British Gas Debt There Errors

[scu11y69]

Hi

 

on the 3/4/13 i went onto a payment meter

 

i owed £115.22 which i was told would be added to the new meter as a debt

and collected at £6 PW but actuly only £75.22 was added

(only found all this out today after another phone call)

 

i begain paying my gas on the card as normal topping up over the weeks months

 

now 15months after this im messing around with the meter

press the button and it tells me i still owe £57.35

 

i phone and say whats going on

to be told we very sorry we have been chargeing £6 weekly for a debt

and you have actuly over paid by £244.76

we are sorry we will send you a cheque out and send an engineer to fix the meter.

 

at this point i had £39 credit on the meter

 

the engineer turns up as planned

i explain what happened and

he says no problem il fix it

 

resets the meter and my credits wiped out

they cant put it back

surprise

 

now im 40quid down

 

im on the phone the engineer

then tells me your going to have a nightmare.

 

they send me to a vender to collect a new card and reinburse me my 40credit

 

when i get to the shop they sent me to it dont even sell gas

 

back on the phone

 

they give me a rti code to give a different shop

 

i drive there surprise the code isnt valid

 

another code

another agent who tell me i dont know why they give you that code

il send you a new card out and a message to the shop.

 

card turns up 2days later puts it in the meter and its refused

 

phones back up told to get a card from another shop this card regestired ok

 

phone back asks for my 40 credit

im told i have to top up 5x b4 it goes on even though they owe me i have to top up

 

back to the shop

tops up 5x

still no credit

 

phones back told to top up every day

which ive done for 5 days now

 

today after still not getting my money back

i phone back and explain it all again and

ask to just speak to a supervisor as ive had enough of driving from shop to shop

and not getting nowhere

 

after 35mins of ask to be put thru to the supervisor

the agents arguing

 

they finally tell me someone will phone me back.

 

2hrs later and they phone back

 

i tell the supervisor whats happened and hes very helpfull and

tells me i should get it on my next top up

 

ok im happy with that

 

i ask him to confirm my cheques been sent out what cheque!!!

 

he looks

ok heres the tricky bit

 

im now told from last year they added only £75.22

we dont know why we done this

 

i continued to make payments and then after 5months even though the debt was £49 short

they credited me £238.06

 

they also dont know why they did this

 

i still continue topping up

 

now i have no credit and i owe them £114

only £2 under the original debt after 15months

 

its their errors that they made not mine

 

surly as its there error

it should go in my favour should it not????

 

i think they should write the debt off for all the running around and their errors

 

any input where i stand please

[Bazooka Boo]

Any chance you can edit your post and put it in paragraphs? Or are you typing it on your phone??

 

Have you begun their complaints procedure?

 

I would also get in touch with the energy ombudsman too.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi a Formal Complaint to the CEO is the way forward here:

 

List the sorry tale of events/incompetence and TELL them what you require them to do.

 

I would suggest telling them you want the original under payment written off, your credit restored

plus a generous payment for the time trouble and cost of trying to sort their mess out.

[Bazooka Boo]

Agreed, and then vote with your feet...

[scu11y69]

thanks for the replys after a bit of searching i come up with ceowebsite but found out he left last month so im gana use this one instead britishgas complaintswebsite but was wondering my wording and spelling aint that great if i put my story details in could someone rewrite it as a complaint please

many thanks

 

Hi a Formal Complaint to the CEO is the way forward here:

 

List the sorry tale of events/incompetence and TELL them what you require them to do.

 

I would suggest telling them you want the original under payment written off, your credit restored

plus a generous payment for the time trouble and cost of trying to sort their mess out.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

thanks for the replys after a bit of searching i come up with ceowebsite but found out he left last month so im gana use this one instead britishgas complaintswebsite but was wondering my wording and spelling aint that great if i put my story details in could someone rewrite it as a complaint please

many thanks

 

 

I will happily do that for you.

[scu11y69]

thanks BRIGADIER2JCS il have to post it here as i cant pm you (

 

Hi mate thanks for taking the time and helping me il add an account of events and you can put it in tecnical terms with correct and polite wording

 

ok when i had my meter installed on the 3/4/13 i was aware i owed them £75.22 and told it will be £6 pw for debt and acept this i top up every week or 2 weeks when ever i got paid and there taking £6 for there debt

 

on the 30 june2014 15 months later i see i still owed them £57 i phoned to query the balance

 

1st call was with a agent call jay who looked at my account and told me there was a issuse with the meter and id over paid by £244.76 and told me id be refunded the £244.76 via a check within 28days and an engineer would arrive on the 2nd july to fix the meter and not to use my gas card anymore.

