British Gas the great Home Care CON page 2

The Great British GAS Home Care CON.
“a contract not worth the paper it’s written on.” . . . . HOME . . . . NEXT

It gets worse . . . . From Saturday March 11, 2006 The Guardian

A long-standing worker at a British Gas call centre has turned whistleblower to expose how its HomeCare operation has slipped into disarray. In November, as winter began to bite, the service fell into such chaos that British Gas told call centre workers that customers without heating or hot water should no longer be treated as a priority.

The insurance policies - which typically cost £192 a year and rise to £293 a year - have been sold to 3.5m million households.

They are advertised as providing "expert boiler care" and offering "peace of mind". They are particularly popular with the elderly or anyone who doesn't wish to find a plumber in an emergency.

However, according to the British Gas whistleblower, and letters to Guardian Money, little peace of mind is being offered: just long waits, and in some cases appalling customer service.

As one internal British Gas document bluntly states: "We are experiencing extreme difficulties in meeting our customer requirements."

The whistleblower says:

· British Gas told call centre staff in November that: "No heat/no hot water customers should have appointments booked on a non-urgent basis." This lasted for around eight weeks.

· A significant number of 80-year-olds were left without heating for several days during the recent cold spell, possibly putting lives at risk.

· Over the past two months, customers have had to wait up to six days for an engineer to come out. If parts were needed, it would often be several more days before a boiler was repaired.

· The management system that books engineers and controls the distribution of parts is in chaos - jobs are regularly cancelled without informing the customer, who may be waiting for the engineer in a cold house.

· Call staff are still being pressured to sell new policies, while the system is struggling with existing claims.

British Gas says this winter has been its busiest on record and admits that at times it struggled to cope. It says it conducted 2m repairs in 2005 and that 60% of customers were offered an appointment the same day.

It said the vast majority of its 3.4m customers are very satisfied with the company's response to fixing breakdowns. It adds that it recruited around 1,000 new engineers in 2005 and will invest a further £30m this year in recruiting another 1,000 engineers.

The whistleblower contacted Money after reading our report of how it took British Gas three months, and seven appointments, to fix a minor oven problem for a customer in Surrey.

He says he comes across similar instances almost every day. He described the kitchen appliance cover as "very poor value for money" because customers have to wait up to eight days before they even see an engineer, and aren't normally phoned if the engineer can't make the appointment.

He also describes long waits for central heating boiler repairs - even though customers have paid for HomeCare insurance.

"We regularly come across pensioners being left several days without heat. In the past few days, I've seen an 88-year-old without heat for eight days, another 80-plus-year-old without heat for five days, and another whose appointment was changed to another day by the planning department without their knowledge.

"A terminally ill customer had their job closed by somebody in the planning department and not even rearranged."

He alleges that every third or fourth call into British Gas's four customer service centres is currently from someone complaining about poor service.

"When I first started working here, the standard call-back time for a complaint was 90 minutes. Obviously this didn't always happen but it was the standard of service aspired to. Now following a complaint it currently takes around three days for a call back from a 'manager'. Although the people who deal with complaints have the title of customer liaison managers, they are not actually managers as such - they earn roughly the same as the people who answer the phones."

He says there is a "vague threat of losing your job" if you fail to sell enough HomeCare policies.

"I'm frustrated at the lack of action by high level management to combat the appalling level of service being given by a company that is making millions from these products," he says.

His comments also help to explain Guardian Money's postbag of complaints about British Gas. Readers have told us they have experienced long waits without heating, engineers not turning up to appointments and problems getting parts - all things described by the whistleblower.

Chris Weston, managing director of British Gas Services says: "I'm confident that we deliver among the highest levels of service in the industry. But there is always room for improvement and I know that our customers have come to accept nothing but the best from a trusted brand like British Gas.

