British Gas forced entry & fitted PP meter for prev tenants debt!!

[Crotalus]

Thank you. Ive gone as far as im willing to now with these clowns. Ive been offered help here with Court proceedings, im going to start that tomorrow.

 

They even lie to my MP, how bad is that.

[Crotalus]

By demanding the £99 they are still trying to get you to admit some kind of liability for this situation.

 

They are a totally shameless organization.

 

I received a letter from an (apparently) independent loss assessor. They weren't independent. They were part of British Gas trying to force blame on me. They wanted me to claim on my insurance for the damage caused by their engineer. Don't allow them to send anyone to assess the damage. They are rotten to the core.

 

I am so sorry you and your children are going through this.

 

DDxx

 

Thank you honey. That was my thought too, if we pay this money then thats accepting their terms and i will not do that. The appliances were good enough when they fitted the PPM and they had been stood 7 days since the gas inspection.

 

Facebook is going crazy, ive had offers from new snakes for my son, to nice messages from strangers saying dont give up, if you give up thats saying its ok what they have done and its not.

 

My sons CAF officer is steaming. She has now waded into the situation and will be making a report about the psychological damage they have done and are continuing to do to my son.

 

Its now at a stage ive got to move house. Its going on that long that my lad will never be settled here, its always in the back of his mind what happened to Coco, his snake. I dont think i need to say to you Danielle about bonding and small babies, you know the importance, i will not risk my babies health - simple as that, so she has to stay somewhere else. Im sorry to hear of your daughters room, kids own space is important, its where they feel safe.

 

BG have gone very quiet.

[Crotalus]

This is the 2nd complaint about BG where they have broken into property with a warrant in the name of the previous tenant. On the other thread, apparently a little dog was subdued and the lady's possessions looked through.

 

This is a very worrying pattern starting to emerge whereby if someone moves into a rented property they are likely to be targeted by BG for the previous tenants debts.

 

Absolutely right, i read that thread, shocking. My sympathies are with the lady concerned.

 

What BG are telling me and what they are doing is this: They own the credit meters. Its their property, therefore they are entitled to remove said meters whenever they feel like it. Then demanding £99 to have gas appliances serviced by their engineers, even if a service was conducted only weeks before. They can refuse to switch your gas on until you agree to this service. Holding everyone to ransom effectively. £99 gets your life back. If you dont agree to this, they can go to court, get a warrant of entry, does not matter if its not your name, The occupier will do, and force this action upon you.

 

Interestingly, and if im wrong, please correct me, a Gas safety certificate needs to be issued once a year for an ongoing tenancy, or at the start of a new tenancy. I have a certificate, from a Gas Safety Engineer, but thats not good enough, they want one from BG at a cost of £99.

 

My LL will not pay for something that was done only weeks ago and why should she? Who is to say that will solve the matter?

 

I have given 6 weeks notice this morning. Thanks BG, you have forced us out of our home. Well done you

 

Ready for another day of promises, lies and incompetence.

[Crotalus]

Sounds like a nice little earner for them, doesn't it ?

 

Absolutely it does. Anyway, i refuse to speak to anymore phone monkeys, all it does is upset me, so ive fired off a complaint to Sam Laidlaw, Chris Weston, the chap in charge of complaints and CC the Daily Telegraph. I also placed a link to here. They wont read it, but ive made my position clear, i wont chase them up anymore, if they want to ignore me, so be it, i will persue legal action.

 

The person who made the offer of help re small claims, would someone give them my mobile number please or have them contact me. In the meantime my electric account with them is doubling as im having to boil kettles to get a wash, if they dare try and charge me for it, il tie myself to BG head quarters first before they get a cent out of me.

 

Had a reply from Chris Westons office. He is on his annual leave till the 19th August. Hope he enjoys it. The Daily Telegraph have replied saying they are reviewing my case right now. They are coming down on energy suppliers big time right now, this is right up their street.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Crotalus

[Crotalus]

Good idea, il do that now, thank you

 

edit: Done

Edited August 16, 2013 by Crotalus

[Crotalus]

Whoo hoo! Just got an email back from a Newspaper, they are calling me shortly after checking the illegal warrant was acted upon as that's the bottom line.

 

Richard Littlejohn is out of action till September, next is Sky News.

[Crotalus]

I think im really starting to get up the noses of the customer care team on Facebook. Good! I need some fresh air though, i have a rotten stress headache. Il be charging the packet of Nurofen im about to buy to BG.

