We wanted to review our tariffs so got meter readings submitted. Then realised we hadn't had an Electricity bill since Sep 24, over 140 days. Gas bills had been received ok. Tried to see the 10 Sep 24 bill but the system wouldn't allow me to do so. Tried to use online chat to get a copy so I could check the amounts owing, spoke to 3 agents, one of which cut me off after sending a link through the chat. An hour after starting the chat I made it clear I wanted to speak to a manager and was making a complaint. I gave up on online chat and emailed the Executive Officers. Eventually I get a copy of the bill and a blurb about the change in billing platform resulted in the delay in getting a bill. That was the last straw with BG, or so we thought. On 30 Jan, got final invoices and paid monies to clear the accounts, switching to Octopus Energy (who are brilliant and communicative). Checked online a few days later and saw our BG Electricity and Gas accounts were closed and even had an email from a Customer Manager in the Executive Team confirming accounts zeroed and no further monies to pay (unless meter readings had changed). Then, weeks later, 14 Mar, we were advised BG were recalculating the final bill under their Price Protection Guarantee, which meant we should have been on a cheaper tariff until the accounts closed. So we were surprised when on 17 Mar, we had a chasing email 'Your final bill is due' for £412.39 on Electricity account, having paid £413.07 at the end of Jan 25. Ignored this initially as we'd had an email saying it was all good from the Executive Team. Another one came on 24 Mar. So tried calling BG to find out what was going on. Eventually got hold of a human being. Amazingly within a few days the 'final bill' reduced to £136.87. But the meter reading changes didn't justify anything like that. 2 units of electricity don't cost over £130 and certainly not £412.39! We asked BG two things, provide the bills they were referring to (links in emails didn't work) and an explanation as to how it could be so different when the accounts were closed and fully paid up on 30 Jan. And then the fun really started. Multiple emails requesting the final bill details. Eventually got a bill, but that started with a debit balance of £411.31 at 24 Mar. Why? Back and forth and back and forth and still today, 1 May, they say we owe money, we say we don't think we do and they have been unable or unwilling to provide a copy of a bill produced in Mar 5 for £420.07, which is suspiciously close to the £413.07 we paid in Jan. They have a Solver, Mukaddar, who doesn't solve anything, just repeats the same mantra, 'you owe BG money' but hasn't answered 7 queries raised, but has now said we also owe £9.14 as they've recalculated the Gas final bill too! I've submitted a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman and responded to BG advising them of that today. God knows where and when this torture with BG will end. I'm sure they cocked up billing when they transferred our accounts to their new billing platform and their staff training is so bad the teams don't know how to get info from each platform to check. We've spent hours and hours on online chats, telephone calls and multiple emails. Its driving us to sleepless nights and we have had enough of BG. We just want this episode to end and then we can move on. BG - sort your systems out, train your staff properly and stop trying to rip off your customers by double billing them!
This experience started on 27 Jan and is still unresolved today 1 May. Shocking!

The short version is, in the middle of an already terrible period in our lives, British Gas took loads of money out of my account, draining our emergency fund - I realised there was a problem when my bank started sending me SMSes - and dragging their heels about refunding what they shouldn't have taken in the first place.

In the aftermath of a burglary and two bereavements, and whilst our attention was on dealing with those situations (I acknowledge that everyone experiences loss but this all occurred within a period of 1 week and really hit us hard):

- Took more than £8k from my bank account

- In doing so, completely drained our emergency fund

- Because our attention was on dealing with the bereavements, and clearing one of the related properties, I only realised there was a serious problem when I started getting SMS messages from my bank

- Had to stop direct debit because they still thought I owed them £8-9k, otherwise I would have missed mortgage and other bill payments in September

- Once they'd sorted out the billing mess, it turned out that I was over £9,600 in credit (which they assured me was correct)

- Promised us a refund on 4th September 2023

- Did not contact us when there was a problem processing this refund (I originally requested £9,100 to allow some credit for winter energy usage)

- Said that refund was rejected due to "an issue with the billing of the account" - no kidding, this is why we've ended up in this situation

- Still haven't refunded me as of 1st October 2023, and I've now threatened them with county court action (small claims), this time asking for the full balance to be refunded because I simply can't trust them with the money

- We have a number of expenses we're deferring as a result of this (one is holiday deposits which is like, OK, it's crap, but not the end of the world, but a couple are much more serious and necessary)

I work in software so I know that systems sometimes go wrong, but the key thing is how you deal with it when that happens. British Gas have dealt with this incredibly badly and left us in serious financial distress as a result. They posted £2.1bn in adjusted operating profit at the end of June. They should be ashamed for not refunding us what we're owed.

I strongly recommend you find another supplier.