"We've had a tough winter, the coldest in nine years and the highest number of breakdowns on record. Clearly for some customers things have gone wrong, and I apologise for that, as I understand the frustration that a service failure causes. Our call centre staff and engineers worked around the clock - and continue to do so, to try to ensure that we can meet the high expectations of our customers."

m.brignall@guardian.co.uk

And worse . . From:

How British Gas left elderly out in the cold
Pensioners were shabbily treated by company 'committed to excellence' say relatives. Now compensation is on the way, reports Miles Brignall

Saturday May 7, 2005 The Guardian

The way British Gas engineers deal with elderly customers has been called into question this week by the relatives of two women — one of whom was left without heating for 17 days in January — and another who endured six weeks without hot water and was then overcharged for a replacement boiler.

Both women relied on British Gas to get their boiler working after their old ones broke down. However, both, say their relatives, were badly let down by the company that advertises itself as "doing the right thing" and "committed to service excellence".

British Gas denies it overcharged vulnerable customers or that the separate incidents show a more widespread disregard for elderly customers. But it admits it made mistakes and caused unnecessary distress and following the intervention of Jobs & Money has agreed to pay some compensation.

Doris Hill, who is 80 and lives alone in Llanfyllin, in Powys, South Wales, was left without any heating for over two weeks in January while engineers tried to find parts for her boiler. She had a Home Care policy for which she paid £152 a year (as part of a bigger package costing £303) that promised to immediately fix her boiler in the event of a break down. The engineer came out promptly but said he had to go away to find the correct part. He returned the next day to say that he was still trying to source one and would be in contact.

After two weeks, she assumed the worst and called in a local contractor who replaced her boiler instantly at a cost of £1,500. Only after the work was done did the British Gas engineer return with a date to complete the repair.

Doris Hill's son, Bob, who has since demanded compensation on his mother's behalf says: "I find it incredible that an engineer would spend so long looking for parts in the knowledge that an 80-year-old woman would be without heating in the middle of January. My mother said the engineer was very nice about it all and was trying to do his best but their treatment of her was unacceptable. I've written a strong letter of complaint to the company and also know that she has now cancelled the policy. But so far, British Gas has refused to acknowledge that its systems failed, or to offer any explanation."

Her case is more than matched by that of Joyce Gordon. Mrs Gordon, who lived in Ramsgate in Kent, sadly died in February following a short illness, and her treatment at the hands of British Gas only came to light when her niece, Jan Watson, was going through her effects with a view to establishing probate.

Along with a bundle of paperwork, Ms Watson found a letter of complaint penned by her aunt and addressed to the engineer who had dealt with her. "My aunt, who was in her mid-70s, contacted British Gas last summer when her boiler stopped producing hot water. Wanting the matter resolved quickly she asked them to replace the boiler. A quote was provided and date set for the work to start.

"The problem was that the man who turned up on August 9 took one look at it and said it was two-man job and left. My aunt spent the next few weeks trying to find out when he would return to do the work that was set out in the contract." In fact Mrs Gordon, who also lived alone, had to wait a further six weeks (on top of the month she'd already spent) without any hot water. The boiler was installed ten days later but the electrician didn't complete the work until September 20 — and then only after she had made several calls to find out what was happening.

"When I looked at the price of the work I couldn't believe it," said Ms Watson. "British Gas charged my aunt £3,151 to install an inefficient D-rated boiler that probably wasn't the most appropriate one for her needs. She'd had a standard boiler complete with hot water tank in the loft, but the engineer had recommended and installed a combination boiler which involved the expensive removal of the tank and pipework. It seems a very odd choice given that British Gas is promoting condenser boilers heavily at the moment, which are both more efficient and would have been a better choice for my aunt.

"I was also amazed at the total because I had our boiler replaced and it only cost £2,500 — and that included four new radiators and a host of other fittings. My parents had completed a similar job two months before my aunt's and their bill was only £1,574. It looks as though British Gas took advantage of her vulnerability and sold her the most expensive option," says Ms Watson.

The final straw for Mrs Gordon came when the engineers removed the false ceiling in the room where the boiler was situated, but refused to re-instate it afterwards without extra payment on the grounds that the work had not been in the original contract. "Her last few days were spent staring at the roof through the drafty hole in the ceiling," her niece says.

