British Gas customer services

[Blue Hills]

From yesterday’s Scotsman
View attachment 614500

thanks for that - if I can steel myself to write that long complaint - at the moment more interested in sorting an issue and then very probably ditching the jerks - I may well refer to that.

The Homecare folks I got put through said that the previous chat person had put it through to them saying that it was a call/chat from someone interested in Homecare!

If he had answered my questions as we danced round the houses he would have known it wasn't.
Maybe he was on a rewards scheme, maybe their oh-so-clever plot is to be so bad that folk will sign up to some premium service - one where the staff have ears - who knows - sod 'em.

 

[classic33]

thank you classic - you are a star - don't suppose you have any idea of the title/position of mr bateman or the other folks?

In the latter days of npower's reign of serial incompetence (amidst much other stuff they had managed to read my meters backwards for several years and then tried to square the circle with a bill that would have bankrupted a small nation) wasting days and days of my time I did actually manage to track down the actual office and direct phone of the customer service supremo. Very surprised she was to find herself talking to me one afternoon. Some time later I got a supposedly coincidental call purporting to be from some "totally independent" market research outfit. But before they would talk about anything they seemed extremely keen to find out stuff about the person who had spoken to the woman and kept asking whether I was from the press. Seemed pretty clear to me that they were from some special npower damage limitation/neutralisation squad.

I was tempted to ask them about their much vaunted cricket sponsorship - suggest they let me spend a few minutes in the nets with them - and me with a premium cricket bat.

Bateman, is Chief Executive
From there your working down the ladder as it were.

 

[Drago]

British Gas customer services make the AA's look good, thats how bad they are. Its been that way since time immemorial.

 

[DRM]

British Gas customer services make the AA's look good, thats how bad they are. Its been that way since time immemorial.

The ironic thing being, iirc the AA are a part of the disaster known as Centrica as well

 

[classic33]

The ironic thing being, iirc the AA are a part of the disaster known as Centrica as well

Only for five years. Bought in 1999, sold in 2004.

 

[Joffey]

why were you considering moving to them - some tempter? Who did you end up with?
I couldn't help a sick cackle at their rewards scheme where you get paid to pass friends to them - were you maybe caught up in one of those stings?

I'm happy to say I don't hate or despise anyone in my life enough to do that to them.


Still interested in any fast paths to communication for the current issue - the only small small consolation was that I managed to find a freephone number for them despite their best efforts to cancel them all.

Paniced with the prices going up and they had a 2 year fix. Then watched Martin
Lewis who said stay on your variable rate. I was in 2 minds so tried to speak to BG and it was hopeless so eventually managed to cancel the move through my company. I was with Pure Planet and they have since gone bust. They have moved us to Shell Energy.

 

[CharlesF]

British Gas customer service in one word - appalling.

 

[Drago]

British Gas customer service in one word - appalling.

Interesting way to spell 'sh**e'.

 

[Blue Hills]

I think to be fair to all remaining energy providers, they are all under the cosh for taking on hundred and thousands of new customers so will be feeling the strain at the moment while they try and get the accounts up and running.

Sorry - I don't buy this.
Not for British Gas.
They could have dealt with this small matter in a couple of minutes.
And then moved on to someone else.
They could have dealt with umpteen countless customers in the time they have spent achieving nothing with me. And wasting all my time as well.
It's one thing to have delays in picking up the phone or to come onto chat, quite another to then not listen to what the issue is which needs sorting and just sort it. It is a very simple matter but won't bore you and cchat.
They appear to be the new npower.

 

[Blue Hills]

British Gas customer service in one word - appalling.

can you say more?
Briefly.

 

[Blue Hills]

British Gas customer services make the AA's look good, thats how bad they are. Its been that way since time immemorial.

are you with them?

 

[Blue Hills]

Paniced with the prices going up and they had a 2 year fix. Then watched Martin
Lewis who said stay on your variable rate.

Interesting - do you have a link for this - can you summarise why he said to stay on a variable rate?

 

[Blue Hills]

I was in 2 minds so tried to speak to BG and it was hopeless so eventually managed to cancel the move through my company. I

This is surely a sign of a truly crap malfunctioning company. Usually you get the thing where new and prospective customers are given a deceptively good service - freephone numbers, calls answered promptly by cheery efficient folk while existing customers sit in queues and get the runaround. If they can't even sort a new customer they are clearly truly shot.

 

[Arrowfoot]

I never could understand how call centres are great at handling at sales and upgrades but suck at general queries. Its like they are not happy that you called and not aware you are paying for their services.

 

[Blue Hills]

I never could understand how call centres are great at handling at sales and upgrades but suck at general queries. Its like they are not happy that you called and not aware you are paying for their services.

old story of companies taking existing customers for granted I'm afraid but fawning over new ones.
Before joining a company/supplier of anything I often used to phone the customer helpline to see how the responsiveness/call pick up varied from the new customer "step right this way" number.
From above it seems that BG can't even manage to get its fawning sorted.