Convinced to remain: British Gas buyer Hayley Brackley
British Gas isn’t any stranger to criticism. This time final yr Money Mail took the power large to process after it left clients on maintain for hours, cancelled appointments at brief discover and despatched out inaccurate payments.
But now it appears British Gas has lastly turned a nook. Call wait instances are down and buyer satisfaction is on the up. Review web site Trustpilot is awash with five-star rankings of the power large, with clients congratulating British Gas on its glorious service and one saying it left them ‘100 per cent satisfied’.
Just final yr the agency was cautioned by the power regulator Ofgem after it discovered that the provider had ‘moderate weaknesses’ in its customer support, which it’s obligated to enhance.
Further reproval adopted in November, when the agency was slapped with a punitive £3.37 million tremendous by the business watchdog for failing to fulfill its good meter set up targets.
In response, British Gas says it has invested £25 million into its customer support operations after it skilled a rise in name volumes as a result of power disaster.
The provider has additionally employed an additional 700 name centre employees based mostly in Edinburgh, Leeds, Cardiff, Stockport and Leicester and has supplied further coaching to its customer support groups.
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Customer service continues to be not excellent — Trustpilot exhibits a variety of one-star opinions from clients the place one thing has gone incorrect.
But it appears to be on the correct path. Call wait instances have improved by 10 per cent since 2022, with the typical time on maintain now simply 4 minutes and 42 seconds.
Consumer champion Martyn James says: ‘Any energy company that is willing to invest in customer service in these trying times should be celebrated.’
Shoddy assist has improved
Hayley Brackley, 35, was about to depart British Gas however has reconsidered now the power large has improved its customer support.
The mom of two, from Thrapston, Northamptonshire, joined British Gas when she moved home in the beginning of the power disaster.
But when she wished to query why her direct debit was so excessive, Hayley says she was unable to talk to a member of employees on the telephone or by way of the provider’s on-line chat.
‘Initially I didn’t need to be with British Gas due to its poor customer support,’ says Hayley, a neurodiversity coach and coach.
‘We found British Gas so awkward to use. I was over £1,000 in credit and couldn’t change my direct debit with out ringing the corporate. I rang 5 instances, however the telephone line all the time had a two-hour wait.’
Transformation: Review web site Trustpilot is awash with five-star rankings of British Gas with clients congratulating the power large on its glorious service
But the current funding in British Gas has fully remodeled its customer support, Hayley says. ‘The website is so much easier to use and there’s a dashboard that tells me how a lot I owe, so I not have to name buyer providers,’ she says.
‘When I use the live chat I’m related to somebody instantly, which saves ready round.’
Hayley was paying £240 a month for her gasoline and electrical energy twin gas tariff however now that her direct debit has been lowered as she has such a big credit score steadiness, she pays £119 a month.
‘I don’t suppose I’ll trouble leaving British Gas now. It’s clear they’ve put the trouble in,’ she says.
HomeCare remodeled
More than three million policyholders pay for HomeCare insurance coverage with British Gas to cowl the price of boiler repairs and annual providers.
Two years in the past Money Mail awarded the service our Wooden Spoon Award after scores of readers informed us they had been left with out heating and sizzling water for weeks.
But current funding from British Gas has remodeled the service, says mother-of-three Caroline Job, from Henley-on-Thames.
The 56-year-old contacted British Gas customer support when she obtained a letter to say that her annual HomeCare invoice will rise this yr.
‘I rang a few weeks ago and spoke to a very friendly lady who picked up the phone within a couple of minutes,’ says Caroline, who runs a web-based meals weblog.
‘She told me I was paying for unlimited callouts but she suggested I pay an excess of £60 when I need to call out an engineer, which would save me money on my annual bill.’
Peace of thoughts: More than three million policyholders pay for HomeCare insurance coverage with British Gas to cowl the price of boiler repairs and annual providers
Initially, Caroline was quoted £405 a yr for limitless callouts however after discussing what number of engineer visits she is prone to want every year, she was in a position to cut back her invoice to £248.
The recommendation saved Caroline £157 a yr. ‘I rang again a few days later to confirm the changes and a member of staff picked up the phone within two minutes.
They knew all my details and had a record of our previous conversation,’ she says. ‘It was all done and dusted within a few minutes. It made my day.’
Caroline says when she rang British Gas throughout the Covid pandemic to rearrange for an engineer to repair her leaking radiator she needed to wait for much longer to talk to a member of employees. ‘In the past its customer service has left a bad taste in my mouth but that is now going,’ she says.
British Gas says that it has prolonged its customer support opening instances to 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on Saturday. It is providing £1,500 to households who’re unable to pay their power payments, even when they aren’t British Gas clients.
A spokesman says: ‘Customer service is a priority for us and we’re all the time taking a look at methods to enhance all our channels for our clients and the best way they impart with us.’
What has been your expertise of British Gas? Let us know at a.cooke@dailymail.co.uk