However, the thing that incensed her niece was the fact that British Gas signed her aunt up to a loan to pay for the work that offered six months interest free, but carried an interest rate of 26%. "It must have been obvious that my aunt was not wealthy and could not pay it off at the end of the interest free period, but British Gas offered her a loan that would have added a further £2,800 to cost of the boiler.

"It is absolutely outrageous they are signing up customers at such a high loan rate. On its own website the company offers unsecured loans at 6.2% APR — what is the possible justification of offering [boiler] loans at 26%?"

"I am so angry about this. When I was going through my aunt's papers I found British Gas leaflets talking about the how it is committed to "service excellence". I feel my aunt was treated appallingly by a company she put her trust in," says Ms Watson.

British Gas replies

In response, British Gas says:

"We install more than 90,000 central heating systems each year, and in the vast majority of cases we reach a level of service that people would expect from a brand they trust.

"Although there are many reputable independent builders and tradesmen, our TV schedules are filled with horror stories about rogue traders ripping off or even endangering consumers — a company like British Gas gives consumers peace of mind that they will always do the right thing and rectify any mistakes.

"Our prices are based on this — being a brand customers can trust. Unfortunately in this case we fell well short and we are extremely disappointed. In view of this unacceptable level of service we will reduce the bill by £500 as a gesture of goodwill.

"We have arranged for Mrs Gordon's estate to be given more time to settle the outstanding balance without incurring interest charges.

"The buy now pay later offer gave her a full nine months of interest free credit. 92% of customers pay off the balance before the nine months and our staff receive no incentive for selling this finance option.

"In the case of Mrs Hill, when we last serviced her boiler we said her boiler had some parts on the reduced availability list. As her boiler was almost 20 years old we offered to quote her for a new one — this was declined.

"When it stopped in January we had an engineer with her in less than two hours.

"Because of her age the engineer called back in person the next day to explain that a part would be ordered and offered her temporary heat sources — we will do this for all vulnerable customers who have no heat due to a breakdown.

"Where we failed, and what we will be looking into, was why her ordered part was not flagged as urgent as we would for a vulnerable customer.

"The delay in arranging a second appointment for Mrs Hill was unacceptable, and for this we apologise. As a business we are keen to learn from our mistakes and this case will be reviewed to ensure this does not happen again.

"As a gesture of goodwill we will refund the £303 — not just the £152 for the central heating cover."

m.brignall@guardian.co.uk

Colin’s new site under construction . . . . www.mcp-law.org . . . . dedicated to the letters (or lack of them) from Metcalfe Copeman & Pettefar Solicitors of King’s Lynn, Peterborough, Thetford and Wisbech

Are MCP going to turn out to be just as big a bunch of wankers, liars and conspirators as Solicitors Ingram Winter Green. (IWG) Islington and Denniss Matthews, Islington and Anerley in the matter of the Sale/Purchase of 243 Portland Rd Norwood, SE 25 ????

Let’s find out . . . . WATCH THIS SPACE

“ I am going to presume that Nigel Matthews @ Denniss Matthews Solicitors Anerley along with Daniel Ginsbury @ Ingram Winter Green Solicitors Bedford House and their clients Suryakant J Patel 2 Wickham Avenue Shirley and Fineland Properties Ltd, 43 Vincent Court (also known as Fine Land Properties Ltd. 2 Hillcrest Av. NW11 or Fineland Properties Ltd C/O Messrs Elliot Woolfe & Ros, Equity Hse, Edgeware ) . . . Reg owners Ruth Teitelbaum, 28 Overlea Road London, E5 9BG and Nathan Teitlebaum, Crest House, 34 Hillcrest Avenue, London NW11 0EN, CONSPIRED to lie, deceive and defraud me of my considerable claims in the matter of this dispute. . . See why ? . . . Click here

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Millions of British Gas customers are facing higher bills after the firm raised its gas and electricity prices.

The UK's biggest energy supplier will raise gas and electricity tariffs by 22% from 1 March 2006.