 

2nd july engineer turns up takes readings and resets meter my balance was £39.37p the balance goes to zero i ask him to put my balance back on and he says he cant he was just told its a new install and he cant do nothink to get my credit back i tell him to hang around while i phone British gas he says ok

 

2nd july ,2nd phone call i explain the engineer is here and hes reset the meter but it took my credit off the agent tells me not to worry i can go pick up a a new card and the credit will be on it (the engineer tells me this is going to be a night mare and il be going back and for all day as they leave digits off the codes they give out hes seen this b4 ) also ive been put on emergency credit that i have to pay back

 

i drive to the shop i was told to i tell the shop i need a card and have a code shop keeper tells me sorry mate i dont even sell gas here lol dont even sell gas

 

2nd july phones back and explains they dont sell gas they asked where i noraly top up i say he post office and told to go there so i drive there they dont have any cards and dont know nothink about codes.

 

i then drive to an other shop and get a card i tell them the codes and they try to credit it its an invalid code and void rti code

 

2nd july phones back again and get another agent explain the whole thing again about codes not working wrong shops etc im told they will send me a card out with credit on

 

2days later card turns up i put it in the meter and it refuses to register i phone back yet again to explain the card dont work and im still on emergency credit and i have small children and a newborn baby who needs hot water for baths etc im told the credit is at the shop waiting for me as they just checked there system its there but i still need a card. i tell them a shop wear i got a card from and the shop is not on the system as selling gas and they contact the shop by phone to credit an rti code

 

i drive again to another shop and get a new card i put it in my meter and it regesters i phone them back to confirm my card registers and i still want my credit i tell them the shop where i got it and they tell me that im to go to the shop and ask for a zero vend i drive again there and told we cant do zero vends had ive had enough for today and decide to call back in the money

 

next morning anther call i want my credit now and wish to make a complaint for all this running around i say they dont have a clue and i remeber an angets name clair who id recenlt spoke to and was polite and help full they say she ring me back soon and she does i explain i now have a card that works but dont want these codes that no1 knows how to work or use she again confirms the moneys at the post office waiting for me but i need to top up up to 5x b4 it goes on my meter ok thanks for your help i then drive again to the shop i top up 5x around £20 total or so gets home card in meter and nothink phone back again get clair who tells me she sorry but i should top up £1 per day untill i get the money if i dont get it by mondoy to phone back

 

so for the next 4 days i drive to the shop and top up a £1 as told to every time i insert the card in the meter it only shows the top up not the money owed

 

monday comes and its still not gone on after 5 daily top ups

i phone back again and i as expected am a little bit annoyed i explain every think once again and this agent tells me the money is still waiting at the post offices i dont bother arguing i then say can you please confirm my checks been sent out for the refund what refund is this for he asks i then go thru it all again and he tells me that no check has even been sent out and dont know what im on about i tell him to check call logs and records and he confirms i was told a refund was due so i ask please just transfer my call to a supervisor or manager he denys me this request for over 30mins and im starting to shout at him its a simple request please just transfer my call to a manager as clearly you cant do your job properly and are not helping this agent is rude and arguing with me after 40mins on the phone he finaly does transfer me so now im talking to an manager i explain the whole process all again and he logs a 3rd complaint for me on the system and says he will look into it and call me back i say i want a time frame for the call back 1-2hr im told

 

call back is from someone completelty different but a manager i expiain the hassles ive been having and he is very understerstanding and goes all over my account while we talk he tells me about the £75 debt right at the start but says it should have been £115.22 i asked why it wasnt added at start and he said it was there error and he didnt know why he then said they miss calulated the other £49.47 i owed them and credited my account with £238.45 instead on 7/7/13 again he said it was there error and he didnt know why it was done after talling it all up i wasnt gtting my refund as first mentioned and i now owed them a total of £114.78 £2 under the origanal debt 15months ago and he said it would be £6 pw as before and it would be added to my meter once i topped up like the credit should have gone on. all the time he was very polite unlike the others and explained everythink clearly unlike the others i even joked with him that now i owe them money they want it instantly but when they owe a customer they have to go thru what i have he confirmed the funds for me was still at the post office and would be added after top ups as b4 call ended

