Name: British Gas
Address: PO Box 4805, WORTHING
Rating: 1.21

“I was with British Gas from 2000 for 18 years on both gas & electric. I bought a second house in 2009 to renovating and switched that to British Gas too. In 2011, huge bills started arriving for both properties. I realised that the second property's bill was just an estimate and once I gave correct meter readings to BG, I was hundreds of pounds in credit. I then asked BG to use this credit to clear the bill on the first house, which they did. A few months later another massive bill arrived for the first house and BG took the money automatically. I then realised this was an estimate too! What followed was a campaign of months to get my money back and it was only because of my tenacious nature that I succeeded. I should have left then, but didn't. I sold the first house and went on monthly direct debits for the second. For the next few years a pattern emerged where I would pay £176 a month for about 9 months, then have a meter reading, be told I was over £1000 in deficit, and the bill would go up to £380 a month. The usage was the same, year in year out, so why can't BG estimate a correct monthly debit? I left BG fifteen months ago and have been paying £150 a month to my new company...its late May and I'm £500 in credit - figure that out.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Been a customer for over 30 years, I've always paid quarterly but have had 5 bills since the end of November. I live alone in a small house with the usual household appliances nothing high energy usage,and I only heat the living room not the whole house. I paid £323 at the end of February and then received another one for£519 at the end of April. I have never paid this amount even in the middle of winter, and I knew after this I was being mugged , lucky I don't do direct debit. I have had 4 phone conversations without any success,tried online nothing,and sent 3 letters no replies.To top it all looked online this morning and they have stuck me with another £54for13 days usage bringing my total bill for 5 months to£1116 for 5 months. Avoid this company like the plague.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Over £2600 in 12months gas and electric. 2 bed small house. Don't see how as all lighting is L.E.D also have a log burner running constantly. Decide to switch and saved £900 a year to start off. Then they have the nerve to say they will pass our details on to a debt collection agency over £252 shortly after leaving them. How can you be £463 in credit before you leave then end up owing them...... Suprise suprise.... disgusting behaviour excuse after excuse when questioned. Would not recommend to anyone unless you want to overpay by ridiculous amounts”

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Posted 4 years ago

“Worst company I have ever come across. I have had nothing but issues since November 2018. Smart meter always messing up 2 people came round and cant fix so I go to update my readings and only let's me do it for gas and not electricity yet my usage is showing as seperate.. then when my bill came in they only counted the gas. No idea how much I owe them now but it's becoming a joke now. Then you go through customer service and it's like talking to a brick wall. Oh and also I booked in a boiler service and months ahead so on the actual day noone turned up they said they sent me a letter to cancel it. I could not believe it and it was 2 weeks before Christmas. They are an absolute joke.”

