A frugal life is an easy life!

Got a new British Gas card from a paypoint 2 months ago, topped up twice no problem.
Came to top up a third time, put card in meter... nothing.

Rang pay as you go "helpline" (using that term loosely)

Advisor 1 runs a test, by telling me to put card in upside down, meter does nothing.
Advisor 1 - "this shows us that the card slot is broken as it won't display an error message if the card is incorrectly inserted. We'll send an engineer out, they will either replace the card slot or order a new meter, either way they'll leave you with £10 emergency credit, we'll refund your card credit back on to the card, so that you can top up once it's fixed."

No problem, wait for engineer.

British Gas engineer that arrived is not an engineer, he's a British Gas employee with an ipad.

He tries my top up card... nothing.
He tries his own "Ghost card"... nothing.

I left him to it, as he fiddles about with his ipad.

Three minutes later he's back in the kitchen, with the cooker on full pelt, "testing it"
"Where's your boiler?"
- It's through there, what's that got to do with the meter failing to accept top up cards?
"We have to test all appliances before we leave the premises!"
- Really? Without prior appointment? Without notification or permission from customer?
"Well if you don't let us, then we will refer inspection back to national grid and if you refuse them access, they'll turn your supply off at the main road!"

British Gas employee writes down the make and model of both boiler and cooker, then tells me to ring British Gas back up and ask for £40 refund to go on a new card from the nearest paypoint.

- So a new meter or can you fix the card slot?
"We don't fix card slots, I have no idea why they would say that. I can only reset your meter or order a replacement to be fitted."
- Can I have my top up card back then it's got £40 credit on it?
"No, your card has gone now..."
- I think I should have it
"You don't need it, it won't work!"
- I'd feel better if I had it...

He pulls a few cards from his pocket and hands one over that is not ours (dirty, heavily scratched on card and microchip)
He leaves.

I rang British Gas back up...
I told them how I was not happy with their engineer not being able to do what advisor 1 says he could (replacing slot mechanism in meter) and how I wasn't at all happy with him helping himself to inspecting our appliances without consent.

Advisor 2 - "Very sorry about that, you will need a reset card to be sent out, don't worry though, our engineer (that wasn't an engineer) has left you with emergency credit and we'll send you a card out to top up your meter with the £40 credit I'll put on it.
It will be with you tomorrow, then you will be good to go!"

Waits in all the next day, nothing comes.

I rang British Gas again.
Advisor 3 - "Just let me have a look at your account notes... there is nothing on your account notes about sending you a new card out!"
- Really? What do they say?
"Your later call yesterday hasn't been logged and no notes exist for it."
- Great so where is our card and why have we been led to believe it would be sorted out and given false information yet again?
"Could you go out to your meter and put your top up card in again?"
- Card won't work as it wasn't the card we put credit on and it's not registered to our meter.
"Look if you don't want me to help you I will terminate the call" [VERY shirty]

- OK I'll go to the meter again and put in the card that's never been registered to our meter and when it comes back with an error message, I'll then wait on the line whilst you go and fetch me your manager!

Suddenly advisor 3 wasn't so shirty and began to LISTEN!

Advisor 3 - "If you go to your nearest paypoint and top up again, we can credit the £40 back on to a new card then you should be good to go..."
- Don't I need a reset card from you sending out?
"No it should work fine once this code is on a card and it's put into your meter"
- But two advisors have now said I'd have to wait for a special card to be sent out?"
"Just let me check with our expert on the floor here..."

"Can I ask you to go out to your meter again please?"
After running through the menu options advisor 3 tells me that a new card will need to be sent out, but "as it's after 5pm on a Saturday you probably won't get it till around Wednesday!"
- Well if that's all we can do then that's what we'll have to do. What do I do when the emergency credit runs out in the meantime?
"Well we could send a code to your paypoint to activate the meter, but we cannot do this as it's after 4pm and the code won't work!
I'll ring you back on Tuesday to see if it's come!"

What a complete an utter shambles British Gas, advisors telling me completely false information, one didn't even register the call or what was discussed (breach of the data protection act - wwhereby a company advisor has, by law, to register all calls accurately) and incomplete engineer notes.

Top up card failed on Friday afternoon, despite numerous promises of action, each contradicting the next, I'll lucky if I'm able to top up by next Wednesday.
Not to mention staying in all day for a "reset card" to arrive that hadn't even been ordered.

British Gas are a joke... does anyone working for them actually know what they are doing?