A small update. This issue is still on going with the lack lustre complaints department at British Gas. Now at the stage where both them and LCS are confused and talking nonsense to each other. Took a small while for me to get the complaint handler to get things back in email instead of leaving telephone messages which was not my prefered method of contact from the outset. Tick a box on a website and don't expect people to start phoning. I believe have enough information to make a complaint under the Data Protection Act about BG using Data Mining. LCS very quickly walked away when I made them aware of the circumstances of the matter. They do however make great partners as both totally inept. Both have similarities in that neither are ultimately regulated to the level required. That level does not have to be that high. When companies start talking nonsense then I will continue to seek redress. Mike.

Small update: Direct from LCS we work on the good faith that the information provided to us by British Gas is correct and continue accordingly. Sorry we can see and have this confirmed in writing that has been no investigation as they had previously claimed in on two seperate letters. Still waiting for British Gas to stop digging a hole and sort this total data usage mess out, I understand they do not feel easy about this. If I were them would also feel this. Data Mining is exactly how this has happened. Shame that no one more senior within British Gas will take charge of this issue now. Seems have to wait until 2nd July even though have raised these issues in an email to the complaint handler, certainly and fully at major disagree stage already. Sure if they need to buy more time then so be it. Will just park them in my inbox until ready to really deal with them. Mike.

I see the problem with this company and any attempt at customer service, is that when it stops becoming scripted from the screens they use end up telling you basically anything. Have tried to deal with LCS as the debt collectors the nice people at British Gas had put on to my whilst chasing my dead mother, who by the way has never lived at my address. I kind of get the impression that BG are understanding this. With them easy to think they get simple things have already proven. LCS really do not have the art of IT down to any type of form I would know about. Obviously they very much dislike any communications via email. As an inept operation could see why this might not actually be in interests. 8 Emails with reference numbers or not didn't make a difference. Guess have to wait now for some alleged senior person from British Gas to approach and explain matters. To my mind have already exceeded the stated time frame for them to get back to me. Sure this never matters to them, upset is only a word after all said and done. All about profit and lack of real service. They are great at that. Mike.

Hi Ericsbrother, Would appear that the email link I found was not relevant to consumer complaints. Looks like this might hit level 3, Holly smoke! Still cross that British Gas provide data to a company that have just been told we don't employ. Think they buy debts from British Gas. They should on a very basic level do what they say on a written letter. Not possible to have done what they say. British Gas are still the dogs dinner in this as fully know they have supplied some of my own personal details to assist the sale of this debt. Get put through to the probte department, pointless operation. What probate as not aware of any. Still have the exact same issue, no matter the sweet talking from British Gas opperatives. Where did some of that data come from, From British Gas. They really love to play inept and daft when they can. Really not fit for purpose, unless really need to use these people.

Hi, Understand what you saying. The legal stuff was part of our process anyway. This is the annoying part and that being British Gas and the utter lack of any Data Protection even on a basic & simplistic level. They need to ensure that the data they hold is both Accurate and True, never mind selling or otherwise giving it away to a shoddy little two bit firm. Then having them write to me claiming to have investigated a claim using these details. They kind of missed the very obvious, that being the death and has never been a resident at this address. Death Cert shows place of death as being the address they should have only been concerned about.British Gas are not fit for any purpose I can easily think of. Over the weekend will compile my letter with proof and send to the data comissioners office and raise my serious concerns. They need a big fine and be made (not told) to be complient with the acts we have in place for the protection of all. Will let you all know what happens next.

