What the hell is going on with British Gas?

[Scarletpetunias]

I’ve had two emails in the last few days telling me that both my gas and electric accounts have been moved to their ‘new system’. When I log on, I now can’t see all the comparative usage data that used to be there, I can only see an online version of the bill I used to get in the post.

I can’t get through on the phone and even the online chat appears to have packed in so are other people experiencing this?

I havent had a bill since October. I cannot get a bill on-line. I have emailed and contacted via FB Messenger. Both responses were the same, you have been moved to the new system and they dont have access to it... The staff cannot access my account - what chance do I have. They have gone from a great on-line/mobile App to a shambles. So annoyed!!

I got an email to say they failed to take my direct debit for two months as it didn't get set up properly on the new system. So annoying. The system before was great!

I had exactly the same in November. It is pathetic. Some one should be held to account.

I've been sent a letter from a debt collection agency who are investigating my debt to British Gas on the same day that British Gas sent me the bill!! Surely that can't be ethical! I hadn't even received the bill by the time the debt collection company were instructed to chase me!?!?

They are incompetent. The customer service repeatedly fail to understand I need a bill produced monthly to budget accordingly despite my consistently giving monthly meter reads & asking for monthly bills. They've now cancelled all my bills since August, rebilled me & the new bill is unintelligible, complicated and nonsensical. I used to work in BG billing many years back so what chance do others stand!!!?? They are a crap company now, really gone downhill. Are other gas companies as equally inept as it not will look into changing suppliers, if that's even possible now? 🙄

@Crazykatie I'm surprised you find Octopus erratic at billing. I get a bill every month about 24 hours after I submit my online meter read (I don't have a smart meter and don't want one).

My Mum uses Octopus and they are really good. I would change if I could and I would never use BG again - They used to be a standout Company, but now they are hopeless.

I got a letter in the post regarding them messing up my DD so they have decided not to refund the cost of living payment to my bank account but add it to my British Gas account instead... they also had the cheek to say I owe them £12 yet both gas & electric are in credit. They really have messed this up big style!

We recently had need to contact British Gas. Started off with their online chat, with a chat bot, but were quickly transferred to a real person. So not a telephone call, but it was a chat with a real person who was friendly and efficient and sorted our issue.

My BG App is still working ok, showing usage etc but it never seems to be the same as my smart meter, but 🤷🏻‍♀️As long as the actual bill is the same as my actual gas & electric meters, I can live with it.

I hate the way they only actually do bills twice yearly, but it is what it is.

im annoyed they won't just leave my govt £66 IN my electricity account & keep refunding it to me, but it's too much hassle to try & get them to stop doing it.

but HUGE thanks for flagging it up, I'll try to wean myself off of checking the App all the time!!

best of luck everyone getting our issues sorted!!

I've just logged on to find I still don't have any detailed data about out usage like the old site used to have. We haven't for a few weeks now.

When you look at payments there's none of my history but the gov £67 randomly. I don't think they have moved it into my account like they're supposed to.

Do we just trust that their systems will work it all out? I'm a bit worried about losing money.

Tried to download the app mentioned above - but it won't download as they're in the middle of creating a new app apparently, it's only for existing app users.

Looks like I can't get data and it's Winter so I want to see what I'm using!

Shambolic is what it is, nobody seems to be on a definite, easy to follow & use system. My government refund is left in my energy account and not refunded to my bank a/c which is fine. You can insist on monthly billing if you are only billed quarterly or bi annually but be prepared to stand your ground on this and be doggedly determined to get it as they seem to have a problem implementing it either by ineptitude or design. Also monthly reads need to be taken if not on a smart meter.

Just found this thread after searching for help with British gas. They've recently allocated me a new account number for my dual fuel account with them, fair enough I knew they were changing everyone's accounts but on checking my bank account it says my direct debit to them had just been cancelled! Had this happened to anyone else during this "changeover" they are doing and do they eventually reinstate the direct debit?

It's a nightmare isn't it. When I go onto the new site there's none of the information there used to be about usage and comparison with previous years. Why on earth have they made it worse?

We also didn't get January's bill taken so they kept the grant bit. I hadn't noticed it hadn't gone out so was expecting the 67 to come in 😔, without realising the dd hadn't gone out.

@UnicorseTime yes, why on earth have they changed everything? I looked on my account and they seem to be treating me as a new customer and ive been with them for about 25 years! I was in credit £130 yesterday, then when I looked today, I now have a zero balance and they've taken two "miscellaneous" payments that add up to the £130. Then, when I checked my bank account, im puzzled to see that someone, I can only presume British gas themselves, have cancelled my direct debit to them!

I can see my account and bills but the charges seem to be completely random. Charged in Oct, then Jan, now Feb. Then a plus sign on the account which actually means they are charging you money. I don't know whether we are coming or going, and it took me months to get the smart meter connected when we were switched from another supplier. Absolute bastards.

Our smart metre stopped reading our has about two months ago. And they will
not talk to us about getting it fixed. So we are sending in regular readings. May take all my credit out.

I can't see the smart meter readings online like I used to be able to. I used to be able to see how I was doing daily /weekly/monthly and then comepare to last year.

I can't even make head nor tail of the account. It say 60quid credit. But I can't see how many months I will need to pay for with that or make any sense of it.

They supply my gas and electric, yet are absolutely adamant they don't supply my gas (they do, it's a new build so no previous account)

I've tried on numerous occasions to get it sorted, to no avail. I've given up now as really, it's not my job to be chasing. I've put the money aside for when they inevitably manage to sort it, but as it's taken them six months so far with no glimmer on the horizon I'm not holding my breath.

They also stopped paying the government payment in December, but they have eventually sorted that one.