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British Gas Business v Tonka 99


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Hello all

 

This is an ongoing dispute from May last year .

We have a Business which we moved into on 1st Feb 07

Had another Business before but a larger site and found

BGB ok so we thought ok we will continue with them .

 

Things were fine for about three months then the monthly

statements came in getting higher each month going from

roughly between £350.00to £400.00 per month then in May

they jumped up to £523.00 well i called BG and asked why

only to be fobbed of with its because you have used more units

well ok how can we, we have the same opening hours use the

same lights cooking ect its not possible.

Well we have whats called a Smart meter which does not need

anyone to check as its read by BG from supply end.

well June and July came and went more calls to our BG business

manager still the same reply then in August the statement was for

£354.04 so i thought great they have sorted it bearing in mind

im paying by DD every month the next statement was the last

straw. Thats it im not paying that it was for £693.77 so of i went

to the bank and stopped the DD.

Now its Oct on the 9th i received a statement you owe us £693.77

on the 12th Oct another statement You owe us £1812.31 on the

31st Oct you owe us £3775.74:eek:

 

I rang our BG Business manager and asked what was going on she

said she would look into it and call me back , didnt :evil:

 

Two weeks later had a call from her to say that there had been

a mistake on the meter reads the tarriff was the wrong way round

day time should be night time or something :-? i said that this needed

to be put in writing as im confused as to what she meant.

Two weeks went by and heard nothing still had not paid them

then out of the blue came 11 credit notes with no explanation

now three of these did not have our acount number but another

account no which added to the confusion the credits showed a

progressive increase from March to Sept , also that the billing had

started in Nov 06 well we didnt get here untill Feb07, the other thing

is that on the statements were Estimates now if you have a Smart

meter you do not get Estimates .

In Nov we had a choice pay up or be disconnected so it was suggested

that we pay £900.00 a month to include the DEBT well as you can imagine

thats sure a lot off dosh each month for electric anyway Xmas came and

went , in Jan 08 we could not find the £900.00 to pay the DD so bank

charges £35.00 three days later they tried again Another £35.00 bank

charge then the next week again another £35.00 bank charge well thats

it so i stopped the DD .

Had a letter from BGB to say you have not paid ect , so at my wits end

went to the CAB who where great they contacted our BG bm and wrote

a letter to them looking for some explanations as to how the so called

debt came about , the reply came back this is how it is this is all units

used and a DD needs to be set up again to repay well got no where

really and still paying of the said debt , after finding this site which

has been a lifesaver for me thanks to all the support help and kind people

on here , decided to S.A.R - (Subject Access Request) BGB well off it went back in April , had a letter

from them last week saying we need some ID from u well they used up

25 days to tell me that , i have been following another thread by chris77

soz chris forgot your handle , he has been having same problem with his

SAR and recieved much the same reply asking for ID he wrote a great

letter on his thread which i tweaked a bit sent off with all the ID needed

Well its for my husband as the account is in his name anyway sent it

SD on thursday got mine back on Sat SD however as always with BG

they havent sent one statement no reads no tarriffs only a computor

readout of transations which is as clear as mud to me, so im going to

send a letter of non compliance now they have only a few days left.

soz this has been so long drawn out i am having no luck with these

people and could do with some advice

 

very many thanks to all who have read this

 

Cheers T99

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Hi Tonka,

 

Clearly this'll take time to sort properly.

 

However, as eack week and month passes, the debt will continue to grow while you're NOT paying it monthly.

 

So why not make some sort of monthly payment by cheque so at least the debt is not escalating because of the delay in getting the overall problem sorted. Pay something every month by cheque in the meantime.

 

Otherwise, out of the blue, they'll be round to disconnect.

 

Because of the probs you've had with this so far, I'd insist on a manager coming out to see you to get it sorted once and for all.

We could do with some help from you

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Hi Slick

 

soz i dont seem to have made myself clear , am now paying

£960.00 a month have been since Feb so the debt so called

is being paid ,my a point is that i dont belive that we owe it

in the 1st place

 

thanks for your help

T99

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just in case, make sure the serial number on your meter matches the one on the bills EXACTLY. Any discrepancy and its not your bill. Ask Enerywatch to check it on the central register also - my meter number was registered at 2 different addresses - potentially double bills!

 

If they take the readings at supply end this is entirely possible - and especially if other account no's started appearing. please have a check.

And good luck, they really are beyond belief

 

Just in case!

Dipply75

 

I am in no way a legal advisor and only speak from my own experiences and the helpful advice of those in the same boat! :p

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Hi Tonka,

 

Glad to hear your paying money each month, but that's a hell of a whack !!

 

I'd still try and get a manager out to resolve it quickly.

 

Have you looked at changing suppliers, or at least threatened BGB with it.

We could do with some help from you

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Hello Slick

 

We are in a bound contract well thats what they told me for

three years .

