B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

[The Debt Star]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Hi and thanks, I have a letter from Consumer Focus which explains their role in helping vulnerable people with their complaint and they will get back to me. I have asked BG again to allow me online access to the account but still nothing from them - 6 days and counting.
I posted B.Gas behaviour in 'another forum' which is intended to alert others and here is a reply I was sent on that, thought you would like to see it:
"Let me guess?

As pointed out elsewhere you have an awful attitude to your responsibilities.

You owe an energy provider money but you want to hang onto ANY little thing that makes you feel less of a thief?

Seriously, man-up. You have been sent loads of letters before it got to that stage. Stop trying to claim my former employers are the Devil, they aren't, they just want payment for what YOU HAVE USED. They are a business, they aren't a charity.

You not paying and trying to duck and dive (this thread sums it up) pushes the bills up for decent payers like myself. If you cannot afford gas or electric then sit in a cold/dark house and stop dipping in my pocket."

What a horrible person. I'm glad I didn't see this the other day when I was really down. Seems it has been removed now by the site but there is another and it is funny to see that this person is BG former staff, rather confirms the attitudes then. Off out to buy more gas...

Yeah? RE-NATIONALISE the feckers.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Hi - still no answers from BG - another £20 gone into their meter - today, saturday, it has taken money for debt again even though they say it comes out on wednesdays!! so I have got 83p for actual gas. Meantime they have sent me a statement for their electric prepay meter - which has no arrears on it to collect - and it says I pay 13.293 per Kwh with a standing charge of 17p per day - but, their web site says my rate for my postcode is:

17.000	13.279
15.979	12.482
16.990	13.270

Clearly not as high as they charge me - typical. More phone calls to be made on monday then. Gas rates from BG:
I pay tier one at 8.065 then tier 2 at 4.524 (don't know if I reach tier 2 with low usage) and their site says rates are:

25.990	4.500

nothing about tiers?
i am hopeless at this stuff and cannot make sense of it so will call them again Monday.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

If you can pay be direct debit then you get to pay less - is this some deal with the banks then - surely those people paying in advance (pre-pay meters) should get the best deal?:santa_smiley: I do like these

[alham]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

This can't continue - have you been in touch with MP? Ring him/her every hour until you speak to someone, send constant stream of emails until you get a response. This is outrageous and BG will continue to p**s about until someone gets heavy with them.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

hi thanks - I have been so distracted with this threat from Sequence to send the bailiffs here in the next few days for their damn estate agent fees they lied about - but yes, waiting on answer from BG Monday and Consumer Focus - will have to get this off to Ombudsman again and hope they don't throw it back out to me again - and try an email to Andrea Leadsom's office - gotta go out now and buy more gas as that credit took the debt amount and the rest of the emergency credit so left me not enough even for one day - I think I should just print my thread and send it to The Telegraph!

[alham]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Estate agent's fees? They are normally get paid by the solicitor during exchange of contracts. Telegraph or Mail (spit~) are a good idea as well.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

hi - not really fees but a trick to get money for old rope, in my opinion. http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...-send-Bailiffs

meantime, BG due to resolve today - allegedly

[alham]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Keep us posted, persistence does pay off in the end.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Hi - gas off again. BG now admit that the meter does take the debt first regardless of what day, it is just the next time you top up with the card. The Wednesday malarky is just the day of the week they use as a starting point. It takes any missed weekly payment first, in theory then if you didn't top up for a month it would take a month's debits first even if you are in credit as it is the card use that triggers this not the meter. Interesting. Also, customer of BG are not given any access to the credits and debits of the meter - I do not know of any business that supplies a member of the public with a service that is entitled to do this, not credit cards, or banks, or phone accounts etc. There is NO system in place that allows a prepay customer to see a statement of what they have paid, what has gone towards debt and gas!! The customer is not allowed an online account. Who else thinks this is a breach of something? I am also now told that I have to pay £1 per day just to keep my boiler pilot light on, so that's £365 for no gas, plus £184.60 towards debt before gas. Apparently it will take until 2023 for me to clear the arrears - could be dead by then. BG also say: the first 2,600 units are at the higher rate and the only way to get it cheaper is to use more! So, once again, low income low use customers are penalised with higher rates and as I cannot afford to use more than the minimums I might as well leave it off. They have failed to order the device to top up from home which I requested the day they fitted the meter. Just ignored me. What code this company work to - they are a disgrace.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Hi - advice for anyone who needs to keep their payment toward debt to the agreed limit of £3.55 per week - never never put your card into your meter on any day but Wednesday and never use the emergency credit unless you can organise to top up both on a Wednesday - otherwise you will not be paying only £3.55 per week despite what BG have told the Ombudsman or government.

[alham]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Any good news to report?

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Hi - still no resolution from BG. Still no usb device to top up from home. Was ill in bed totally for over two weeks for xmas and new year. Found some articles online re overcharging by BG and other utilities that;s been going on apparently for years and referring to the extra costs that prepay customers are charged. BG still refute this. They say I have paid back over £200 even when I haven't put that much into the meter?? Still waiting for the warrant documentation and previous bills and forced now to use food money to feed this meter. Also had other troubles such as being scammed out of £400 just before Christmas, which my family had lent me - and in court next week with Anglian Water for a bill I don't owe and they too have been charging me for 16 years for surface water drainage that doesn't go into their system! Nothing new then.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

hi - so funny, I have been reading an article about what Ofgem have to say and their comments re the overcharging of prepay customers in order to offer discounts to their affluent customers, which I hope nasty little person called climate is reading and I quote him: "pushes the bills up for decent payers like myself".

How can this person have the audacity to use the word decent in any of his posts. Meantime, BG have sent the papers and they are deficient, there is nothing to support their application for warrant, only their one page typed up sheet. No details to confirm their alleged visit to the property, in line with the code, and nothing about the failure to even have the warrant with them. I think I should submit a complaint to the Magistrates Court.

[alham]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Absolutely, although I suggest county court may be in order.

[gwenlillian]

Re: B. Gas prepay meter fiasco

Hi - quick update - BG seem to have closed my complaint yet done nothing. I think my only course now is to send it back into the ombudsman. Still no usb to top up since request made in Nov. Spoke to a guy at the Energy Savings Trust who astonished when i told him about the cost of £1.30 per day to keep a pilot light on.