 

today i go and drive to do my top up thinking like he said the moneys there and get home there no money added and to make matters worse and is quite funny as the debt is added to the meter the same way as there soppose to be crediting me by a message on the top up system

the £114.78 debt was added to my card instanly but the credit owed was not

 

ive again phoned today and got an agent to email the manager to contact me as this is clearly wrong and not what the mangager said would happen he said i would be credited first and ive still not got my credit back or has he called back in total id say ive spent 4-8hrs on the phone and drove 5miles in my car and still not got it sorted

thanks very much for your time and efforts to help me

Edited July 8, 2014 by scu11y69

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi Scully,

 

 

I will draft the letter for you when I get home later today.

 

 

Hi Scully,

How would you like me to proceed now, the £40.00 has been credited still a formal complaint on all that has happened?

[king12345]

I'm in exactly the same identical situation.

I gave them 21 days to refund all overpayments and issue a £150 goodwill cheque for the trouble.

After that I will take it to the ombudsman that apparently charges them £300 for every complaint received (so a supervisor said begging for me not to escalate).

There was a tv program lately showing how they add undue debts to the prepay meters remotely.

God knows how much money they're making by keeping all customers paying £6 week without their knowledge.

I only found out because the meter got stuck and wasn't delivering gas and when the engineer came to reset it he told me about the debt.

They mistreat customers by hiding behind the "british" brand.

Total disgrace!

If I take money off someone without their knowledge I go to jail for fraud, what about them?!?!

How can they possibly take money from people and get away with it?

[scu11y69]

the manager phoned to day while i was a work so my wife took the call and explained how the debt had gone on he said that shouldnt have happen at all but it did he said lets forget about the gas money owed and he would credit my electric metre instead as that works faster hahah went to the shop and the electric key topped up so i got me 40 quid back in the end but on the electric i still want to issuse a complaint as the greif and time i spent to sort this out

check your meter regular people

[Bazooka Boo]

So a victory of sorts then?

 

The way to show them that your not satisfied still will be to vote with your feet and take your custom elsewhere.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

the manager phoned to day while i was a work so my wife took the call and explained how the debt had gone on he said that shouldnt have happen at all but it did he said lets forget about the gas money owed and he would credit my electric metre instead as that works faster hahah went to the shop and the electric key topped up so i got me 40 quid back in the end but on the electric i still want to issuse a complaint as the greif and time i spent to sort this out

check your meter regular people

Hi scully do you still want me to draft the complaint or are you ok to DIY?

[scu11y69]

yes please mate id still like a complaint as it clearly took the mickey what i done on the phone and driving everywhere i know the manager gave me £40 on the electric but heres another thing he said if i get the other £40 i can keep it if not he will personly add it again hahah and i said what do you mean if .youve gareenteed its already still there .also when i spoke to him i said id like to make a complaint and he said hed reopen my old complaits as hed already closed them the other day so why did he close them befor we got a resolution another liberty . he told me that if i email the complaint to the complaints department it would be him that deals with it so yes please mate if you dont mind and got time can you put my words into a complaint that i can mail them

many thanks scully

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

yes please mate id still like a complaint as it clearly took the mickey what i done on the phone and driving everywhere i know the manager gave me £40 on the electric but heres another thing he said if i get the other £40 i can keep it if not he will personly add it again hahah and i said what do you mean if .youve gareenteed its already still there .also when i spoke to him i said id like to make a complaint and he said hed reopen my old complaits as hed already closed them the other day so why did he close them befor we got a resolution another liberty . he told me that if i email the complaint to the complaints department it would be him that deals with it so yes please mate if you dont mind and got time can you put my words into a complaint that i can mail them

many thanks scully

 

On my list for tomorrow scully.

[scu11y69]

Hi mate any joy on that complaint letter?

many thanks scully

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi mate any joy on that complaint letter?

many thanks scully

Trying to put all the "events" and responses in order taking longer to make it all clear and understandable.

