British Gas Turns Up The Heat

We should not at all be surprised any longer. It has become the norm now that big businesses are only interested in profits. Period. You would argue..what else could they be there for?
What I am trying to say is that they are glorified and legalised robbers. When they make huge profits..they rub it on our noses and share it in an obscene way. But when things don't go right..the first point of call are the customers. Whatever the situation..they rob to win all the time.
By the way...why is it that in England when prices go up, they never come down any longer. Once prices go up..they hit us with a big WHAM!
But when prices come down..they remain at the last highest.
Me..I think this thing they call capitalism would die one day because a lot of people cannot afford the simplest things in life while some few have all it takes to live like kings. These companies need to self regulate or they will eventually die.

BG lost over 1,000,000 customers last year, why, because their customer service was poor and the price of energy, so, do what 1,000,000 customers did, move...Sooner or later they will get the message

Sorry, bizarerobbers, but the world is a market place. Get over it. The price of energy is not based on what you can afford, it's based on what it costs. Profits make only a small difference. Company efficiency makes a much greater difference. If you don't like British Gas making a profit, buy elsewhere. EBICo - who supply my fuel - are a not-for-profit company, and although they are cheaper, they are not massively cheaper.
You are lucky, you can choose your supplier - so do so. That's how a market works. The time to complain is when you have no choice, like when it was all nationalised and you had no way of telling if prices were fair or not.
After all, given a choice, you work for the employer who pays the best, and you make a "profit". You do NOT say "I am anxious not to get paid too much - which deserving employer deserves to receive my services on the cheap?" Nor do you say "I have some money left over this month. I shouldn't be profiteering in this way - I ought to give this back to my employer."

Iniq ir ight up to a point. However some of british Gas business practises are a disgrace. For Example charging Pre-Payment customers higher tarrifs on the spurious grounds that it costs more to administer. Maybe it did when they had to pay little men to go around and empty coin meters. Nowadays it actually costs energy suppliers less administer Pre-pay customers but they still pay mnre (Except with Ebico). Then there is 'Back Billing'. Thge energy suppliers avoid paying to read meters and adjust tarrifs on meters, and then suddenly send Prepay customers huge bills for energy they have already paid for because prices changed 6 months to a year ago. How would you feel if you went to fill up your car tomorrow and they charged you extra for the petrol you have bought and paid for over the last year. Even when British Gas started changing electricity meters to the new 'key' meters to allow them to electronically update meters via paypoint they cheated. They wrote to prepay customers saying installation was free, but engineers were instructed to put a £70.00 debt on every meter installed to cover installation costs. remember also that PrePayment customers are usually the poorest and most vulnerable. And ahat does the Regulater do? Nothing. Energy Watch is a toothless, impotent waste of resources that has to beg to be heard, and the Government does nothing.

Yes all businesses are there to make profits. For thair shareholders and to pay their employees. However it is the way they do it thant rankles. Thank heavens for 'The Fool' who is often the first to warn us what is going on.

Corporations have one primary legal and financial responsibility: to maximise returns to shareholders. Thus, Centrica is legally obliged to put its shareholders' interests before those of its customers.

This may seem unfair, but many legal cases have reinforced the view that shareholders come first. For a fascinating account of the evolution of the corporation, read this terrific book by legal expert Joel Bakan:

The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corporation-Pathological-Pursuit-Profit-Power/dp/1845291743

Cliff

It was with much interest that I noted the stance adopted by the Spanish Government
when Iberdola (Scottish Power) stated that they intended to raise their domestic prices – the response was a resounding and emphatic - No - The Government did agree to a review of pricing in three months time, but it was very evident who made the rules, and who followed them.

The contrast to this is in the UK, where Iberdola decide they want more money, and
the Government of the day stands and looks at its feet and does nothing. It does not
take Iberdola (and the rest of the utility Companies) long to realise that a dripping
roast is to be had, and no-one will stop them consistently targeting the undefended
British people as often as they wish, as they are precluded from such a profiteering strategy in their own countries.

Iberdola have been very shrewd in their take-over strategy, and by buying out the
major UK provider, and also involved in the nuclear bidding they now have a major high usage winter market, whereas the ,high power usage season in Spain is during the summer months.

There needs to be a more direct involvement from our political leaders to lead rather
than sit back and take whatever a company says and accept it.

Perhaps it is too little too late - a warning from history - but the family silver has been sold off, and our economy lies in the hands of foreign powers control our economy as they will. (or are allowed to do)

Probably too late, but we must still stop the tail wagging the dog, and get a fair deal for all UK citizens and get this
country back on the tracks that we never should have left.

I am a British Gas shareholder (courtesy of my late husband who worked for and was made redundant by British Gas - he only lived for 18 months afterwards). When B.G. send us our dividends the percentage is very small so unless you have millions of shares (these were often given to members of the Board of Directors along with their bonus's as part of their salaries) you receive very little in dividends. I am also a British Gas customer and have seen my gas bill for the Winter 6 months rise from £350 two years ago to almost £800 for the last winter 6 months (and I was abroad for three weeks in October 2007 at a wedding). I think it might be a good idea for people to turn their gas off completely for the Summer period in order to save for the winter. As much as I would like to stay loyal to British Gas, as a widow I can't afford these large hikes in prices, especially as they have recently announced that they are going to put them up yet again, so they are going to force me to look elsewhere. I am now off to turn off my gas for the Summer. I suggest you do the same.

Sorry Rhonda, whilst you are entitled to your views, blaming privatisation for all the large hikes in prices recently just isn't right, we are in a world market and prices have gone up across the board. As Iniq said, go to EBICo-they're a bit cheaper, but not by much (and they are not-for-profit) for your proof.
The whole point of privatisation was to cut costs by making the businesses more efficient, government run agencies were (and still are) hugely inefficient compared to the private sector, although it may well be that the level of customer care has gone down. At least we now have the choice and can move suppliers at will, so can go for the cheapest one, rather than just the price the govt makes us pay.
As for our "female dictator", at least she was democratically elected, unlike the militant trade unions who were effectively running the country at the time and causing 3 day working weeks, power cuts etc. Now that caused grief to the whole population...
The Scots have got it good and they are using their common sense in getting many benefits that the rest of us Brits don't (free Uni tuition, free care homes etc), but the English end up footing the bill. If the Scots tax receipts had to pay for the govt spending up there, things would be very different...

Well said gillianswain !!! You are right, this is not really the place for Thatcherite rants or left wing cant. We should all really be pulling together, writing to our MP's, questioning prospective parliamentary candidates, asking what they intend to do about Energy supply regulation. We should also make it plain that unless said MP or candidate intends to support tighter regulation then they will not recieve our votes. As gillianswain says, it doesn't matter what political persuasion they are they are basically in it for themselves, they get paid extremely well and are well taken care of, and if they are not prepared to do what they are there to do then they can very quickly lose their cushy sinecures at the next election, but that will only happen if we all act and vote with a common interest, the public. I think Lincoln spoke of "Government of the people for the people by the people". That has been sadly lacking in this country for a long time.

i have just discovered that MP's are suggesting giving themselves Tax Free Vouchers for childcare. This could amount to thousands of pounds per child which on top of their tax free expenses would be a nice extra little earner for themselves (and remember that until the vote tonight they were trying to hide their expenses from the public). Perhaps childcare might be a way round the problem for them? Would they have to declare how much the vouchers were worth and would it be a way of making it look as though their expenses had diminished?