Bleak day

Market distortions

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UK version International version About the versions|Low graphics|Help|Contact us

Last Updated: Friday, 17 February 2006, 15:28 GMT

Printable version

British Gas raises prices by 22%

Gas companies have started passing on higher costs to consumers

The firm blamed the increase on substantial rises in wholesale prices, up more than 70% since September.

On Thursday, the European Commission said some European energy firms were holding back gas supplies, driving up prices of imports into the UK.

In the past few days, both EDF Energy and Scottish Power also have raised their prices.

News of British Gas's move prompted consumer groups to voice concerns about the effects of the increases.

Energywatch called it the bleakest day yet for energy consumers in Britain, while Age Concern said older people needed extra protection from fuel poverty.

"An extra 200,000 older people are pushed into fuel poverty when a 10% increase occurs, so this particular price rise will have a wide effect on vulnerable pensioners," said Mervyn Kohler, a spokesman for Help the Aged.

Even after these increases, British Gas continues to shoulder a portion of the burden these higher wholesale costs

British Gas

Send us your reaction

British Gas defended its decision to boost prices, saying that UK consumers still pay substantially less than their peers in Germany, France and Italy.

"Even after these increases, British Gas continues to shoulder a portion of the burden of these higher wholesale costs," it explained.

It also said it would provide a 'Winter Rebate' of £90 to 300,000 of its most vulnerable customers.

British Gas said that wholesale gas prices are 63% higher this year than they were in 2005, and more than triple their 2003 levels.

Wholesale prices in the UK are now the highest in Europe, the company added.

British Gas said a main cause of the increases were anti-competitive practices in Europe, where gas and power markets have been slower to liberalise than in the UK and many of the largest companies are still state-owned.

UK gas companies have complained about their access to gas pipelines

Earlier this month, British Gas-owner Centrica estimated that UK consumers have paid an extra £300m for gas this winter because of problems with the European gas supply system.

The problems prompted the group to warn in December, just months after raising prices by 14%, that tariffs would have to rise once more.

Centrica said a lack of competition had made it difficult to get enough gas to meet demand at peak times.

Its British Gas has a 55% share of the gas market and 23% of electricity. It has eleven million gas accounts and six million electric.

The supply and pricing problems have become so acute that the European Union has launched an investigation into the gas and electricity sectors in an effort to crackdown on anti-competitive behaviour.

Without naming companies, EU competition boss Neelie Kroes said on Thursday that a number of firms now faced separate probes.

Printable version

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From --complain-->Avoid British Gas at all costs they do not keep to there ...

So I contacted British Gas Home care to tell them what had happened who admitted negligence on the telephone for not checking to make sure there was no gas escape or gas coming to the property

www.complainandshame.co.uk/cands/viewad.asp?id=50001336023100003 Cached page 22/03/2006

Below is a letter that was sent to all the companies and associated press offices within the British Gas and Transco Families.

To Date 31st May - Transco have still not corrected the fact ive now been without gas for 6 days! kind of hard to live, eat, clean and heat without a gas supply when we have a gas only boiler to.

The Letter:

FAO: British Gas Chief Executives Office / Transco Chief Executives Office

On Thursday 26th we contacted British Gas as we noticed that the boiler was not starting. An engineer was booked for Friday between 12-6pm. He turned up at 5.30. Looked at the outside of the boiler I explained the problem he then told me that it was a blown electrical circuit before he has even examined it. I asked if he was sure and asked that a lead engineer be sent out as it was a new boiler and we have had nothing but trouble since we brought it off you less than two years ago. He declined that request explaining to me that a boiler is the same as a car you can buy one tomorrow and it can brake? Anyhow he ordered the part and said it would be here on Tuesday and he would be here to install it then.

So we were left with no boiler at all again I say again because three years ago your service man condemned our boiler which was on three star care and because they had stopped manufacturing that boiler you CANCELLED the service agreement and said you need to buy another boiler. The quote was £2500 which we could not afford and were then left with no hot water and no heating for over a year! So you can understand why when we find the £2500 you wanted for the boiler I get so annoyed when you supply a boiler that keeps on breaking.