[scu11y69]

ok thanks mate you know whats best for these monkeys take ya time. id still like to mention it still aint gone on yet even after there debt went on instant i aint gana waste any more time on the phone im already at exsecutive stress levels lol dont forget to mention that

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

thanks BRIGADIER2JCS il have to post it here as i cant pm you (

 

Hi mate thanks for taking the time and helping me il add an account of events and you can put it in tecnical terms with correct and polite wording

 

ok when i had my meter installed on the 3/4/13 i was aware i owed them £75.22 and told it will be £6 pw for debt and acept this i top up every week or 2 weeks when ever i got paid and there taking £6 for there debt

 

on the 30 june2014 15 months later i see i still owed them £57 i phoned to query the balance

 

1st call was with a agent call jay who looked at my account and told me there was a issuse with the meter and id over paid by £244.76 and told me id be refunded the £244.76 via a check within 28days and an engineer would arrive on the 2nd july to fix the meter and not to use my gas card anymore.

 

2nd july engineer turns up takes readings and resets meter my balance was £39.37p the balance goes to zero i ask him to put my balance back on and he says he cant he was just told its a new install and he cant do nothink to get my credit back i tell him to hang around while i phone British gas he says ok

 

2nd july ,2nd phone call i explain the engineer is here and hes reset the meter but it took my credit off the agent tells me not to worry i can go pick up a a new card and the credit will be on it (the engineer tells me this is going to be a night mare and il be going back and for all day as they leave digits off the codes they give out hes seen this b4 ) also ive been put on emergency credit that i have to pay back

 

i drive to the shop i was told to i tell the shop i need a card and have a code shop keeper tells me sorry mate i dont even sell gas here lol dont even sell gas

 

2nd july phones back and explains they dont sell gas they asked where i noraly top up i say he post office and told to go there so i drive there they dont have any cards and dont know nothink about codes.

 

i then drive to an other shop and get a card i tell them the codes and they try to credit it its an invalid code and void rti code

 

2nd july phones back again and get another agent explain the whole thing again about codes not working wrong shops etc im told they will send me a card out with credit on

 

2days later card turns up i put it in the meter and it refuses to register i phone back yet again to explain the card dont work and im still on emergency credit and i have small children and a newborn baby who needs hot water for baths etc im told the credit is at the shop waiting for me as they just checked there system its there but i still need a card. i tell them a shop wear i got a card from and the shop is not on the system as selling gas and they contact the shop by phone to credit an rti code

 

i drive again to another shop and get a new card i put it in my meter and it regesters i phone them back to confirm my card registers and i still want my credit i tell them the shop where i got it and they tell me that im to go to the shop and ask for a zero vend i drive again there and told we cant do zero vends had ive had enough for today and decide to call back in the money

 

next morning anther call i want my credit now and wish to make a complaint for all this running around i say they dont have a clue and i remeber an angets name clair who id recenlt spoke to and was polite and help full they say she ring me back soon and she does i explain i now have a card that works but dont want these codes that no1 knows how to work or use she again confirms the moneys at the post office waiting for me but i need to top up up to 5x b4 it goes on my meter ok thanks for your help i then drive again to the shop i top up 5x around £20 total or so gets home card in meter and nothink phone back again get clair who tells me she sorry but i should top up £1 per day untill i get the money if i dont get it by mondoy to phone back

 

so for the next 4 days i drive to the shop and top up a £1 as told to every time i insert the card in the meter it only shows the top up not the money owed

 

monday comes and its still not gone on after 5 daily top ups

i phone back again and i as expected am a little bit annoyed i explain every think once again and this agent tells me the money is still waiting at the post offices i dont bother arguing i then say can you please confirm my checks been sent out for the refund what refund is this for he asks i then go thru it all again and he tells me that no check has even been sent out and dont know what im on about i tell him to check call logs and records and he confirms i was told a refund was due so i ask please just transfer my call to a supervisor or manager he denys me this request for over 30mins and im starting to shout at him its a simple request please just transfer my call to a manager as clearly you cant do your job properly and are not helping this agent is rude and arguing with me after 40mins on the phone he finaly does transfer me so now im talking to an manager i explain the whole process all again and he logs a 3rd complaint for me on the system and says he will look into it and call me back i say i want a time frame for the call back 1-2hr im told

