take calls from the public! She would fill in a form and send the details on to them. With all the dignity and patience I could muster, I asked that she included on the form details of the customer’s intentions to contact Energywatch if the matter wasn’t resolved and a correct bill received within seven days.
It’s now August 2007 and I have heard nothing more. I haven’t yet contacted Energywatch because I don’t have the energy to go through that process which will involve the complete retelling of this story -- although I know I should!
To summarise:- I haven’t had a correct bill from British Gas since before February 2006. This is because my meter was changed without my knowledge by a company unknown to me and which seemingly installed a new meter without any reference to British Gas. Two meter readers promised to report it in 2006 and, since October of that year, I have spoken to BG Customer Services on five occasions ( three of these on my own initiative and four at my own expense) to explain the whole dilemma. I have asked to speak to the team dealing with this and been refused because, “ they do not deal with the public”. The only bill I have received in over a year ( in April 2007) was an estimate based on the old meter readings. My monthly direct debit was stopped at the suggestion of British Gas in December 2006 pending the outcome of their enquires and I dread to think what I now owe them. Whoever said that privatisation would bring about more competition, hence more efficiency and better customer service?
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Thanks, I never realised that if you sign for fixed prices you get trapped in a long termcontract.
jomarley2 08.08.2007 12:33
Great review suesie, don't even get me started on the troubles i have had with gas suppliers. I know what you mean when you get so frustrated you want to change lenders there and then but i did that and found that they are all as bad as each other! jo : )
donna19l 07.08.2007 20:18
great review, will remember youe comments if im ever tempted to change to them :-)
Jun 2nd, 2007
(Aug 2nd, 2007)
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