Anyway that is only the half of it. So he left, the next day I tried to cook. Only to realise that there was NO GAS AT ALL. Transco came out and said there is def no gas there seems to be a problem I need to call a team out to dig and find the problem.

They isolated the problem; basically Transco subcontractors have cut the main supply to the building and rerouted it to the ground floor flat. So here lies the problem. It transpires this has been like this since Wednesday.

If you engineer followed simple procedures for Safety and for fixing a boiler that wont start then the problem would have been found out then and there and something could have been done about it before the weekend and more importantly whilst the ground floor flat were still around. As it goes they have now left with no idea when they are coming back and Transco cannot give us gas until they get into the bottom flat so now we are left yet again with no gas to the building, and this time I can’t even cook anything at all!

So I contacted British Gas Home care to tell them what had happened who admitted negligence on the telephone for not checking to make sure there was no gas escape or gas coming to the property. He told me he would call me on Sunday as there was nothing that could be done on Saturday as he needed to speak to the service manager who was off for the bank holiday weekend – ok for some.

Sunday morning I have about 5 missed calls on my phone and then a service man comes knocking at the door to fix the problems that the other guy left? How is he supposed to fix a problem when there is no gas coming to the building?

So I rang the guy back at British gas who has at this point changed his tune and is now saying that the service man does not need to check for gas escape or that there is gas coming into the building anymore under new terms of the agreement?

As you can imagine at this I lost it and explained once again a lot louder that if his service engineer would have done a really simple check on Friday we would have been able to gain access to the bottom flat and we would not need to be having this conversation now as my gas would be back on after the past 5 days of not having any!

At that I said forget it Transco are more on the ball and are dealing with it get your manager to call me back in ref to your service man missing something as important as checking to see if gas had been leaking or even coming into the building. That’s surely the first check you make? I have asked the Transco engineers who have said that to check is obvious.

Any way 17.02pm I receive a call from a “duty Manager at the Leister call centre who tells me that because I shouted at his member of staff he is cancelling my 3 star care AGAIN. Apparently under your new terms and conditions if I raise my voice you can cancel my contract.

I was loud and not happy on the phone at all because if its not bad enough we don’t have gas, but you waste my time on Friday with your engineer who doesn’t even check to see if there is gas coming into the building and then again this morning you send someone round again to fix “my problem” when you obviously have not listened to a word that I had said for the previous two days, if you had you would have realised that you cannot do anything as there is nothing to do as we don’t have gas and there is probably nothing wrong with the boiler at all its probably just no gas.

Who is Mr Dhillon to call me and cancel my service contract based upon a conversation that would not have taken place if the service engineer who came out did his job properly on Friday when he attended the property?

Surely Mr Dhillons job, being duty manager is to rectify the situation, and not to provoke it to the stage where I’m spending two hours writing you a letter and posting it on the web.

So we are left yet again without a service care contract. I don’t understand how you can get away with cancelling peoples insurance policy like you do. Imagine you have Life insurance and you die and they say you know what we don’t want to pay out to your wife and kids because well because we don’t like you. It would not hold up and its not going to here either I’m sick of it last time I was left without any heating and hot water because you cancelled our service care, I naturally assumed that that was a one off and after spending so much money on a new boiler and our very very high electricity bills that you would possibly look after me as a customer.

The last time you left us without a boiler and you cancelled our contract because you could not provide a new one, you just refunded the money and said there you go go away.

With respect this property has been with British Gas for best part of 14 years. Service care on the old boiler was 5 years I had it for 2 which is 7 years and you just cancel it.

In addition I have my gas and my electricity through you and 3 star service care.

I am not going to leave this as currently I have no gas and no service care as “Mr Dhillan your call centre manager” has cancelled it.

So we can start by arranging a new provider for my gas and my electricity please arrange for some one to call me to arrange this I will have the details for my new provider within the next couple of hours as im working on this now.

As I brought the boiler from you and spend over £2k a year with you on electricity and gas on a electricity every year, I expect a certain level of care for which I know you have been negligent, this was all before I lost my temper at your manager who was not listening to me so I feel that this is your fault to rectify not mine.

