| Product: |
Gas in general |
| Date: |
29/03/01 (169 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Rude, unreliable, and don't listen to the customer
There is no category for SWALEC, enter the saga below.
When I bought my first house in 1998, I naively thought that Electricity came from Swalec, Gas from British Gas, and duly took the readings from my meters and submitted them to the relevant companies. Two weeks later I received a letter from BG addressed to my husband (I don't have one) advising me how sorry they were that I had decided to leave British Gas (I had?). I rang to find out what this was all about, to discover that the previous owner (who lived in Bahrain) had signed the property over to another company, but they did not know who. I had to contact Transco with my meter serial number to establish who was supplying my Gas. I discovered it was SWALEC.
I contacted the Gas Consumer Council, who told me that this was privatisation, and that there was nothing I could do about this, and I would have to apply to go back to BG, which would take about a month. A couple of days later, I received a bill from BG for £496 for three weeks use during the summer. Upon contacting them, they were very helpful and advised me that a reading had been taken by SWALEC and sent to them. They kindly agreed to freeze the bill until the matter was sorted out, and gave me details of who to contact at SWALEC. This I duly did, and unlike BG, the operator advised me this was "tough, and that is BG's fault for taking the wrong meter reading", and there was nothing they could do about it, by this time I was quite upset, the operator told me to stop being so neurotic. I then went back to BG, who advised me...... etc etc etc get the drift yet? after about 8 calls that evening, BG took my correct meter reading and told me they would sort it. A few weeks later I received a bill from SWALEC (at no point since moving in the house had either company entered my property to take a meter reading). This bill was for a c£68 and the meter readings were about 5000 units more than my current readin
g. I contacted SWALEC, and gave them my correct reading, the result a red bill for the outstanding amount. I contacted them again, and received another meter reading for slightly more money, the meter readings were about 3000 units out. Again, (this is getting very boring) I contacted SWALEC and advised a supervisor of my correct readings. I had a letter of apology, aknowledging my new readings (out again - by 3000 down), by which time I had enough. During this period, SWALEC were on a welsh consumer programme, as they had been invoicing people who had transferred their accounts from BG, for £1,000's of pounds. It was also covered extensively in the welsh press, apparently there had been a 'cock-up' by their computer system.
I applied to go back to BG, who in all this time had not chased me for any outstanding monies, and asked if I could go back. "Yes".....six months gone, I can sort this problem. "No".....SWALEC objected because I handn't paid my bill.
By this time I had been in the property for 7 months, had not paid for any Gas in all the time, and still could not get it sorted. Enter, the Gas Consumer Council. They wrote to SWALEC on my behalf, no problem they would sort it. I received another 3 bills, plus 'reds' from SWALEC - still with incorrect readings, enter again, the Gas Consumer Council, who again did the necessary - result - hooray, a year after moving into the property, I finally got my bill from BG, c£11, and a £50 compensation off my final bill from SWALEC - who advised me that they would be happy to take me back as a customer anytime - thanks - but no thanks - maybe I spoke too soon, a year ago I moved, and yes, guess what, the property of the gentleman who had died 18 months previously, yes you've guessed it, the property was supplied by SWALEC for Gas, I nearly had a nervous breakdown, but fortunately, this time the transfer was smooth, and I am now "safely" ba
ck in the clutches of BG (although I believe they have now hiked up their prices............
The moral of this story is know what you want, and check the property you are buying is supplied by the 'right' companies.
Summary:
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Last comment:
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Ann J Sec - 29/03/01 What a dreadful tale. It doesn't bear thinking about and must have spoilt your moving in to your new property. Ann |
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