 

call back is from someone completelty different but a manager i expiain the hassles ive been having and he is very understerstanding and goes all over my account while we talk he tells me about the £75 debt right at the start but says it should have been £115.22 i asked why it wasnt added at start and he said it was there error and he didnt know why he then said they miss calulated the other £49.47 i owed them and credited my account with £238.45 instead on 7/7/13 again he said it was there error and he didnt know why it was done after talling it all up i wasnt gtting my refund as first mentioned and i now owed them a total of £114.78 £2 under the origanal debt 15months ago and he said it would be £6 pw as before and it would be added to my meter once i topped up like the credit should have gone on. all the time he was very polite unlike the others and explained everythink clearly unlike the others i even joked with him that now i owe them money they want it instantly but when they owe a customer they have to go thru what i have he confirmed the funds for me was still at the post office and would be added after top ups as b4 call ended

 

today i go and drive to do my top up thinking like he said the moneys there and get home there no money added and to make matters worse and is quite funny as the debt is added to the meter the same way as there soppose to be crediting me by a message on the top up system

the £114.78 debt was added to my card instanly but the credit owed was not

 

ive again phoned today and got an agent to email the manager to contact me as this is clearly wrong and not what the mangager said would happen he said i would be credited first and ive still not got my credit back or has he called back in total id say ive spent 4-8hrs on the phone and drove 5miles in my car and still not got it sorted

thanks very much for your time and efforts to help me

 

 

 

The CEO British Gas

 

 

Private & Confidential:

 

 

 

 

Ref: Use BGs Account No.

 

 

Formal Complaint.

Re: Appalling Customer Service.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

British Gas Installed my meter on 03/04/2013 I was aware that I owed an outstanding amount of £75.22 which would be collected at the rate of £6.00 per week via the meter.

 

 

Some 15 months later on 30th June 2014 I discovered I still owed the sum of £57.00.

I telephoned BG and spoke to an operative named Jay who informed me that I had in fact overpaid due to "an issue" with the meter, the sum overpaid was stated to be £244.76 which would be refunded by means of cheque within 28 days and an engineer would attend to the meter on the 2nd. July 2014.

 

 

The engineer attended and reset the meter but could not reset my balance of £39.37 leaving me without a supply and having to go on to "emergency" credit.

 

 

On the same day I phoned BG and was given a code to take to a retailer to get the credit replaced having driven to the retailer I am told that they did not provide the gas service.

 

 

I am then told to travel to a post office, and was provided with another code this again was a complete farce as the PO claimed they knew nothing about codes.

 

 

To cut this long story of British Gas incompetence which still has not finally been resolved to my satisfaction I have spent 5-6 hours on the telephone to BG driven many miles backwards and forward to various retail outlets, been given various useless codes and numerous promises from BG which have all proved meaningless.

 

 

I have a young family to care for and the stress and anxiety has made me ill while dealing with such incompetence this situation continues even now.

I am sure BGs internal records will show the various amounts that have been quoted and I am totally confused as to where I stand.

 

 

The situation is that the ever growing debt has been added to the debt my promised credit has not arrived.

 

 

I would suggest that British Gas should now write off any alleged debt refund the amount promised at least a gesture of goodwill given the situation it has caused.

 

 

OK scully.

 

 

I suggest that you send your own account along with this, it will explain just how much you have suffered.

[scu11y69]

thanks you da man il keep you updated with there responce if i get one

once again thanks for your help

scully

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

thanks you da man il keep you updated with there responce if i get one

once again thanks for your help

scully

I would not expect an immediate response from BG it may well take the full 56 days allowed by a "formal complaint".

[scu11y69]

thanks for the letter i emailed it to the ceo got a phone call within 4 days the took £40 of debt off gave me another £40 got another call to check if it worked and i said i did relly want the debt riton off so they said we will add another £40 credit and take £50 off which they did then said they take another £40 off went and topped up today and they took the whole debt off £80 and gave me another £90 lets hope this is the higher managments way of aplogising land not another error that they will try and take back next year

thanks all for help writing letters and help

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

thanks for the letter i emailed it to the ceo got a phone call within 4 days the took £40 of debt off gave me another £40 got another call to check if it worked and i said i did relly want the debt riton off so they said we will add another £40 credit and take £50 off which they did then said they take another £40 off went and topped up today and they took the whole debt off £80 and gave me another £90 lets hope this is the higher managments way of aplogising land not another error that they will try and take back next year

thanks all for help writing letters and help

 

 

An excellent result I'm pleased for you! " The straight to the top approach" works again!!!