Atrocious customer service. Spoke to about 10 different people today, all passing the buck to another department. I literally just needed to confirm a few details for a home move but it's taken all day. I halfway finished setting up with one person, who then gave me the wrong tariff information. After I pointed it out and asked for the cheaper tariff, I was hung up on. I then received a cursory 1-second call-back-and-hang-up, assumedly so she could say she attempted a callback. Waited 40 more minutes for a real callback as assured by the robotic machine voice, didn't happen.

Was also promised £150 credit for sticking with British gas. Nobody I've spoken to has been able to confirm this. At this point, I will probably be switching to a cheaper company with better customer service. The credit was the only reason I was staying with BG, but if they can't even deliver on their promises, there's no point putting myself through the hassle of this terrible customer service.

Also, your website logs me out after about 20 minutes every time, then I have to go through two pages to log back in. It's 2023, your website shouldn't be giving a 2005 customer experience.

Edit: Cancelled and went with Octopus. Set up in 36 minutes. Still waiting on that callback from British Gas. Lmao

Edit: Since leaving British Gas, they've continually sent me threatening letters and emails regarding a "final bill" that was paid via their own website well before these started. Threatening to send a debt collection agency and then charge me for it. They don't list any phone number and make it as difficult as possible to contact them to say "HEY! I PAID IT OVER A WEEK AGO!" So glad I've left this utterly terrible company.

Edit 2: I spent an hour on the phone to an advisor who said that they would sort it out. Then I got an email saying that I paid the money on the new system but they needed me to pay it on the old system (?). They refunded my money to my bank account and have asked me to pay it again, but differently, but have not explained how paying it again will lead to a different result or how to pay it so that they'll actually accept the money. It seems like British Gas is deeply confused about their own processes and is passing that confusion on to the customer.

So, back on the phone I go for another hour to speak to more people who are more confused than I am.

Received a letter from BG stating that I could make savings if I switched to a singke rate meter and changed payment to Direct Debit; I followed the link in the letter to a webpage, from there booked an appointment to have an engineer fit a single rate meter, then I received a confirmation letter of appointment, it was at this point I noticed smart meter; not in any of the communication was a smart meter mentioned; I contacted them about this but a reasonable explanation was not offered, after yet a further communication I put to them that they was pulling a fast one, that they was just teasing myself; I wrote a letter where I stated the problems in terms of health when it comes to smart meters, the response was basically to not refute anything I wrote apart from saying that its ok with the government. As I have put to them they are basically charging to save money, because if a digital meter is fitted I have to pay for it, and now they are saying digital meters are in short supply.

Considering their stated goal is to help save money should I have to pay to do this?

In addition earler last year I set a direct debit paymney method, but not only did they take the dirst payment within three weeks they took a second payment of the same anount approx £263, when contacted about this they claimed that I had agreed to this; I contacted the bank, had the second payment rescinded, stopped the Direct Debit; it was only to the bank did they say the mistake was on their part.

It's good to see British Gas have improved there service to Disabled people Thankyou

Danny Sellers

Let me give you a brief history of my interactions with British Gas, regarding the EBSS vouchers that all British Gas customer were supposed to receive.
19th October 2022 I first contacted British Gas to find out when I would receive my first voucher of £66. I was told I would get the voucher THAT WEEK. I didn't.
26th October 2022 I contacted British gas for the second time. I told them that a week ago I was told I would get the voucher that week, but I still hadn't received it. They told me that due to the royal mail strikes, they were delayed, but it will be with me in a few days.
4th November 2022 I contacted British gas for the 3rd time. I tell them that I still haven't received my OCTOBER voucher and its now November (all my other post was arriving on time so the Royal Mail strike had nothing to do with the voucher not arriving on time). This time they tell me that they'll send me the voucher to my email address. It will take a few days. Not sure why an email would take a few days but I just accept I'll have to wait even longer.
9th November 2022 I contact British Gas for the 4th time. I tell them I haven't received my voucher in my email like they promised. This advisor tells me that I won't receive an email, that the voucher will definitely be coming in the post (so the previous advisor just straight up lied when she said she'd sent them to my email address), and I would definitely get them in a few days. I really don't believe them at this point but I decided to wait a few more days.
16th November 2022 I contact British Gas for the 5th time. You guessed it, I still haven't received my voucher for OCTOBER. We're halfway through November now. This is getting ridiculous. This advisor tells me that the vouchers all had to be cancelled and reissued. Not sure how you cancel something which was supposedly posted 4 weeks ago, but once again I decide to wait "a few days" like this advisor suggested.
23rd November I receive a text apologising that the NOVEMBER voucher was late. I still haven't received my OCTOBER voucher. This makes me angry, so on
23rd November 2022 I contact British Gas for the 6th time. I tell them I'm not waiting anymore. I want my voucher to be sent to my email now, or I want to speak to a manager.
They tell me I will get BOTH VOUCHERS this month (November 2022) so to wait a few days. I've had enough now. I ask to speak to a manager.
Manager Vikram Singh tells me that they don't actually know when customers will receive the vouchers, and that every single time over the last 6 weeks that a British gas employee has told me I'll get the vouchers, it was a lie. They are lying to all their customers. They never sent the vouchers, and they have no intention of doing so anytime soon.
I've posted my ordeal online to see if I get a response, but British Gas don't seem to care.
So I'll be submitting complaints to the energy ombudsman services, and obviously leaving scathing reviews anywhere I can.