 

Regarding the SAR not giving me what info i feel i need ie

Full amount of monthly statements

The tarriffs for each differant meter .

The contract details as we have never signed any thing

it was done over the telephone , in the bumf they have

sent so far there is no mention of the origanal phone call

surely these things should all be included .

I think i will write and ask for what i need and say the clock

is ticking .

Regarding asking for a Manager to come here well seeing as we

have never had anyone from BG here never i dont think thats

very likly :rolleyes:

 

any way will write letter of non complince now

 

cheers for your help T99

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Presumably, the SAR should disclose details of the terms of the contract.

 

In any event, if they fail to provide you with a decent level of service, you could break the contract on the basis of their failure.

 

Perhaps I'm being optimistic about a manager coming out to see you, but you could insist someone in authority or senior ensures the problems are resolved swiftly (in an ideal world). ;)

We could do with some help from you

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Hi Slick

just finished the letter to them with what I am looking for

from them .

I have a file so thick from them with statements letters ect

so I know they have all the info they do not want to supply

it because there has been a mix up .

the person we bought from went bankrupt so me thinks that

we are having to pay off his arrears now i know they will deny

that but just looked at the last guys tarriff it was weekday unit 8.440

now ours is 12.280:o

night unit for him 5.130 for us 6.300

eve & weekend for him 8.240 for us 10.120:eek:

will fight till the death on this as we are not to blame for there mistakes

there has been lots more problems over the time but to many to list

and as i have so many things on the go at the moment could really

do without BGB .

when i get all the info back THEN i shall make a formal complaint to

who ever will listen to me .

 

thanks for your support

cheers T99

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Tonka,

 

Just wondering if the difference between your tariff and that of previous occupant may be explained because of the huge rises in the price of gas, particulary over the last year or two.

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Hi Tonka,

 

Aha, LOL !!

 

So are you saying the unit rate per KWh rose when you took over.

 

Well, if this didn't coincide with a general rise for all customers, you should ask for an explanation about it.

We could do with some help from you

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Hello Slick

 

Yes im just waiting for all the info to come back then look out

will of course need some expert help :p

Have sent speical delivery today letter of non complince with

what i really would like them to produce for me , have also said

they have only got seven days left:eek:

 

thanks for stopping by

cheers T99

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello all

 

UPDATE

 

Have received all the other info i asked for in my non complience

letter , in with this it was said that the contract details would be

requested and sent on .

have today received this from them

 

Photobucket

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn99/sexeysarms/bgbexwarranty.jpg

 

Now check the date of the letter 02 june 2008

 

Welcome to British Gas Business in short ; your Electricity supply

has been successfully transferred to British Gas business.:confused:

 

 

Next : Extended Agreement for supply of Gas or Electricity or both

 

check out the tarrifs

Standing charge 203.61 p/day:eek:

 

eve & w/end unit charge 10.12 p/kWh

night unit charge 6.3 p/kWh

weekday charge 12.28 p/kWh

 

at the bottem of the page ; Accepted for and on behalf of the

customer ; Signature as agreed by phone

 

This is not funny anymore we are having to pay £960.00 by D/D:eek:

every month for something we do not owe .

 

Any one know what we can do im at my wits end and trying to find

all this money evry month is a nightmare .

 

thanks for looking

 

T99

 

 

.

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Hi Tonka, am gobsmacked. How can they justify any of this??? Have you spoken to the Energy Ombudsman yet? I have not found anything saying they cannot deal with business accounts also. Will put their link on just in case, they do have powers to kick BG's butt.

 

Are BG saying you are not allowed to put the account in dispute? Surely they must follow a legal procedure for business, as for anyone else, before they can take any action. If you could just get it legally in dispute it would take the immediate money pressure off while you fight them.

 

Energy Ombudsman Service : What We Do

 

Read some of their case reviews, they do come through for people.

 

Seriously, wish I could help, rooting for you, good luck.

Dipply75

 

I am in no way a legal advisor and only speak from my own experiences and the helpful advice of those in the same boat! :p

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Hi Tonka,

 

The standing charge of £2.04/day doesn't sound huge to me, ie just over £60/month. I see you " :eek:'d " about it so do you think thats too high.

 

How do the tariffs and standing chge compare to other providers.

 

Have you yet got a break-down of the monthly or quarterly readings so you can tally them to your opening and your present readings.

We could do with some help from you

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Hello all

 

MY big thing with BGB is they will not listen to what I say

they just keep saying the same thing .

How if we have paid every month then missed one because

I stopped the DD so they would talk to me could we in a space

of 16 days owe £3775.00.

We have as i say got a Smart Meter it is impossible to read it

the digets keep flashing from one figure to another , reading through

some of the notes that came back from the SAR it seems that when

I complained about the readings they on the 20.07.07 say they advised

customer of O/S Balance and how to read meter DID NOT:mad:

paid DD in August canceled the Sept one there is no where in the Data

they have sent me the three letters received in Oct .

