British Gas Meter confusion

[Sillyboots]

I am hoping for some advice regarding british gas and their debt collector / investigation company LCS.

 

I moved in to my flat in late december and changed my gas and electricity supply, when i recieved the closing gas bill I noticed that the meter i was billed for was not my meter number and is in fact the flat below.

 

Initially BG seemed to accept the error and said they woiuld resolve the issue, I heard nothing for weeks then recieved a demand for payment from LCS, so again i contacted BG who again assured me it would be resolved. LCS sent a utility investigation letter, to which i replied, however they sent me a letter concluding the outcome of their investigation dated the day before my response, and again demanding payment.

 

British Gas seem to be fobbing me off on the phone and just sending automated responses to e-mails, and LCS are not replying to my queries at all just sending standard letters.

 

I am at a loss as to what to do now, as the letters are in my name and therfore appearing on my credit rating, and nothing I say seems to work. In addittion previous tenants must not have realised this issue and have been paying the bills, and BG is using this as justification, can they do this? It is just luck that i work in housing so i always check the meter numbers!

 

In contrast my new energy supplier had the same meter issue (the flats are relatively new and it seems to be a simple registration issue) and are resolving the issue very efficiently. The landlord is saying that the utilities are my responsibility ( i dont dispute that) but should they be resolving a meter dispute?

 

Any advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks

[MARTIN3030]

British Gas are not known for their good customer services.

Firstly,you should be keeping everything in writing.

If BG have instructed debt recovery and you have advised that there is no monies payable,then this is tantamount to harassment.

If this is also affecting your credit standing,then there is also unfair business practices,and also Data protection issues.

You need to have a good paper trial to escalate action.

I suggest writing to BG outlining the situation and whats happened,and give them 14 days to respond.

Make it clear that you will be seeking recourse if they fail,through the regulators,and if needs be,the County Court.

State that you will hold BG accountable for the actions of LCS since they are instructing them,so are a party to it..

Secondly,you should write to LCS and demand that they suspend any further action,given that the account is in dispute,and that they have a responsibility to uphold regulatory guidance,and codes of conduct to which they are subscribed.

Ask them to forward you a copy of their complaints procedure.

Send both recorded and keep a copy.

I will post up the addresses.

Edited May 30, 2011 by MARTIN3030

[MARTIN3030]

LCS is a trading name of 1st Locate.

They are registered under the Consumer Credit Act and therefore have a responsibility to uphold Office of Fair Trading guidelines.Send your letter here,addressed to either of the named individuals on their CC licence.

 

Andrew Barclay Darren Alfred Guest

1ST Locate UK LTD

TOWN CENTRE HOUSE, 1ST FLOOR WEST WING, THE MERRION CENTRE, WOODHOUSE LANE, LEEDS, LS2 8LY

[MARTIN3030]

For British Gas send here;

 

British Gas

Lakeside

30 The Causeway

Staines

Middlesex

TW18 3BY

[brokeman]

I am hoping for some advice regarding british gas and their debt collector / investigation company LCS.

 

I moved in to my flat in late december and changed my gas and electricity supply, when i recieved the closing gas bill I noticed that the meter i was billed for was not my meter number and is in fact the flat below.

 

Initially BG seemed to accept the error and said they woiuld resolve the issue, I heard nothing for weeks then recieved a demand for payment from LCS, so again i contacted BG who again assured me it would be resolved. LCS sent a utility investigation letter, to which i replied, however they sent me a letter concluding the outcome of their investigation dated the day before my response, and again demanding payment.

 

British Gas seem to be fobbing me off on the phone and just sending automated responses to e-mails, and LCS are not replying to my queries at all just sending standard letters.

 

I am at a loss as to what to do now, as the letters are in my name and therfore appearing on my credit rating, and nothing I say seems to work. In addittion previous tenants must not have realised this issue and have been paying the bills, and BG is using this as justification, can they do this? It is just luck that i work in housing so i always check the meter numbers!

 

In contrast my new energy supplier had the same meter issue (the flats are relatively new and it seems to be a simple registration issue) and are resolving the issue very efficiently. The landlord is saying that the utilities are my responsibility ( i dont dispute that) but should they be resolving a meter dispute?

 

Any advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

Hi Sillyboots

 

Firstly full disclosure, I am a former BG employee.

 

The issue you raised is a fairly common one especially when dealing with flats/appartments called Cross Metering.

 

When you reported it the matter would have been passed to a senior member of staff for investigation and correction, this can take up to 28 days. Hopefully if they are doing their job properly (doubtful) they would keep in touch with you.

 

When this is all cleared up you should state you wish to raise a CAIS dispute, CAIS is a term used for debt cases. And that a Notice of Correction should be placed on your credit record, it would be wise for you to get a copy of your credit record and check for discrepancies.

 

If you are not happy then get a copy of the BG complaints procedures, pass over the internal complaints (lets face it you have given them every chance) and take up the matter with Consumer Focus.

 

BG are an OK company, the issue you and lots of other customers face and one of the reasons I left is a lot of staff are thick, forget what they learnt in training, too stupid to ask for help and often mis-inform customers and try to cover their asses.

 

Good luck

[Sillyboots]

Hi All,

 

Thank you for the advice, I sent an official complaint in to BG as directed. I recieved a call from a complaints manager who has resolved the issue and by way of compensation has wiped the balance of my correct bill. I could probably have pushed for more cmpensation for phone calls etc but i am just relieved that the situation has been resolved, and by the length of some of the threads I seem to have been relatively lucky!

 

I was indeed Cross metered, something i knew (I work in housing) bt i was having problems getting BG to understand this, and to back up you observations, indeed the whole issue occured as the first two people i spoke too either mis-informed me or added notes to my account but did nothing!!!!!! I suggested to the lady who i spoke with that purhaps they need to invest in some staff training and she seemed to agree.

 

Anyway, thanks you all again.

 

[2Grumpy]

Congratulations on getting this sorted

 

Did you check your credit file to make sure they haven't messed that up too?