British Gas - very responsive to complaints (British Gas)

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	British Gas
Date:	04/09/09 (72 review reads)
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When I was younger , I used to work for a company called the Cobra Group . We were salespeaple, hired by energy companies, mobile phone networks, and kitchen companies to go door to door, setting people up with contracts, encouraging them to get a quote, or trying to get them to change energy provider to NPower .

We had a pretty strict code of conduct - for instance, for anyone over 75 who wished to change over to Npower, we had to have someone else sign it, preferably a relative, to say that the person changing contract was of sound mind . We were not allowed to decieve people into changing over in any way - we couldn't falsely claim our prices were lower than their current supplier if they were not , we couldn't tell them signing over to us was essential if it was not .In short, we were people simply doing our jobs in a decent way .

All thats a long time gone, and now I'm amum. Yesterday, I gota knock at my door, and a chappie from British gas was stood there. Hvaing memoeis of having the door slammed on me when I was a cold caller, I politely listened to what he had to say .

He asked me who my electricity and gas bills were paid to . I asnwered that I paid through Ebico, a not for profit energy company who use Southern Electric and Scottish Power grids, and who make a point of charging the same for bill payers as they do for prepayment meter payers . Most energy companies charge you more if you use a prepayment meter, Ebico don't - that's why I chose them.

He then informed me that from the beginning of 2010, all energy companies would be required to operate through British Gas grids, and would have to pay British Gas a rental charge, meaning my prices would go up . Of course, if I changed to British Gas, my charges would fall, and they wouldn't have to pay rental on their own resources .

At this point, I began to smell a very large, very stinky rat . He came in, and gave me more of his story - how prices would, for customers who were not with British Gas, rise by approximately 10% over the next 3 years. He basically spun me a story that unless I signed over immediately to British Gas, I would lose a few hundred pounds a year.

I knew he was talking rubbish - partly through my own experience, but also largely in part due to him not being able to substantiate his claim with hard evidence, such as any copies of newspaper articles, price comparison sites, etc .

By this point, I had a plan . When he told me I scould sign a form to convert my meter to British Gas rates without actually changing supplier, I signed over, and took a copy of the triplicate form he gave me . After he left, I read it carefully - just as I thought, he'd tried to con me into changing contracts by telling me lies, something I further confirmed with a little internet research.

I phoned British Gas within half an hour, telling them of his actions, and giving them the number on the form that identified who he was. I also sent them a photocopy of the form by registered post the same afternoon . I was promised on the phone they would look into it .

A coupleof days after I sent them the photocopy, they got back to me,informing me that this particular employee had been working on commision (surprise surprise) via an outside agency they hired to generate contracts . They agreed that his conduct was deliberately misleading and was at the very least unethical, and informed me that this particular gentleman would no longer be working either for them, or for the agency they hired.

Further to that, they agreed that since I had signed over to them in order to give this evidence, to get in touch with my own supplier and cancel the changeover - which they did . They also informed me that shortly, a little gift would be arriving in the post for me in thanks for pointing this out .

A few days later, I recieved a cheque for £75, and a box of chocoolates.

British Gas may not be the cheapest company out there for you . But they certainly take fraudulent employees, even those employed by external revenue generating companies, very seriously . I recommend that if you have beem mis-led into signing to a new service provider, you get in touch with the company and let them know .

I may not take power from them, but British Gas as a company I have a great respect for - they take consumer concerns very seriously , and I appreciate that.

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