[Crotalus]

Keep going people, we now have the attention of the CEO of Centrica himself. I got this emails and reply on the FB page:-

We have also received your complaint via Sam Laidlaw’s office and it is being dealt with at the highest level. Somebody from his specialist team will be in contact with you today.

 

Il tell you what, this will only be resolved to my satisfaction if the person who gave the go ahead for the warrant is shown his/her P45. And that little twerp who laughed at me and asked what i was complaining about.

 

As an aside. My username Crotalus is a genus of pit viper, known as rattlesnakes. Rattlers are pretty much ambush preditors, they can lay still for hours while a mouse or pray item walks all over them, till the snake has had enough and bites them in the ass. BG is that ass.

[Crotalus]

Im not dropping this, not a prayer. If i stop now thats saying Ive got what i want, go make someone else suffer. Winter will be here soon enough,this cannot be allowed to happen. People could die if they pull this sort of stuff on older people.

 

You have all been stars, each one of you

[Crotalus]

Well, i now have to wait another 5 days for an investigation to be completed. So another 5 days at least of not being with my kids.

 

I dont know what else to do. I am now officially on hunger strike until this is sorted out. Anything to get the attention of anyone who will switch my bloody gas on.

 

This is how mental they have driven me. The only course of action is hunger strike. The kids are not with me so what have i got to lose.

[Crotalus]

Well, ive just gone for a run, blew off a few cobwebs ( may not be wise considering the need for a shower is alien to me right now) - ive spoke to a Journalist who has seen all the evidence, she was in my home, discovered the warrant was illegal herself ect and fingers X`d its going to be a big story. I have asked for the payment they offered to be split between CAG, Reptile Rescue and Us ( i want to treat the kids to a little getaway, just us).

 

Without this place, i have no doubt things would have been worse. Even just letting me blow off steam meant a lot and with so much going on, others from CAG helping me here , on FB and Twitter....has kept my sanity.

 

Well just had a call from a very nice guy from Sam Laidlaws Office. They are dealing with the issue at the highest level and are sending a engineer to switch the gas supply on. He does not know anything about boilers being decommissioned, and people certainly do not have to use a BG engineer. Im assured that it will be on today, and the major issues will be addressed next week. They are aware i will be issuing County Court Proceedings unless they make a reasonable offer.

 

Fingers X`d this time.

[Crotalus]

Also Noteworthy is this :-

 

Ive been told that the issue around the warrant may not be a legal issue. Occasionally they have to issue The Occupier warrants because of a concern about gas safety. Now that was not the case with me. They sent me a letter addressed in my name , posted the Friday before the PPM was installed, by virtue of that fact alone, they knew the property was in my name before they went to Court. The letter states its for a debt of nearly £1000, not a considered reason there could be a safety issue.

 

So the saga continues. Hopefully a hot shower will be mine before 8pm tonight

[Crotalus]

I'm hoping so too, I've just passed this along to a national journo I know, they're very keen to speak with their various editors about it.

 

Excellent thank you. I`ll be more than happy to speak to them as it just gets more confusing as we go. Seems to have got BG employees` rattled. The engineer came out and said in all his 20 years he had never had his boss tell him to drop everything, a high end complaint has made its way to Centrica and he has to connect me. Poor fella was a bit concerned what he was walking into but he even stroked one of my Boas and commented on the empty Viv the deceased snake once occupied.

 

Well i now have Gas! Oh Glory Be! Both them and i know this wont go away, ive still got to find another home because of this, the pet is still dead, my son is still scared and im still livid. At least im clean and livid!

[Crotalus]

Hi everyone,

 

As its been quite rightly pointed out, this has a long way to go. I do have gas now but its pretty pointless really as my son wont return home and we are staying with his Dad ( my ex partner), luckily we are still great friends.

 

I have had a couple of days R&R but want to assure everyone, this isnt going away, i would hate this to happen to anyone else. I have far from got i what i wanted, BG have damaged my family and my life so the only way forward is County Court. I just need to find a pro bono solicitor now who will be willing to help me.

 

The newspaper interview i gave, i should hear if it will make the papers tomorrow, it bloody well should do!

[Crotalus]

Formal complaints have been sent, they have lumped them all together. The initial complaint i made, 1 day after the installation of the PPM.

I have asked for updates and as yet nothing.