You say it all here ITS TIME FOR BRITISH GAS TO DO THE RIGHT THING!

“At British Gas, we have a responsibility to meet our customers' needs for energy and complementary home services. We also understand that we have a responsibility to manage the impact of our products and services on the environment and local communities. To do this, we work closely with key stakeholders that include our customers, employees and investors.

Our promise to 'do the right thing' stands at the heart of everything we do. We are working hard to ensure our approach to corporate responsibility becomes part of our values and everyday business practice. Ultimately, we believe this approach will help us deliver a sustainable business approach in our chosen markets.”

I am sending this fax to British Gas head office, Centrica Plc (and your chairman’s offices), EnergyWatch, Transco Head Office, And to Various Press Contacts that I have as well as various websites. purely as everyone seems to be passing the buck inevitably British Gas this is your job to sort out.

I expect a call back on Tuesday Morning My Telephone Number is ==========.

Regards

Gary C

------------------------------------------

THE RESPONSE

So far british gas have taken back the cancelation and said i can have it without any question (hmm i wonder how long it will be before its cancelled again..... i await there letter with an official response and offering.

Transco - I have had there press officer email me and checking what is going on. It has become aparant that if transco did not touch the pipe in the first place without permission then we would not be without gas as of now which we are and have been for 6 days!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st June:

STILL NO GAS!!!! Come on transco how long does it take ? called and emailed

all parties again today still awaiting gas....

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.30 pm 1st of June: **** it go for there balls transco are a bunch of idiots "hopefully it will be back on by the end of the week" were apparantly waiting on scafolding, i said and you cant go out and hire it somewhere else just to get the job done? and they were like nope.

martin writes "Gone are the days of the Gas Board we owned and trusted. Thanks to privatisation the 'business' British Gas was born... and it's no longer just about gas supply. British Gas is now part of a competitive market offering almost everything you need for modern living - from Internet and phone calls to homecare insurance. All promoted with a simple promise 'British Gas - doing the right thing'. A number of Watchdog viewers have contacted us to tell us otherwise.

Jen Harding took out a British Gas Homecare agreement for peace of mind. For about £23 a month British Gas will cover you if anything goes wrong with your central heating, electrical appliances and plumbing and drains. When the Hardings discovered a leak in their airing cupboard they called in British Gas. They needed a new hot water tank. It took British Gas three engineers and nearly two weeks to get it sorted. After the work was done they found they had more leaks, flooding their conservatory. It took another two engineers, two more tanks and another week to get the Harding's hot water back on.

Helen Woodward called on her plumbing and drains care cover when she discovered a sewage smell in her house. British Gas sent out two plumbing engineers. They came and went but the smell remained. The family moved into their caravan for three weeks to escape the smell. The local council identified that a waste water pipe was to blame, a simple problem and she should've been covered. After five weeks Helen, in desperation, paid £250 for a plumber who fixed the problem immediately.

The Mathiy family contacted British Gas when they discovered problems with their central heating. Visits from two engineers didn't solve the problem. British Gas left the family with no hot water and no heating, just a promise that the parts needed to fix it would arrive in 24 hours. They didn't. We were there when they finally did arrive - and an important part was wrong. British Gas did eventually get the part and fixed their boiler the following day. Despite numerous phone calls, excuses and call-outs, British Gas left the family with no hot water and heating for two weeks.

All three cases found it very difficult to get through to British Gas and were disappointed with their customer services. British Gas - doing the right thing?

If you have a complaint regarding British Gas Homecare contact your local Trading Standards office. Contact details can be found at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk

(BBC Tv Watchdog) "

From . . . . UK Whitegoods - British Gas Homecare -the complaints continue!

