Please help - list of common failures

[dave]

Hi all,

 

We all know that all companies cock up - some more than most.

 

I am trying to collate the most common cockups.

 

Please add to this sticky, preferably in a one line statement, the cockups that you have experienced over the years.

 

e.g.

 

DVLA ignored SORN declaration and I was fined.

Company XXX refused to refund me when good were faulty from outset.

 

etc....

 

All will become apparent soon....

 

Thank you.

[Dakota]

Gas supply, corrupt meter records due to Transco, e.g. getting billed for neighbours gas.

[monopoly23]

Vanquis - made a CCA request, they responded by sending me a list of charges they were willing to refund.

 

(don't know if this counts...)

[pelham9]

British Gas

 

Supplied my address but denied this.

 

Sent bills up to warrant for entry to my address for supply to another at a different address. Ignored returned letters marked 'not at this address'. No action taken after letters and phonecalls

 

After 9 months got every thing correct (by this time I had had 5 reference numbers) and then spoilt it all by starting a transfer of my correct account from BG domestic to BG Commercial for no reason whatever and not at my request. The transfer has been marked as erroneous and they say it will not tale place. Want to bet?

 

For seven months sent accounts to my address for supply at a different address. Ignored all letters. Phone calls -'this will be sorted and we will ring back', Not sorted. no ring back.

[lolly371]

British Gas- over a years worth of estimated bills. Every time I phoned them with an actual reading they disregarded it as it was too different from their estimate so they presumed I couldn't read my meter properly. End result- £500 debt.

[able mable]

August 2006 returned from holiday to a £2100 gas bill. British gas said it was for gas used over the direct debit estimated amount.

Numerous phone calls later was assured the metre must be broken.

Appoints made BG failed to keep all three. I earn slightly more than £20 a day even as a nurse.

October 2007 new bill £2.900 go to energy watch who organise my metre change. Two weeks later new bill £2300 BG say that they have estimated my previous gas consumption the original metre reading was correct and I have to pay the bill and that they have reduced this final bill by £3000.

You know the rest threatenig letters etc. I'm now taking my case to the ombudsman.

BG without my permission stopped the direct debit payments last year so to add insult to injury I didn't realise that last years consumption wasn't being paid for at all.

When we switched to direct debit we were assured that all estimates were based on previous consumtion.

I'm claiming breech of contract. Previously we have never had a debt and have always paid our bills on time. Thanks to BG we are now in debt

I would like to know what is the average gas bill for a 4 bedroomed house with 5 people.

[MARTIN3030]

Mable did you not go back to Energy watch and tell them you did not consider it resolved?

I think you will find them maintaining support.

I had a very similar problem.

[polygram]

British Gas- over a years worth of estimated bills. Every time I phoned them with an actual reading they disregarded it as it was too different from their estimate so they presumed I couldn't read my meter properly. End result- £500 debt.

 

Yes same problem with EDF Energy. Thye ignored actual readings I gave them. Then changed the meter and came up with a ridiculous bill.

[sazz]

Scottish Gas - Estimated bills also, Cross-metered with 3 different neighbours, 5 gas accounts in my name, one electricity account (never had elec with Scottish Gas EVER!), repayment scheme fraudulently set up which was obviously cancelled due to my non-payment, no investigation raised when told one had been, could go on lol.

 

Result? £400 odd bill that's not mine and am now writing a stern letter....

 

You notice I am only ever around when it's holiday time from uni? hehehe

[ozzywizard]

None calibration of electric token prepayment meters.

[watccoe75]

Npower trying to charge me for the difference between the final reading of the card meter and the initial reading of the credit meter (approx 2000 units = £450) after meter change.

[mfpa]

TV licensing keep returning my agreed monthly payments and writing to say I have no TV licence. Enquiry officer visited, issued a caution and told me to contact them about a licence!

[notaveryhappybunny]

BG - debt collectors letter for money I don't owe them from previous address. Unable to take direct debit payments for 2 years and apply to account properly, unable to close account off properly, unable to contact me even although I am a customer of theirs, sending info to debt collector when I have no debt to them should I stop or keep going!!!

