Phoning British Gas

SIR – I have every sympathy for the widow who could not get past the robots at British Gas (Letters, May 6).

Phoning last year, I was transferred around the globe to speak with people who did not understand the problems with my smart meter. In the end, in a flash of inspiration, I googled the CEO of British Gas and rang the office. Imagine my shock when a receptionist actually answered and put me through to leave a message. That did the trick, and I eventually solved the problem.

Do not ring British Gas customer services, as they don’t give a service and we are not treated as valued customers.

Avril Wright

Snettisham, Norfolk

SIR – On April 5 British Gas left a message saying that I had not paid my London quarterly bill. My bill to March 22 arrived by post on April 12. A reminder dated April 7 arrived on April 14. On April 15 I posted my cheque in full settlement.

On May 3 a letter dated April 19 arrived stating that debt collection proceedings were about to be started and that I would be charged £13 for late payment. I was threatened with a further charge of £17 for passing my account to debt collectors. I attempted to call British Gas on its helpline and was subjected to a long spiel about how caring British Gas is towards its customers. Finally I was informed how extremely busy it was and that the waiting time to speak to someone would be between one hour 40 minutes and two hours 10 minutes.

All for an outstanding amount of £37.21. At 85 years of age, I can do without this kind of aggravation. Peter Scott Graham

St Martin, Jersey