British Gas - I'm fuming

[bram stoker]

So is Seminole. Our first British Gas statement shows 3 payments of £35 totalling £105, against gas actually used (they read the meter) of £91.62, an OVERPAYMENT of £17.98.

You'd think they'd give us a cheque for £17.98 and reduce the payments to £30 a month, well guess what.

We've adjusted your direct debit payments to make sure they cover the cost of the gas you are using. Your new payment is £59.00 a month starting from 1 Jul 2007.

I can't find the words to describe this kind of behaviour.

[comanche]

In the words of the song...

Na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye

[fade in]
Hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye

[Bookworm]

3 words:

Standing Order.

Sorted.

[bram stoker]

Agreed. I'll ask when I call to complain and see if I lose my DD discount. Grrrrrr.

Am ready to kick up big fuss on this before we change suppliers.

[comanche]

DD discount- surely you mean the penalty that we have to pay if we choose to pay by a means that isn't the most efficient for the supplier? And, of course, the penalty is disproportionate to the actual cost.

[bram stoker]

Nice blazing row - she almost put the phone down on me.

First she said she could get it down to £53!!!! I think she was calculating based on previous circumstances I'd had with that company - which were a totally different set of scenarios.

I expressed my anger at the implication that I wouldn't pay my bill when I was being told they like to build up a surplus of credit to cover winter months bills.

Apparently I don't understand their direct debit system. Grrrrrrr. I told her I wanted to decide how much I'd pay each month and will be cancelling my DD and paying by standing order. I asked about the discount.

For BG electric the discounts for paying by DD and SO are the same, but for BG gas, the discount for paying by DD is greater than the discount for paying by SO. I expressed my amazement at their logic in that. Poor woman.

I said forget the SO and the DD. I'd be changing suppliers and the next bill she'd be issuing would be a final one. She's sorry if that's the way I feel but I'll find that all companies operate in a similar manner with the DD scheme. She is very aware now that I will gain back on lost discount through cheaper suppliers bills. I know it's not her fault it's company policy.

Companies that operate in a manner of taking your money in advance of billing because a) they want your money to make money and b) they assume you can't pay heavier bills in winter really really p*** me off. Especially when they state they do it to assist the customer, well it doesn't assist ME.

Whatever happened to the customer being right!!!!!

[bram stoker]

Letter going off to Customer relations this weekend.

[comanche]

As Vamps says British Gas and its ilk do not have the slightest understanding of customer service. Moreover, these penalties for not paying by dd impact the poorest customers the most.

BT is another culprit. They charge £7.50 if you pay your bill two weeks after they say that you should. We're just about to pay our first bill deliberately slightly later than they say that we should. When they charge us the £7.50, they're in for a surprise.

[lorn250]

Complain to the regulator, I did then rang BG and told them I was going to Atlantic which works out much cheaper.

Lorn250

[comanche]

Right British Gas and EDF dumped in favour of a dual fuel deal with Scottish Power. Let's see how long it takes them to cheese us off

[IdaInFife]

It won't take long !!!!!!!!!

Scottish power change my dd every 3 months!!!

They sent me a statement sayng going up £20 per month. Next day getting letter saying@ Yes it's true your energy bills are going down???????????????


I need to go back to school"


Idax

[2Grumpy]

April - June is a fairly light quarter in terms of heating so you should expect payments to be higher than your usage.

With a monthly payment plan I think that its fair to be in credit over the summer and then to be in debit over the winter by the same amount.

Trouble is I think that BG would like you to be in credit in the depths of winter. They need reminding that their crystal ball for estimating usage (they should be experts) is cracked and opaque and quite frankly, wrong in lots of cases.

[emmaf01]

Considering the weather, I'd say that bills won't be that much lower than winter! In fact, if you add in tumble dryer costs in our house, I think our electric will be higher.

I think its the first time I can remember when I've had to have the heating on in late June.

But energy companies are too dumb to look at the weather and figure that into energy consumption...

[ICY]

Glad to see i am not the only one having major problems with the incompetent idiots,BG dont have a clue what they are doing

[Leo1]

I cannot stand utility companies. Today I find out United Untilities had upped my direct debit payment from £12 to £17 and I have absolutely no idea why?

In my last house, we completely gutted the place and whilst we were re-doing it up I received a bill from British Gas for £60-odd quid and we weren't even connected to the gas mains!! A little old lady lived in it before we did and all she has was an electric heater in one room, the house never had gas at all when we got the bill, unbelieveable!!

[RichardM]

Atlantic sent me an estimated gas bill despite having been provided with readings, and tried to put up my direct debit as a result.

Unfortunately for them, I have now found out that they charge the same tariff for online direct debit and quarterly billing.

Guess who'se cancelled his direct debit and gone back to quartlerly billing?

[uriel]

Lol the whole thing with a 'fixed' direct debt is that its the same ammount EVERY month so hell yeah you will build up a substancial credit during the summer.
You use that during the winter months when your gas useage increases threefold.
From my expirence most decent companies (bg excluded) issue credit back once per half year and I get a cheque back from my provider twice a year but I happily continue paying them the same ammount every month.

[ICY]

WE still built up £170 OVER THE WINTER PERIOD dont forget they are earning interest on all this money so it is in their interest to overcharge