Nasty Bit Of Marketing

[sunny-dave]

Very Official Letter from British Gas today (with account numbers and all sorts of personal info at the top) - it said :

"Your service agreement ends on 6/9/2018 - don't let your cover lapse - call now to renew for only ..."

Fair enough - except that I don't have an agreement of any kind with them - I took advantage of an introductory offer for 16/17 (it was the cheapest way of getting a one-off boiler service) and then let it lapse on 6/9/2017 - calling them this time last year to make sure they cancelled it.

I'm pretty organised - I found the cancellation and then called them to vent my spleen - they confirmed that I really don't have any contract with them and that the letter was just a marketing mail shot.

Now that's pretty nasty - if I'd been less organised (or more forgetful) then I might just have rung to 'renew' - or what if someone else was looking after my affairs whilst I was ill - they'd renew I'm sure.

It stinks, it really does - I'm ashamed that I used to work for a company that would stoop to this.

So - whilst I get in touch with the Advertising Standards people and Martin Lewis (MSE), just be on your guard and also keep a friendly eye on elderly relatives who might fall for this - apart from anything else the price quoted was 'eye-watering', so you don't even get decent value for your money.

[marval]

I agree Dave, very nasty, thanks for the warning.

[Patsy33]

Damn crooks!

[maggiebee]

Glad I read your post SD. Last week I received a letter from British Gas to say my Energy Extra Agreement would be renewed on 31st August at a cost of £4 per month. Well, I would have just let it go until reading what you said. Have been in touch with BG and am now awaiting a call back to get the whole thing cancelled. Thanks.

[Hopkirk]

Further confirmation to me that I should continue my policy of never having any dealings with BG.

[hereIam]

Shocking.

[tonyav]

The robbing gits are raising their energy prices ( again ) this year in October.
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/08/british-gas-raises-energy-prices-twice-in-2018/

[Barmaid]

h much nastier ********* Protect. Shortly having had ************ fitted, I poreceived a call from someone who purported to be from *********** who asked me if everything was OK. I confirmed that it was and that I was a little concerned about how hot the equipment got. He reassured me that high temperatures were quite normal. We discussed this for a bit and I was reassured. On the back of this he advised me about protecting my equipment. Like a numpty I came to the conclusion that I probably ought to protect it (particularly given my cottage then was a bloody death trap). I thought I'd pay for it, get the policy review it and cancel it.

Anyway, then I got billed £10 quid a month, for ages because I am an indolent idiot and forgot to cancel it.

So if you are a lazy toss who does these things "in a minute" never ever sign up to something you can cancel within 14 days. You'll forget, like me. Just saying.........

[david small]

They will debase the industry they represent,and care not a fig.

[goodgoalie]

The news today that British Gas have put up their prices - for the second time this year - is said to affect 'over 3 million people still on Standard Variable rate'.
Why on earth are so many people still on this terrible tariff, and not on a much better fixed rate? I really don't understand why people don't spend some time seeking a much better deal, instead of letting themselves be fleeced like this. BG have already lost over 300,000 customers this year, and if more people voted with their feet, they'd soon mend their ways.
Same with just clicking on 'renewals' like the one Dave has posted about, without looking more closely.

[Buenchico]

"A commercial practice is a misleading action if it . . . contains false information and is therefore untruthful in relation to any of the matters in paragraph . . . or if it or its overall presentation in any way deceives or is likely to deceive the average consumer in relation to any of the matters in that paragraph, even if the information is factually correct; and . . . it causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise"
[s5, The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008]

[Barmaid]

Too busy, too preoccupied, too indolent, too apathetic. GG. That's why. And companies make money hand over fist through those of us who are. Our own fault, I know. But still.

[Georgiesmum]

Ive always been with British Gas and I am on a good fixed rate tariff. We knew in advance that the price of gas was going up so I dont have a problem with it.

[AZardoz]

Are you people still putting a shilling in the meter, as I see in some older British films?
It seems that you are preyed upon by all the utilities.

[naomi24]

I've just had a call from BT - a recorded message telling me that my line would be 'terminated today' and if I 'accept the problem please press one'. A very attractive American accent the lady had too!

[Hopkirk]

I'm sure you know it wasn't BT, Naomi.
Everyone's getting that call.

[naomi24]

Hopkirk, I don't care if it was BT. If they want to send me a message, they'll have to find a more convincing method.

[fiction-factory]

If you genuinely believe you " just had a call from BT..." with that message then it might be worth a trip to some of the threads in Spam and Scams, Naomi. However I realise you may have been speaking tongue in cheek. The OP though is about genuine but unethical marketing letters from a supposedly reputable company rather than messages from scammers masquerading as acting on behalf of a big company.

[naomi24]

Yes, I know. I realised that after I posted. Oh well...

[Canary42]

Marketing and Nasty have been synonymous for years. I used to have to liaise with the Marketing Dept of a public utility and they were the nastiest folk you could ever meet, real bustards.