British Gas - Surely they can't do this? Help!

[Bollie 10]

I'm fuming - so this might sound like a rant.

 

Long story short: British Gas have just told me my monthly payments for Gas and electric is going up from £135 (which was through the roof anyway!) to £199 per month!!!! (end terrace before you ask if I live in a mansion)

 

The guy on the phone said 'the only advice I can give you is that there are lots of 'deals' on our website loads cheaper than what you're on'

 

Me: 'Well why aren't I on one of them then?'

 

Him: 'You have to do it yourself on-line'

 

Me: 'But I set it up online. It was the best deal going. It was called Websaver

 

Him: 'You haven't been on that deal since August 2010

 

Me: 'what?...'

 

Him: 'An email was sent to you telling you that that deal was ending'.

 

(Quick check of my emails - i save everything) I told him I didn't receive one one. All this time I thought I was on a web deal!!

 

I asked him to produce the email. He couldn't. I asked him to send me copy of this 'taped' conversation before I go to OFGEM. He couldn't. I asked him to give me his manager's name. He couldn't (well actually he could, but he couldn't remember her sir name!)

 

He told me sorry you didn't received it but, hey-ho, your payments are still going up.

 

I want them to back-date my account and re-calculate my payments. They might even owe ME money! Am I being unreasonable?

 

Where do I stand?

 

I feel a bit sorry for him now i've calmed down, I kind of ripped him a new one.

 

What do you lot reckon?

[watchcoll 10]

get on Uswitch, and vote with your feet. loyalty doesn't count for anything with these types of companies.

[truman 10]

Have you had any bills from them since August 2010? When you started the websaver tarriff was it for a limited time?

[muckymurphy 10]

I'm fuming - so this might sound like a rant.

 

Long story short: British Gas have just told me my monthly payments for Gas and electric is going up from £135 (which was through the roof anyway!) to £199 per month!!!! (end terrace before you ask if I live in a mansion)

 

The guy on the phone said 'the only advice I can give you is that there are lots of 'deals' on our website loads cheaper than what you're on'

 

Me: 'Well why aren't I on one of them then?'

 

Him: 'You have to do it yourself on-line'

 

Me: 'But I set it up online. It was the best deal going. It was called Websaver

 

Him: 'You haven't been on that deal since August 2010

 

Me: 'what?...'

 

Him: 'An email was sent to you telling you that that deal was ending'.

 

(Quick check of my emails - i save everything) I told him I didn't receive one one. All this time I thought I was on a web deal!!

 

I asked him to produce the email. He couldn't. I asked him to send me copy of this 'taped' conversation before I go to OFGEM. He couldn't. I asked him to give me his manager's name. He couldn't (well actually he could, but he couldn't remember her sir name!)

 

He told me sorry you didn't received it but, hey-ho, your payments are still going up.

 

I want them to back-date my account and re-calculate my payments. They might even owe ME money! Am I being unreasonable?

 

Where do I stand?

 

I feel a bit sorry for him now i've calmed down, I kind of ripped him a new one.

 

What do you lot reckon?

 

ring back and insist on being put through to complaints.

take it up with them.

[Bollie 10]

Have you had any bills from them since August 2010? When you started the websaver tarriff was it for a limited time?

 

I've always paid by direct debit. The payments have been gradually rising but I always put it down to using too much.

 

This last hike really got me angry because I haven't (like everyone) used the heating for most of the year and gas it the main cause of the increase! I haven't b****y used any... and what I have used, i've obviously been paying through the nose for!

 

As for time limits... none of my paperwork says anything about it. I assumed they'd notify me when It was time to change/when the contract was up.

[Complete-Heat 10]

Look for a cheaper deal and then switch. I think that there are going to be loads of customers in for a shock over the next few weeks. The majority of the deals have now finished and the average 20% increase announced by all the gas companies have been put in place. It seems that the billing section has just added this increase to your direct debit. Most companies will now guage your bill on how much gas they expect you to use over the year (so yes u are paying for gas not yet used)

 

Just before the price hikes EDF had a really great fixed deal until 2014 but that offer was soon used up. As advised try a comparison site like uswitch and u will get a better deal than BG

[shadow 10]

You can't really expect them to back date your account just because you insist you never received an email from them. I know it's frustrating, but it all sounds very 'he said she said' and I doubt you'll get far with Ofgem with this. Basically you can't prove you never received the notice and they can't prove they sent it, but it's most likely that they did.

 

Ultimately it's your responsibility to keep an eye on these things, so when a bill comes, actually read through it to check the details. You say your payments were gradually rising, so most people would have been checking to see why rather than assume they were just using more. It only takes a few minutes to check your account.

 

I'm surprised they didn't inform you via letter that the websaver was ending, other suppliers do it that way. But was there nothing in your online account indicating what package you were on? Did you ever check what the current unit prices were that you were paying? Is that possible from your online account? Did they not tell you the plan end date when you originally signed up?

 

Of course, giving grief to a random customer service rep rarely works out too well. Better to be ultra-polite and they tend to bend over backwards for you.

 

Anyway, if you say you haven't used much anyway, I reckon now's the time to head over to energyhelpline.com and switch - chalk it up and make sure in the future you make a point of always spending 10 minutes checking your bill each quarter.

[gingerlou 10]

http://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/ppc-rev/dual-fuel/?ref=ppcgoogle~gen~3047663&gclid=CMjUr6XCp6wCFYEZ4QodPWUoAA

 

get it changed, click on the link above, it's easy, we've changed a lot over the last few years, large 3 bed semi out direct debits are £60 with EDF plus we got £100 credit, changed to them last christmas.

[Krush 10]

I was on the websaver plan, and DID get the email, although by my recollection probably wasnt titled well enought to warrant a second look (I must have been bored at work enough so that i actually saw it)

I am still with them on a websaver deal (with a £30 a service buy out clause), but found using uswitch that EON were cheaper.

The good thing about BG is that you can get your annual usage figures and use these in Uswitch to calculate a new price.

 

Like others have said, vote with your feet - I know i will when the contact on my current web saver ends!!!!!!

[theripsaw 10]

http://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/ppc-rev/dual-fuel/?ref=ppcgoogle~gen~3047663&gclid=CMjUr6XCp6wCFYEZ4QodPWUoAA

 

get it changed, click on the link above, it's easy, we've changed a lot over the last few years, large 3 bed semi out direct debits are £60 with EDF plus we got £100 credit, changed to them last christmas.

 

I think im on the same deal. The credit is paid this december if i understand correctly. I recently got a letter telling me that in the new year im put back onto their standard tarrif (about a 30% cost increase although the way they describe it- unit price rises from 9p to 12p would make some people think ahhh its just a few pence!). Im hoping that my £100 credit isnt voided if I switch straight after i get it- ie, will they pay it into my bank account, or does it stand as a credit on their books and I'll only benefit from it if I stay (on their expensive standard tarrif that they are switching on to)..hmmmm

[RJRB 688]

Just changed from British Gas at the end of my last deal to a supposedly better deal with Scottish Power.

I was notified that my deal was coming to an end and that unless they heard otherwise I would be switched to a "standard tariff"

This is the bit that annoys me.Having had experience of my consumption for the last 2 years,why don't they recommend the best deal available to me.

I know the answer is that they all rely on inertia to catch a proportion of customers out,which seems to be what happened to the OP.

Over the last 5 years I have had 3 different suppliers but you do have to keep an eye on them as all their information is designed to deceive.

The watchdogs keep talking about a simpler pricing structure but it never happens.

[Mecky 10]

I would never use BG again at any cost, even if they paid me to be a customer. I would advise everyone else to do the same.