h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Or more exactly around every UK British Gas call centre in 60 minutes
Now I know it's Friday 13th but not being superstitious(sp) thought setting up direct debits to pay my bills, whilst I have the time to sit and wait to get through to the call centres, should be straight forward.
I can confirm that British Gas seem to have lots of call centres in the UK I started off I think in Southampton, after a long wait and some dreadful 80's pop music,and press 1 for blah 2 for more blah etc., to get through. Set up the electricity payment but my gas account doesn't exist. There was a happy birthday song going on in the background and lots of squeals, so someone's birthday.
But I have the number here and the letter with the number welcoming me to my new home and my new meter(Previously had prepayment meter which was removed and replaced with normal meter when we moved in)
ERM try ringing this number they may know what to do.
Rings number....press 1 for blah 2 for more blah..you get the picture. All our assistants are busy please hold...cue terrible piano music then several interruptions of same tone ..change to flight of the bumble bee...well at least it kept me awake...after 20 minutes the repertoire ran out and the violin music returned to piano..mercifully at this point a male voice answered...scottish I think.No joy.I was then passed on to what sounded like Sheffield. The woman there said "why have you been passed to me? Too lazy to do their jobs ..I'll see what I can do."humpf. In the background someone was complaining about the fact that family has to come first and she'd told the boss.
Now I got some funky 70@s music on hold. Comes back.."I can't do it sorry, I might make a mess of it so I'll pass you to my colleague in another office"
More funky music...then a Welsh voice answers...Yes she can help and will ring me when it is sorted out....I have now been around the UK in 60 minutes
Once in the good old days you could walk into the gas office and sign there and then to have the gas put in your name and pay your bills.... sigh
Well a tour of the country via phone from my armchair what next?
to all. Hope your 13th has not brought any nasty surprises.

It's my dad's birthday, so we went up for and . Apparently my card brought tears to his eyes. I knew I shouldn't have frisbeed it at him.

hopes it were free phone number(s)

...in few years they mght have videophones and you "walk around town", while being on hold.

mina's dad..did he recover?
Pheloxi it's a good thing we don't have video phone..my face would have scared them

and no it wasn't free phone numbers...but local rate..the bill will be interesting

Yes he seems to be ok now.

"the bill will be interesting"I should think so!! Hope that all goes well(no further mixups) Hello to JK and Nessie,give the lads a good rub under the chin!!

My gas and electric supplier can't even spell my name right despite being correct more than once.
I don't direct debit with my bills because usually I have to correct their over-estimates of my energy usgae and sometimes the extra time for a new bill to arrive can be useful.

I tried to get through to British Gas about my electricity bill. I've built up a credit because they refuse to understand that I don't use as much as 'most people'. Strangely there's no menu option for 'I'd like my money back please' and after trying all sorts of options to get through to a person I tried their complaints line. They wouldn't answer that, either.

If they paid interest on it I'd let them keep it, but they don't, so they can't keep it, even if it is only £36. It's mine! They have put my DD down by £2 a month though.