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Posted 4 years ago

“The app is absolutely terrible.I was able to read my gas meter reading fine, but when I tried to put my electric meter in It said ring this number. I spoke to a person online but he put 2 questions in at the same time so I only seen the second one which said ( let me check) the first one asked for my details but I did not see this until he ended chat.I was waiting for another chat to open up but it didn’t, but it did say leave a message on chat but I have recieved no reply and that was around a week ago. The app obviously does not work that’s why the phone number came up. I went onto British Gas on internet and logged in and I put both meter readings in without any problems.i have deleted the British Gas app as it rubbish and shall just go on the website in future.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Very bad customers service. Their app does't work and my account was registered with another email which i do not recognise at all. Difficult to get in touch and to give my meter readings. I will wait my contract to finish and I will move away from them as soon as the contact expires. I was thinking that they are good company but obviously they are not. avoid.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Have read some of these reviews, my experience was very similar , I ended up with 2 defaults on my credit file due to estimates , and brining miss informed by over seas call centre ! I logged a complaint and they wouldn’t removed from my credit report . I’ve since moved to igloo which have been great easy to use app and always got through to customer service easily .”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Leak from hot water tank March 29. 6 Attempts to get through by phone, holding on for 20-25 minutes each time until line dropped out. Tried the online emergency service and was given a date for December 25, 2021. The next day I received an email saying that the 1st email was sent in error but still no time for an 'emergency engineer'. In desperation I managed to get a plumber through a friend to come out, in spite of lock down, on the afternoon of the 30th. The water tank was drained and things left secure. All of this was done remotely as I am trapped outside the country. As I will likely be able to travel soon I called British Gas, under my homecare contract, to come out and repair/replace. I was informed that I had to pay the £99 excess call out charge. I said this was unreasonable since I had already paid £140 to get someone out because BG was uncontactable and I didn't want to damage my flat and the flat below with leaking water. The BG rep remained firm. I asked to be put through to the complaints section the person at the end told me a £30 reduction was all that she would do because: 1. I did not try hard enough to contact them (my phone log will demonstrate otherwise) and people were getting through on the day (not this person). 2. "It was my decision to call another plumber to save the building from water damage". I then asked to be transferred to contract cancellation. The rep duly declared the contract was cancelled and that I would receive an email notification to that effect. 3 days later no confirmation!! I tried to log into my account to see if there was a message but was locked out because "I had not been a British Gas customer for 6 months" !!!?? Interesting in that the contract was only cancelled 3 days ago? My next step was to use my online banking facility to cancel my direct debit to British Gas for Homecare which I have just done. My bank suggested I notify you of this - SO YOU ARE NOW NOTIFIED! I will not spend any more hours with communication systems and corporate processes that do not work.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Leak from hot water tank March 29. 6 Attempts to get through by phone, holding on for 20-25 minutes each time until line dropped out. Tried the online emergency service and was given a date for December 25, 2021. The next day I received an email saying that the 1st email was sent in error but still no time for an 'emergency engineer'. In desperation I managed to get a plumber through a friend to come out, in spite of lock down, on the afternoon of the 30th. The water tank was drained and things left secure. All of this was done remotely as I am trapped outside the country. As I will likely be able to travel soon I called British Gas, under my homecare contract, to come out and repair/replace. I was informed that I had to pay the £99 excess call out charge. I said this was unreasonable since I had already paid £140 to get someone out because BG was uncontactable and I didn't want to damage my flat and the flat below with leaking water. The BG rep remained firm. I asked to be put through to the complaints section the person at the end told me a £30 reduction was all that she would do because: 1. I did not try hard enough to contact them (my phone log will demonstrate otherwise) and people were getting through on the day (not this person). 2. "It was my decision to call another plumber to save the building from water damage". I then asked to be transferred to contract cancellation. The rep duly declared the contract was cancelled and that I would receive an email notification to that effect. 3 days later no confirmation!! I tried to log into my account to see if there was a message but was locked out because "I had not been a British Gas customer for 6 months" !!!?? Interesting in that the contract was only cancelled 3 days ago? My next step was to use my online banking facility to cancel my direct debit to British Gas for Homecare which I have just done. My bank suggested I notify you of this - SO YOU ARE NOW NOTIFIED! I will not spend any more hours with communication systems and corporate processes that do not work.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Poor customer service staff kept hanging up on me and talking over me when I was trying to explain to them that I was having an issue with topping up basically I have not been able to top up my electricity via their app, online or in store I keep getting error messages on the app, online and on my receipt when I try to top up my key, and this is very frustrating because of the current pandemic. Staff is very rude also I removed gas prepayment from my british gas account last year because I only use electricity (because all my appliances are electric and so is my shower) then they put gas back on my account with out my knowledge even though this was supposed to have been removed since last year when I call them they give me the run around and it is very hard to get through to them I literally have to say I have a problem with my cooker even though I don’t on the phone in order to get through to someone otherwise the phone will give message about covid 19 vulnerable customers need help then it will cut. I have been saying I have problem with cooker so someone will pick up the phone then I tell them the real problem and I have to wait to be put through to the correct department and a lot of times they either cut the phone, do not solve the issue or are just plain rude.”

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Posted 4 years ago

“Had a boiler overpressure issue, 1.2 raising to 2.6 when COLD over 2-3 days at which point it starts to leak internally. 1st engineer disconnected filling loop and there was a steady drip. Now I'm no plumber but if water is leaking past the filling loop taps when the taps are closed then it's not doing it's job. YET they DID NOT replace the loop/valves. they've been 3 times now to fit Schrader valve, heat exchanger and some black plastic thing the engineer said could have gone BUT NOT the loop/valves. Got them coming out for a 4th time as we now have a leak internally ALL the time (bucket underneath) coming from... *drumroll* ...the filling loop connection! I'm actually happy as this just proves the mains pressure is getting past the valves, let's hope the next engineer just swaps them out. I've had no issues getting a slot quickly so have to give 2 starts for that, if they had fixed the issue first time 5 but a bit annoyed that in 3 visits the obvious issue isn't being considered/resolved. I'm just so glad I've got Homecare Cover as it would have cost a small fortune otherwise.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“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 100000 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. Update now I am preparing documents for the financial ombudsman. British gas still remains a garbage company full of .... lying to try to justify the incompetence of its useless staff .British gas Still lying trying to cover up for their incompetent lazy staff. Their the in the news again by a well known magazine for wholesale ripping customers off again!!!I still want to know how they are checking the safe working condition of the central heating without switching it on.Maybe it's done by magic as they cannot answer the question. Without any foundation they tried to blame the decorator who did not even touch the rad valves having painted all the rads in situ ,just more lies from this lousy rip off company. What a bunch of lying fools how can you check the safety and efficency without turning on the sysyem total clowns?No wonder so many people are leaving this muppet company.My decorator never touched the valves. QUOTE"however the annual service is designed to check your boiler and system is working safely and in line with the relevant laws and regulations, not a complete check over your system to identify any potential faults. "What a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! check without switching it on fools!!!!!!!! !”

