British Gas is a pain!!!

shillelagh · 21-12-2006, 22:52

I'm in a bad mood tonight. I tried to pay my gas bill by debit card like usual on Wednesday - automated service got to the end waiting for the payment number and a voice came up with Technical Fault please call back later. Ok tried again later - technical fault again try later, all in all i tried 4 times yesterday to pay the bill. Tried again today got through to a person this time. I said i want to pay my bill and gave my number and name & address. Next she says you are in credit by £94 what says I I cant be i've tried to pay it before but it kept saying technical fault. You paid your bill twice yesterday the girl said. I didnt though because it told me there was a technical fault and so the payment didnt go through. Well it has done because its shows here that you've paid your bill yesterday and in credit! Now I then went through the roof because they'd took 2 payments. I said well then you can cancel one of them payments and credit my bank account - because its your mistake you took 2 payments could you not tell that something has gone wrong? She said i'm sorry we cant do that - we have to send a cheque out and it will take 28 days!!!!!!!! I'm surprised i have any roof left!!! So now i have to wait 28 days to receive my money back which they took by mistake so who gets the interest? This is British Gas by the way and a letter will be going to them as soon as i get round to it.

WillowTheWhisp · 21-12-2006, 22:59

I suppose you could be thankful that they didn't take it 4 times!!!

Why the heck can't they do a cancellation/refund?

I though if they were refunding a debit card payment that it HAD to go to the card account and not be refunded any other way. That's what shops always tell you.

Mind you we are talking about British Gas.

Ianto.W. · 21-12-2006, 23:37

Not only are British Gas inept in all departments, they are the most expensive supplier. My Father used to say the only bad payers are those that pay to soon, and those that never pay, so my advice is let them collect it, and stop doing their job for them, there is little they can do about it.

chav1 · 22-12-2006, 18:25

british gas have left notes at my house practicaly demanding that i be in at a certain time so that they could read my meter

sod off they can visit and keep visiting until they catch me in

another set of incompitants did however catch me in for a different reason worried that an application to move gas providers may have been filled out in my name and sighned by for somone else , apparently its a new scam these people who provide gas are doing

i said well if they have can you thank them please and slammed the door shut

SPUGGIE J · 22-12-2006, 20:18

Chav thats my kind of attitude.

Why the hell should we alter our lives just to suit these people when the service is ballcocks anyway.

Ber999T · 22-12-2006, 21:19

don't forget to ask for interest on the delay for the refund and say that if your bank account dips into charges that you will be taking them to small claims for ALL bank charges that period!!!

Not to sure if it legal but might get them thinking!!!!!

tadah · 23-12-2006, 15:31

Try going to a solicitor or the CAB. Or just leave it as it is and you dont need to pay the next one.

MUMMIBOO · 24-12-2006, 00:52

I cant stand British Gas they have the worst customer service i have ever come across never in my life have i come across such incompetent people it must have took me about a year to rectify the problems with them so i could move company what a palarvar never again even if they were the last gas supplier in the uk!. Grrrrr

steeljack · 24-12-2006, 01:29

Just a dumb question since in my location we only have one supplier for both Gas and Electric ( you can pay more for "green generated electric" if you are daft enough) , When you switch from one supplier to another is your power/gas turned off and then on again ? and your meters read by both companies so you know when the new billing cycle is begining .?
As I said its a dumb question and maybe there is an obivious answer ,
thanks

chav1 · 24-12-2006, 21:15

nope you dont get disconected and reconnected you just pay money to somone else

they all hike up tehri prices eventualy but british gas are the biggest culprits and teh greediest by far

shillelagh · 16-01-2007, 17:18

Just thought i'd give you an update

This morning i received a letter dated 13.01.07 from British Gas saying that 'they have been alerted by our systems that we have received a multiple payment'. Yeah really - i alerted em on the 21.12.06! 'We have credited your debit/credit card and this will show on your next gas bill and bank statement'. So I rang my bank up to find out exactly when it was credited. Guess when it was credited - 27.12.06!

How long does it take to write a letter thats computer generated?

Its took 2 weeks after theyve credited my account to send the letter. Also when i spoke to them the person i spoke to said sorry we cant credit your debit card it has to be a cheque!

Wish British Gas would make their minds up what they can and cant do!!

Billcat · 16-01-2007, 18:16

Gas pains are never fun!