Jen Harding took out a British Gas Homecare agreement for peace of mind. For about £23 a month British Gas will cover you if anything goes wrong with your central heating, electrical appliances and ...
www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1449 Cached page

British Gas - Incompetents or Liars or Both - You Decide

If you have a British Gas Homecare package, it could end up costing you a fortune in wasted time off. And, unless you have unlimited patience and unlimited phone bill, you really don't need the stress. They continually confirmed an appointment and then failed to turn up. When complaining, we were told - we don't do evening appointments. We said, yes you do, you offered it. So are they incompetent or liars or what?

The sad thing is that all British Gas had to do was deliver what it had suggested. If they had phoned us back with a weekend appointment as they said they would - no problem. If they had delivered on the evening appointment they themselves offered - no problem. If they had turned up at the appintment they had confirmed three times - no problem.

But no - they delivered nothing they promised. And failed to tell us the truth on a number of occasions for no good reason.

Is there, as MBH says, any reason why we should let these people into our house ever again? And also, how much compensation should we go for?

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | British Gas chaos leaves thousands ...

While the system was unable to cope, he says the company continued to press staff to sell policies to new customers. British Gas admitted it has experienced problems with its HomeCare operation, but ... www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1728557,00.html Cached page

Thousands of British Gas customers have been left without heating or hot water for days - and in some cases weeks - during the coldest part of winter because the company's HomeCare insurance operation is in chaos.

A whistleblower who works for British Gas has revealed that staff were told customers without central heating "no longer constituted a priority", even though they have paid around £200 a year for emergency call-out insurance.

More than 3.4 million people have such policies promising "expert boiler care", but thousands have endured long waits in the cold for engineers who often fail to arrive or don't have the correct parts.

The whistleblower contacted the Guardian after reading our report on how it took British Gas three months and seven appointments to fix a minor problem in an oven in Surrey.

He says call centre staff deal with similar instances every day, and every "third or fourth call is currently from someone complaining about the poor service they have received".

He reveals that appointments to fix boilers are frequently cancelled without informing the customer. Around Christmas it was taking the company six days to fix some boilers - longer if new parts were required. While the system was unable to cope, he says the company continued to press staff to sell policies to new customers.

British Gas admitted it has experienced problems with its HomeCare operation, but denied several of the whistleblower's claims.

www.british-gas-complaints.co.uk

On 28th November 2003 when my mother was no longer able to care for herself and needed to move from her home I called British Gas to close the account.
www.british-gas-complaints.co.uk/alma_hayes.htm Cached page

http://www.ciao.co.uk/British_Gas__Review_5542687

After letters and telephone call to them, and threatening them with watchdog (on t.v) we took it to their ombudsman..Twice we have had their watchdog on to the case,.Their management team were given a certain amount of time to sort the problems,and for a month, they stopped taking direct debits, as 'a gesture of goodwill' and at one stage, did think it had finally been sorted, only to recieve an astronomical bill the following month. My husband is registered disabled, and British Gas kindly gave him a peptic Ulcer.
With such a big well known company, their attitude towards customers should be better,it seems as soon as they have your signature to become your supplier their interest and honours stop.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Buyer_Beware_urgent_warnings_about_products_services_to_avoid_at_all_costs
We waited and waited, no one came, 7pm we called BG who told us someone was comming as we are a high priority they could come at any time, as you guessed they didnt and again back on the phone, they apologised for their lies (well THEY didnt admit they were lies) and told us that DYNO ROD (the firm BG use for plumbing and things) are refusing to come out because the toilet had been fitted incorrectly!! (you got to give it to them they actually took time to read the terms and conditions this time to find some excuse they could use!)
We spoke to the pumber who checked the fitting and confirmed there is nothing wrong, so again we called British Gas we went through the speil again,

so still stuck with a blocked toilet. the only one in the house, its been 3 weeks now so you can imagine the ongoing inconvenience! Really dont know what to do now. apart from warn others

On Grumbletext.. British Gas- Hello, Flame TV are currently making ...
Re: British Gas Homecare - Incompetents or Liars? Post a reply to this message ·
Reply quoting text of message. Have read with interest the comments about ...
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Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Tooting
Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, has expressed his disgust at the way many of
his constituents are being treated by British Gas and their Homecare ...
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From . . . British Gas Homecare -the complaints continue!