On the notes its says that on the 16th Oct "have rang Smart Metering

and they have said that the rates have been mixed up so xxxxx said he

will take a look into it and rebill"

16th Oct again "xxxx spoke to Data Collector regarding reads, they have

withdrawn all previous reads as Unvalidated. Reads used on Oct invoice

are correct and invoice stands". Now that invoice was for £551.15 so no

problem its proably about right as it was a five week month , all the other

invoices are around that mark from then on and no estimates .

What seems to have happened is that we gave a reading when we got

here we had three invoices for Feb 07 and were on a higher rate 13.5.

Now if we go back to when the new smart meter was fitted on 17.00.06

it was zero rated we have been sent the invoices for nov06 though to jan07 we didnt get here until 30.01.07

Also noticed on the notes that Mex Meter exchange on the 20.07.07

AMR-Smart Meter on the 17.07.07 now if that is not confusing tell me

why the dials or digets did not go back to zero.

 

from notes again ; created one Large invoice from mex to date as customer did not understand invoice as per acc managers requst .

on 19th Oct

Again from the notes nothing entered untill 07.03.07 mover ref change

of ownership on the 9th march first and final invoice sent , on the 16th

march processed sale elec bkdt to 30.01.07 new invoice sent.

 

I am going to add up all the moneys paid to them , will write to the complaints dept .

When we got here the business was very run down so cant take one year

against the other im ok with the readings now ,the tarrifs are very high

have checked wiith other companys cant see why we should be charged

from 8.440p/kWh to 12.280p/kWh in one day icon9.gif

 

 

Anyway rant over its just that £960.00 is not easy to find and we cant

pay others and them :(

 

thanks for looking in

 

Cheers T99

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Hi Tonka, still following your thread with interest and wishing you the best of luck with these cowboys.

 

Unfortunately, if you're considering contacting the Energy Ombudsman as suggested earlier by Dipply75, I'm afraid it might fall on deaf ears :( This is taken from the FAQ on their website:

 

Who can use the service?

Household customers whose energy providers are members of the Energy Ombudsman service. The service is not currently available to industrial or small business customers.

 

Sorry, not the best news :| You might want to consider looking at the Billing Code to see if they've complied with the requirements here, although again I'm not sure that this applies to business customers as this only covers energy supplied to domestic premises. You can find information relating to the billing code at The Energy Retail Association

 

Cheers

 

Chris

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Oh, sorry Tonka, I really hoped they could help you. Can they maybe point you in the right direction? Will your only option be court action?

 

Thanks for pointing that out Chris, my bad! :o

Dipply75

 

I am in no way a legal advisor and only speak from my own experiences and the helpful advice of those in the same boat! :p

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I must admit to suggesting the same in another thread Dipply and it was only when I recently received a pack from the Ombudsman relating to my own complaint against BG that I noticed they only dealt with domestic customers.

 

Still, keep fighting the good fight Tonka and if 've got a valid claim and are willing to take it all the way then court may be the best (only) option available after you've exhausted BG's complaints procedures.

 

Good luck

 

Chris

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  • 2 months later...

Hello all

 

Update for this one

 

Had a phone call yesterday from credit contol at BGB my

hubby took the call as i was out ,demanding £960.00 now

or we will be disconnected we dont have that money at

the moment and hubby explained that I would call them

today to sort out payment .

I have been waiting for August invoice to compare year

for year the readings and called our Stocktaker today to

confirm readings taken on change over Feb 07 he did say

that he recorded them as (1) (2) (3) but didnt know which

was what tariff we have Night unit -Weekday unit -Eve weekend

unit Standing charge Climate Change Levy, I gave the readings

to BGB as what i thought was right however dont really know:rolleyes:

 

Anyway I called BGB today and got a really nice Guy who listened

to me and I explained that I didnt really know where to start as

this has been going on for so long and im really stressed out about

the idea of being disconnected , told him I had over one hundred

sheets of paper on this account and had already got the Data back

from them to which I pointed some of the worst bits out , the guy

was great first he said that we dont need such a big meter which

would cut down the standing charge he did say that our tariffs at

the moment where good as this prices had shot up over the last few

months , he is going to go back over the statements and find out

what has happened and rebill us well last time they did this we ended

up nearly Four grand in debt :eek: I did point to one month when we

were billed 9800 units on our daytime tarrif which when you consider

we on average use around 1500 a month seemed a bit excessive .

The upshot is he has taken my Email and is going to advise me

tomorrow what he has come up with ,he did say that he thought

we have had a rough deal with BGB .

 

The saga will be continued

 

Thanks for looking in

T99

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Lets hope that, finally, someone with some common sense can bring this epic drama to a close.............:)

We could do with some help from you

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