Hi All, A warning really to be very aware of British Gas and the involvement they have with LCS of Leeds. My Mum died right in front of me literally Back in April last year at her home address. Suddenly and quite out of the Blue LCS have done an alleged investigation of her having lived at my address. Have emailed the so called Director of complaints a Richard Jones a death certificate that very clearly and legally states the place of her death, also another legal document that also very clearly states we are not involved in the adminisration of the estate. Done obviously via a Solicitor and signed off by a court in Bristol. That is by any standards in the UK a legal document we hold and are able to supply. I did send him this but obviously is very non interested. British Gas have mixed and tryed to match data to get the wrong information to these other idiots. Hope British Gas terminate the contract with LCS as totally blatant were simply trying to put two and two together from wrong data held by Brisitish Gas. Will also be directing a very serious complaint about this via the Data protection as to the suitability for British Gas to even hold data. This is a clear case of very wrong information being stored and then acted upon by another inept company employed by British Gas. I really suspect that the performance figures on the British Gas complaints page are yet another utter work of total fiction & make believe. Feel sure they would understand data enough to try and make themselves look better, by maybe chaning a few things along the way. For me the real bottom line is, be worried exactly what data they have on you. Is it accurate, good chance the answer is an actual no. British Gas a sorry we got it wrong might be nice, of course will not fix you using my dead Mums name and sending me a letter to my home address. Data is not just a game is very serious. Thank-you for listening people. Regards Mike.

Actually do have sympathy with what they need to do. Some people will and do steal gas. My actual problem is when you have been branded have been branded. Eventually after me screaming blue murder was sent an Excel spreadsheet. My very quick observation is that they actually do not need to be honest, or even less use common sense. My British Gas charge sheet as we should call it, stated: Occupied. My version is that was a house non occupied and under heavy construction. The gas engineer would have had to remove building materials to even get close to the GAS Meter. They got in using a Court order from Plymouth magistrates, that an operative tells me no longer exists. This is where gets amazing, has taken since September 2009 until 2012 for British Gas to apply, what they have now elected to drop. Regards Mike.

Small update for anyone that is interested. By the fact of British Gas taking three years and three months to level this claim at me. Disagreed non stop for months on end. Had a result the Revenue Protection Unit did not or could not provide any information. Hence the illegal £640 was to be removed from our pre payment meter. Great they have not removed the debt, simply added it as a credit instead. Next stop the Director that runs this bunch of.... Shall be invoicing for my time at £15 per hour. Have already spent in excess of 3 hours dealing with utter fools. Here is where it gets very sketchy. I will suggest to him has no control over the data protection facilities within British Gas. They can not prove I ever did anything wrong, I can easily see they are making very basic mistakes now. I want my name cleared from the crime they allege, elect to not be able to prove. For me is just about clearing my name with these cowboys. Again would urge anyone, only deal either in email or writing with these people. Never have telephone conversations with them. Regards Mike.

My discovery is this, that does not matter if you have ticked the contact me via email option. Hopefully Tim Copper Digital Director will investigate to find out why then operatives telephone you instead. Perhaps as the Digital Director will ensure that BG do what they say, I don't think would really wait for him to either understand or change the system. Might be easier to suggest to the customers, will just do what we want. On certainly one instance left the own phone number of this organisation. They have and store information on telephone numbers. Oh we have not even gone through the non working (The one they replaced that they claim I had tampered with) meter situation. Then because sick of dealing with idiots my partner telephoned them. They captured her mobile number and also used this during complaint number 1, which lead to me understanding via email that I had tampered with a gas meter. Interesting to note at least 8 months between the two dates. I presume they would say I was still tampering with the meter, what the new meter they installed that did not actually ever work. The same meter that saw us freezing to death for three or more days. Topped up three different gas cards to the tune of £95. When the engineer finally arrived made a call and got this all credited back to us. Flat meter battery was the issue from memory. Hence my surprise and shock to get a claim from September 2009 from BG for a meter tampering event, have seen no proof of. Obviously they simply have own laws on these matters which appears they do not have to even prove. Probably should be thankfull do not run the Court System. I find it totally hopless that not even able to get very basic things right. Yet these people have found me guilty and are charging me already. Sadly do not think these people wish to communicate with me any further on this issue. I love seeing all the adverts that they run that claim "Looking After Your World" in 98% of the things they offer, could get a better deal for over 95% off the structures and prices they use. Personally I do not believe a word of it. Simply trying to build the business in to other areas. Sure are some really great people working for these people. I might just have to conceed that these people have worn me down to the point of not wishing to fight a totally non functional system. I fully know not guilty as charged and punished. Does make me wonder how and where they share this information. Might be some issues there. My advice again, to anyone reading this. Do not entertain any telephone conversations with this organisation. You really must get everything in writing, and also save a copy. If you get any bills that look odd, save them and keep them safe. They tend to rely on silver tongued operatives, who just use a script and not as basis of sense and actuall data. I may further seek to take this to ANYONE that actually regulates these people. Regards Mike.