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Posted 4 years ago

“Can't ever get through to them these days in chat or by phone. Still haven't given me my warm home discount and it's almost may FFS. Us vulnerable customers are screwed.”

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Posted 4 years ago

“I cannot believe how bad they are I moved from eon who are bad to British Gas and all of a sudden I have used the same amount of power in 6 months as I did in a whole year with eon. I’m sure wholesale energy prices dropped dramatically before I changed. Oh and by new estimate for me for a 3. Bed semi is £1900 a year really !!!!!!!”

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Posted 4 years ago

“AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!! Disgusting company I was charged a ridiculous amount for my gas and electric (£800 for 3 months) which was obviously an error as we used our open fire and log burner. However, when I questioned this they never told me the correct amount dispite 6 months of chasing them, they just wanted me to pay the bill which they could not tell me the amount. An example of this is that we received 4 different 'estimates' in 1 week, and when we asked as to the correct one, they gave a different amount! And I received a different amount every time I enquired. Ended up sneakily putting 2 defaults on my credit file and when I discovered this 3 years later and questioned it, they would only offer £20 as an 'apology' for their errors but Refuse to remove the 2 defaults (gas & electric) I will never use this vile company ever again! And suggest that everyone avoids it like the plague!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!! Disgusting company I was charged a ridiculous amount for my gas and electric (£800 for 3 months) which was obviously an error as we used our open fire and log burner. However, when I questioned this they never told me the correct amount dispite 6 months of chasing them, they just wanted me to pay the bill which they could not tell me the amount. An example of this is that we received 4 different 'estimates' in 1 week, and when we asked as to the correct one, they gave a different amount! And I received a different amount every time I enquired. Ended up sneakily putting 2 defaults on my credit file and when I discovered this 3 years later and questioned it, they would only offer £20 as an 'apology' for their errors but Refuse to remove the 2 defaults (gas & electric) I will never use this vile company ever again! And suggest that everyone avoids it like the plague!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I’m currently in credit with my gas and electric Total of £130. New bill not due untill 31st I’ve not even given them my recent meter readings. I kindly asked them to refund this amount as I’m unfortunately in a position due to the current circumstances where I have NO money for a food shop this upcoming week. I’m a full time Carer of my 2 disabled children and they say they are unable to refund MY money!! Absolutely disgusting!! Apparently if I add the recent meter readings they will process my bill early and see if it I still in credit. of course I won’t be what a ridiculous thing to say. I’ve told them I’ve maxed my credits cards and this is my only hope. They don’t give toss!! I would recommend British Gas to no one!!! Sorry if some of this makes no sense I’ve wrote it all in tears as I can’t stop crying. I HATE you British Gas!”

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Posted 4 years ago

“British gas have hijacked my account from Eon due a mix up of cross addressing 2 years ago and now say I have to close my account with Eon and then pay them for the last 2 years worth of gas when I have already paid Eon for the same period. Why did it take BG 2 years realize that there was a problem? I had no communication with this innificient company until March 2020 when they threatened me with debt collecting agency. I would recomend that anyone thinking of joining BG don't do it for your own sanity they drive you up the wall with endless emails. We are pensioners over70s with health problems we should not be treated in this way shame on you British Gas”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I moved into a new flat, so switched from b g that was already there, bills were all wrong been trying to get it fixed for 3 months can’t talk to them in the phone, they said 3 weeks ago they would send me new bills from readings I gave them no bill, because of corona virus can’t talk on phone, do did web chat I’m a key worker, I keep my customers fed, and watered, there service is horrendous, they just kept quoting a corona virus speech were here for emergencies, I just want a bill so I can pay and get rid of them they are a nightmare company”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I want to say, British Gas is a liar, cheater, and scammer company they will tell you a lot of lying stories like you are at the cheapest tariff. You need: 1. Do not trust British Gas staff because what they tall you are lying. 2. You are at the most expensive tariff and you need to urgently look for an alternative energy supplier. 3. Once you switch to a supplier then you can reveal the fact that British gas is scammers and will charge you around £1400/year!! I personally left British Gas and saved more than £400/year! Go away from British Gas lair and don't trust them because of they are scammers!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver, Postal Service
Average Delivery Time	Over A Month
On-time Delivery	Greater than 17%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 80%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.2 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult

British Gas Reviews