British Gas a deplorable service. I was helping a pensioner of 90 years of age who was sent a threatening debt collection agency letter dated 11th Oct 2022. The first letter she had ever received from British Gas.

The account, organised by her husband who died 2 years ago, initially was with Bristol Energy for gas and electricity which was passed to Together Energy. As a couple they always paid up-to-date, with Bristol for years. They were excellent customers who were sent information letters and account statements by post from Bristol Energy.

Ofgem allowed BG to take over the account from January 2022, when the other companies went bust. BG never sent a letter to inform, the now widow, of this transfer. She was not aware of the collapse of Bristol and Together. At the age of 90 why should she, especially if no letter was sent to her.

She was extremely upset.

On calling the 'BG customer services' telephone number on the 20th Oct 2022, I was annoyingly caught in a completely unhelpful conversation loop with the call centre representative. This person informed me that BG had sent emails about the account. When I informed him that there were several problems to this attempt to communicate, he was too thick to understand the obstacles and reasons that hindered this singular approach to connect.
The problems which I pointed out:
A.The email address was old, out of date and did not exist any more.

B. Being 90 years she does not use emails.

C. All communications with suppliers have always been through the post.
Sad to say the idiot could not comprehend the problem created by BG. BG wanted the customers from the failed suppliers, yet they couldn't be bothered to inform them with a letter.

It seems that the company only considers sending a letter when it is a threat! Shame, shame on them.

I requested that the call centre individual should put me through to a more senior line manager who, hopefully, could understand their mistake. This was consistently refused. I even couldn't get and apology. Pathetic!

In conclusion:
I organised the outstanding payment and extra charges with a cheque from the lady, by post!
I'll be sending a message (email haha) to Jessica Taplin - British Gas CEO, requesting an apology and a refund.
I'll be sending an email to Neil Lawrence - Ofgem.
I'll be sending an email to the BBC consumer programmes, as well as The Guardian.

Lastly, I recommend that any users of British Gas should move their account.

You have been warned.

BRITISH GAS LIARS, SCAM AND RIP OFF
British Gas both supply and maintenance is a total rip off and they are scamming customers.
They state that they service and check your boiler with an annual service and they check that your central heating is in good working order.
This is totally untrue they don't check your central heating at all.
That makes it a scam because they falsely advertise it as part of the annual service.
Mine was supposedly checked and signed off by them however 3 valve leaks occurred in a very short time one the same leak twice causing considerable damage to a newly decorated kitchen.
They try to say they are not responsible, but the damage was caused by sheer incompetence of their lazy engineer who did not check the central heating system at all.
Their policy also states accidental damage is included.
I would like to know how they are checking a central heating system is in good working order without so much as turning it on and checking each radiator is hot and does not need bleeding.
This is false advertising by them and a scam to con people out of money.
Many people have stayed with them years because they think it is a hassle to change but it is very easy to change suppliers.
It's actually very easy and can be done with a simple phone call to any other supplier.
British gas also is ripping people off on the cost of gas and electric.
Standing charges and unit charges are much cheaper with other suppliers there are now many.
Don't think they treat loyal customers of many years any different because they do not
British gas is a rip off company who could not care less about their customers.
According to the press British gas are losing nearly ******* customers a month as people wake up to better service and prices from other suppliers.

British Gas are totally useless and a waste of space.
My report now goes to the financial ombudsman.
My assessment of the situation is exactly what happened.
British Gas was given every opportunity to sort the situation out amicably and after dealing with them locally they failed to even respond to a complaint letter sent to head office.
The sheer arrogance of this company is unbelievable and don't be fooled by there false advertising.
My advice is keep clear of this scam company.
They also after 2 weeks still have not returned an overpayment of £160 if next week l still don't receive it l will issue county court debt proceedings against them.
I terminated both my accounts with them and changed suppliers on 25th March.
2weeks ago they said I would receive a cheque in 3 -5days MORE LIES!
I spoke to these incompetent fools again today they have not even processed my refund they just told me it will be another 10 days.
The way this company now operates is totally beyond belief.
What a totally ridiculous reply from British gas had the incompedent engineer tested the system to be be in a safe working condition as per British Gas advertising he would have found the leak but as he failed to check the system was in a safe working condition he did not find it. As previously stated how is BG checking a Central heating system properly without even switching it on? Lt is a ludicrous reply which by the way is also supposedly covered for accidental damage so either way British Gas are responsible.The amount of bad reviews this lousy company has just goes to prove how bad they really are.