Actually will lodge a seperate complaint that British Gas have no unnderstanding over own complaints procedure. If someone ticks the email box, one would think that would be the method your customer had selected. Yep another complaint, seems like i'm always complaining. They put the system in place and not me. They decide to change the rules and not me. I feel this is justification for a fresh complaint.

Oh we do have an update, I really hope that British Gas are following along with us. I selected the option to be contacted via email. Oh what do you know getting phoned. There we can see, the system already falls over. As they might record calls, I don't have this system. We do seem to have some communications, just not the one that I selected via your web form. I find myself in the position of wishing to place the email communication either on here or on my own British Gas tribute site if moderators do not feel this is sensible, and over anything would help others. The exact mode of the call handlers is just that. They seem to say quite silly things in email. The exact reason will never speak with them on the telephone. They have accused me of theft, took them some 3 years to do so. No proof have they provided. But by the very poor standards they employ have been found guilty all these years later. If anyone is stealing Gas, is British Gas at the tune of £5 per week from me. Worth repeating, only use emails and written letters, that way you have some backup. Regards Mike.

My last complaint has gone with no reply from British Gas. That to me at least shows utter disinterest in the way run this side of the business. My complaint of 8th Feb was never acknowledged apart from the self same email back to me detailing what I had said. I can easily see that they do not wish to discuss the matter further. They have found me guilty of the crime. I know never lived here, never used GAS - So I keep fighting them. Would be nice if they bought some proof to the table. When an organisation just blanks you, sort of difficult to fight them. I shall presume on the behalf of British Gas don't know how to say sorry now - We got it wrong in this instance. Then can fly in to the non sensical PR mojo stuff. Please nobody deal with these people on the telephone. Just use written letters and emails, also make sure you have copies of anything that they say. Regards Mike.

Hi ro284, Not an expect in the slightest, dislike bullying companies that can make claims, but seem never able to back them up. Not able to reply in PM. The rules here are the rules and happy with the system that runs. I believe you should hide your actual personal information and post here for better advice. Actually you will receive better advice than I could give you personally. What able to state as fact, once they disagree, they stop all communications. Any email communication these bullies might send you will need to be saved or created as PDF files for you to have a full and factual record of what they have said. Never engage them in any telephone conversations. It was only by doing this that I personally learnt of the claims laid against me. Asking them to prove that some 3 years later is a totally different matter. With British Gas Customer Service, well is not there anymore. Sure from the side they sit on have nailed another theif. The only theives are them, removing money from the expensive meter I fed. You can certainly reckon they have not heard the last of this just yet! With regards Mike.

Here is the real technical inside on how these people operate. They can almost handle very simple Desk top faults, and nothing else. Any laptop stuff gets sent outside of the company to a third party handler. I've personally seen alleged Acer trained personal forcing different memory on to a mainboard when Acer UK service became Esplex Plymouth. Does render you speechless.....

No reply came the reply from British Gas. I think that they don't want to know as are already recovering an illegal fee from the meter. For me knowing that I have done no wrong with regard to the GAS meter to be accussed. Have offered to now remove the Meter and safely cap off the supply. For certain they will seek court action. That might just be one extreme way of getting these people to talk about and explain things in the open. I know that I do get upset when so called procedures and practices do not happen. For two consequtive Fridays have raised the same complaint, with the sleeping souls at British Gas. No Postal reply to register the complaint, since I believe they foolishly consider they had closed the matter when an operative told me in email that I had been fiddling the meter. I feel back at square one totally, and will take some utter extreme action from me to get anyone from BG to either acknowledge or investigate fully my side of things. So no further ahead, apart from British Gas just blanking me now. With regards Mike.