Left to freeze!!!

[OneBrightAzureBiscuit]

Hi, hope you all well. I just need some advice please. So me and my partner have a gas card for gas , same for electric. Anyways, our gas card broke and apparently an engineer was meant to come out for like 4 days. Anyways, we called them tonight after I had a massive asthma attack due to the freezing cold in the flat & the woman on the line said nothing could be done tonight. Yet the helpline is 24/7?

we are absolutely freezing in the flat- we have no heating or hot water BUT we have electric cos it’s a separate mains or something like that? So we do have a kettle, lights, oven etc.
just looking for advice on what to do and tips for staying warm immediately tonight. British Gas won’t help us at all, surely they have some sort of duty of care? The woman sounded shocked when we told her it’s been 4 days with no heat but yet wouldn’t help us. Any tips please?
we have been layering with blankets and drinking coffee&soup x

Then she has no need to lie.

Hey! I had the same issue last year.
Im not sure what provider you are with but i am with utilita and you should be able to download the app and with your address details you should be able to top up your gas and electric on the app which will reflect on your meter. X

She doesn't need to lie about having an under 2, if her asthma qualifies.

But they'll ask for proof of a child residing there anyway, so enough people must try the "white lie".

Makes you wonder how the country was destitute when they were so efficient.

It's worth asking around neighbours and any FB/next door groups whether anyone can lend you a plug in heater. People buy them in emergencies to tide them over as PPs are suggesting, and just keep them in case of any future emergencies. Often they don't use them day to day and are more than happy to lend. It's a very small favour when you have one just sitting unused in a loft or garage. Expensive for you in electric, of course.

I work for a different supplier and I can say that British Gas should have an emergency team, who should be dealing with this. If your card is broken, my work would be ringing round local shops near to you to find out who has a card in stock. They would then be saying okay OP pick up a new card from X shop in one hour. We would have done this the day you told us your card was snapped tbh.

I'd consider changing supplier once this is sorted, BG have provided a terrible service here. You are off supply, in freezing temps, AND you have Asthma. You are priority

Buy an electric heater-or 2 - fan or convector- and keep for emergencies like this.

Assume you're in the north or Scotland as the temp isn't that low in the midlands and south.

I hope the OP is OK, she hasn't updated. Let's hope she's not sitting in A&E 😔

The gas company will simply post you out a new card, you don't need an engineer - have you explained your problem clearly and simply or have you told them 'the gas isn't working'? It takes a couple of days.

A lot of places don't PayPoint British Gas any more, our shop stopped and everyone has to go elsewhere now to top up, but you can get it changed so you can top up on your computer or phone now.

Electric fan heaters are cheap and very effective.

Also you can get a new keycard from many of the PayPoint shops. Why do you need an engineer?

Can you borrow an electric heater for the night? Something like a dyson hot and cool? It will at least heat one room (I know it's expensive, but being cold can make you unwell). Also an electric throw? Hot drinks is a very good idea.

why have they booked an engineer? Has the card broken IN the meter or something?

all you need is a new card and any local shop who has them should be able to help you!

It's 7 degrees in my house at the moment, East Midlands. That's pretty cold. Boiler broke down before Christmas and is out of warranty and is not insured (I forgot, DH died last year). I have open fires and fan/convector heaters and a large family making sure I am ok, but it's still pretty miserable (and I am ropey at making a fire).

I had no heating for a week thanks to a burst water main getting in my areas gas pipes, back in 2018 when Beast from East took my area down to -6.

Plug in electric heaters were used. I'm a bit perplexed as to why you have suffered in the cold and not got any.

put the oven on and then open the oven door.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-1000w-electric-portable-quartz-heater-grey/7748p

I have something like this to heat up the room I’m in when the kids are not home, costs about 40p an hour to run and less on 1bar.

Pester them for an update at least twice a day. Escalate a complaint to a manager and tell them you're going to the ombudsman if they don't get an engineer to you within the next 12 hours AND THEN DO IT. Emphasise at every opportunity that you have a life threatening breathing condition (asthma) which being in a cold house is causing you to suffer episodes of not being able to breathe. As a first aider my training was very clear that asthma was and could be a life threatening incident and if somebody didnt' bring their attack under control very quickly with an inhaler we weren't to hesitate to call 999, because that is what you do when somebody can't breathe. As a person who had mild asthma as a child I had the common view that it isn't that bad, just a bit of wheezing. It sounds as if BG need to be told, firmly and repeatedly, that you are a vulnerable customer who is suffering from life threatening episodes of not being able to breathe because they haven't fixed it yet.

Switch to a smart metre once it’s sorted so that you can top up online.

Can’t they just give you a replacement to pick up from the local shop? I had to do it once in an old house years ago.

They can and Do, sometimes.

The company I am with (I have cards for gas and electric) have an option on their website to speak to them if you are in financial difficulties .
OP, would you be able to download the App for your supplier? I realise you need a card to pay for this, not cash, but even then, most shops will put the digits in manually to the machine.
Also, as PPs have said, hot water bottles for now.

He was recently passed away on 6th December and then by 18th December was alive again and they had a pregnancy scare last week. It's been a busy time

I hate months like that!

She can’t breathe how much more vulnerable can you be?

Do you mean the post in Mental Health titled "I'm done"? She clearly meant that her boyfriend had passed his driving test, not that he had died!