 

Il try that Citizen B , thank you

[Crotalus]

Still nothing. Nobody seems to know much about my complaint. Its all very well saying its been dealt with at top level, but getting access to "top level" is nigh on impossible with the standard of customer service operators they appear to employ these days.

[Crotalus]

Did you make it into the papers?

 

I have heard nothing from anyone as yet. Im trying to find a pro bono solicitor to act of my behalf.

 

I have sent a SAR to BG, so the clock is ticking. We are trying to find another property, son wont stay in the flat full stop, he has been damaged by BG`s actions and their subsequent mismanagement.

 

I have had a few chats with the chap from BG and while he is nice enough, they are still trying to turn the tables on me by a pedantic attention to grammar and exactly what was said. Their POV trying to tell me i misunderstood....

 

My reply to that was, using my old profession as a example: they said i asked for PPM to be removed, therefore it was. I did not ask for an exchange, so did not get one. If they ran into me in my line of work and asked me to remove a foreign object from their bodies, would they expect to be sutured up afterwards? Of course they would, but by their reasoning, the object would be removed and a gaping wound left open, would they be happy with that?

 

Its like saying "call me" i can call them and say nothing but im sure they would expect me to speak. You don't say Call me and make sure you talk!

 

A Judge does not say I fine you £180 but make sure you pay in pounds and pence. I sentence you to 15 years, the assumption being prison, not 15 years in the Bahamas.

 

See how silly this is!!! This is the level they have reduced it all to.

[Crotalus]

They have no legit argument, that's why.

 

 

And each desperate attempt just gives me more ammo....i cannot wait to get this SAR back. Its the reason i have deliberately not referred to specific calls on certain days and those that are logged and some recorded, will be matched with the details in the SAR. I dont wish to give them a heads up exactly what i have, unfortunate admin errors occur that way.

 

If i cannot find a legal to help, il go the Litigant in Person route. The LBA is ready and waiting.

[Crotalus]

Hi everyone, thank you for all the support. So far this is where we are at. Son still refuses to return home, this is evidence with no gas or electric consumption in the weeks since the meter was replaced.

I have spoken with the chap from Sam Laidlaws office a few times and there is an investigation going off.

A SAR has been sent. However, my landlady got a letter from LCS Utility Investigation asking for detail again that have already been provided to BG, such as current tenants name ( how strange) my landladys private home details ect..... seems to me that BG are fishing for any info that would justify or help justify their actions, which is only peeing me off even more.

 

We will see, i will update as soon as i know anything else.

[Crotalus]

Hello everyone. Right, i have been more than patient and more than fair. This is the situation now as it stands. I have given BG time to resolve this matter, they have persistently ignored me, played games and set collections agencies on me and my LL.

 

I have heard nothing from BG since the last update. I sent a SAR request which still remains uncashed ( the PO) and unsigned for (recorded delivery). Seems the high levels investigation team are holding out to see exactly how much evidence i do have. They are clearly waiting for me to make the first move, i refuse to. BG have instructed the LCS utility investigation to harass my LL for information, when she refused to breach Data Protection, they are sending her the previous tenants bills now saying she is responsible.

 

Now they are at it with the electricity! ( same tenant, left a bill, we are getting it in the neck) - So now is the time to start acting. No more talking and believing their BS. This just gets worse, so im prepared to start another press campaign, they clearly have not learned the first time round.

 

Meanwhile, the situation is just as it was before. Son will not live in the flat ( im sure BG have checked consumption) and we are still in limbo so,

[Crotalus]

Ive just seen the Daily Mail story, im contacting them now.

 

Oh and, i will be launching a County Court Claim, bring it in at just under 10k and they will be let off lightly IMO given the sheer abuse they have dished out and continue to do so towards me and my children. 7k and a sizeable donation to CAG and il not sue your asses and rip you to bits in the press.

Im sure my son would be more than happy to tell the Daily Mail how he felt finding his pet dead. Balls in your court BG.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Crotalus

[Crotalus]

Changed supplier and taken all advice offered.

 

Monday will see the small claims launched.

 

I have to apologise for not updating as much as i should.

 

It appears that user Sparky0813 is actually my internet stalker

( initials are JM, should Admin wish to check)

who has a harassment order against him and has been contacting British Gas

telling them a pack of lies which has thrown the complaint into disarray.

 

I do have him blocked on here but im sure he will be back with another user name to carry on his harassment.

 

Should Admin wish to confirm this,

they can contact me and i will happily provide crime numbers and restraining order details.

 

I can also confirm his details used to set up this account.