[watccoe75]

Southern Electric have taken over my gas supply without my permission.

[Enoughs Enough]

2 years ago we were receiving bills for two different meters as s/e couldnt work out which one was ours. Stupidly i was paying both as i assumed one was electric and one was gas. One particular bill came in which was for Around £200 which i paid and the next day another bill came in for around the same amount, whilst on the phone i realized that i had been paying somebody elses bill. which was stopped however 8 months later a threatening letter and a bill for around £1000.00 arrived for bills that have not been paid. Again i sorted this on the phone and a week later an official turned up at the door demanding money. This caused lots of hassle going through receipts checking meters phonecalls etc. I was then told it wouldnt happen again, (except for the next 5 times.) Anyway this was 16 months ago. Today 17th march 2008 i came home from work to a sarcastic official stood on my doorstep who told me i now owe £2000.00 in unpaid bills, i didnt know whether to laugh or cry. Anyway thanks for reading my rant and i would like to finish by saying i very strongly suggest that if you are with southern electric to change immediately as not only are they the most expensive but put simply the most stressful, annoying, least helpful, most useless utility company there is.;-)

[noggsy]

Here is a classic I recently came across :-

The man in the North East who had a Electric Pre-Payment Meter fitted in his house, trouble was it was supplying his kidney dyalisis machine... how do I know... I was asked to investigate (as you can imaging the **** hit the fan)

[Enoughs Enough]

Dont get it.

[kennythecelt]

Hi Enoughs enough:)

 

the electric power could have gone off once the credit was used.

That would have switched the dyalisis machine off, which he obviously depends on. He could not get out to top up his card, given his medical situation.

 

Hope that explains, best regards, Kenny:)

[Enoughs Enough]

Ooops, of course. Feel a bit silly now.

[kennythecelt]

No please don't feel that way, done the same thing myself.

 

This community is all about helping folk out and sharing what information we know. If we don't know it, there will be others who can help. So enjoy your time in CAG!!

 

Not many people have pre payment meters so unless you know of them, it would not mean anything.

 

Cheers and good luck!!

 

Kenny

[Mr Rhodes]

E-On (formerly Powergen) reading my meter regularly for 2 years but ignoring their own contractors reading because they did not agree to their system estimates.

 

They sent me bills each quarter which I paid but end result was £900+ of debt which has taken nearly 12 months to pay off.

 

Oh yeah and they refuse to accept any responsibility!!!

 

It could have been much worse, so I am luck really.

 

My advice - always always check your bills against your meter reading

[stardust_john]

EON are also annoying for accepting readings over the phone to correct estimated reading and then on next bill no mention of it!!! So shown in credit when I know its wrong.

[stanroyal]

British Gas - and BG Electric. Final bills did not include 2 Direct Debit payments. I disputed the bill by phone, email and letter. Nothing happened. Each debt referred to different debt agency. Provided evidence to debt agency who agreed with me and passed it back to BG. Received a reply saying that I didn't pay 2 extra payments but that they "PRE-CREDITED" their direct debits. They are in a different time/space/warp and they pay your money in BEFORE you pay it them, therefore my account was correct !!!! I said that was a load of nonsense but as a year had passed and I had been involved in a lot of harrasment and administration I would pay them half and the £35 would go towards my admin costs (they asked for a copies of of my cheques etc and copies of letters).

 

Heard nothing back for another year and then suddenly have TWO defaults each for £35 on my credit reference. Am just starting to work out the best way to get them removed. (Any help please !!)

[blind-as-a-bat]

Powergen/EON cant set a Pre payment meter with the correct KWph/standing charge rate, they did it two years ago resulting in a £350 bill once they finaly got someone out to read it, got that written of, and the meter sorted but they changed the meter for the newer key types last october, just found out its somehow been set wrong, so now owe £180:mad: strange thing is it was right when it was fitted, i made sure of that, but its now set to a pence per unit rate we have never been on

 

Guess who will be geting shouted at tommorrow:-x

[jimmylesaint]

Three Valleys Water billing and expecting i pay 1and a half years in advance!