An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an
outstanding account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a
day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.
--
Tim Lamb

Ring BG's main customer query number, and see what they say.

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/help-and...sonal-details/
contact-us.html

"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
...
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an outstanding
account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a
day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

It's a scam, tell them to **** off

Tim Lamb wrote:
Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

Ask them to tell her the amount of a payment she knows was previously
made to the account on a known date?

In message , Andy
Burns writes
Tim Lamb wrote:
Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

Ask them to tell her the amount of a payment she knows was previously
made to the account on a known date?

That's a good wheeze. Sadly, because the flat has been let, she does not
have the previous invoices.


--
Tim Lamb

In message , Adrian
writes
Ring BG's main customer query number, and see what they say.

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/help-and...sonal-details/
contact-us.html

Yes.

Because they insist on speaking to her, I have not been involved. She
was out today and I have fielded 2 calls which quickly disconnected.

--
Tim Lamb

On 22/11/14 15:37, Tim Lamb wrote:
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an
outstanding account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

Tell BG to send a written paper statement.

I would not do anything over the phone unless I was reasonably sure.

If she feels she must pay soon to avoid hold ups, phone BG back on a
known good number from the website and ask them.

In message , Tim Watts
writes
On 22/11/14 15:37, Tim Lamb wrote:
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an
outstanding account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

Tell BG to send a written paper statement.

I would not do anything over the phone unless I was reasonably sure.

If she feels she must pay soon to avoid hold ups, phone BG back on a
known good number from the website and ask them.

Just done that!

It turns out that 0800 048 0202 from the BG site takes you to a call
centre in India!

Closely followed by an incoming call asking for feedback!

The confusion appears to be over estimated readings coupled with a
surcharge for non payment.



--
Tim Lamb

In article , Tim Lamb
writes
In message , Andy
Burns writes
Tim Lamb wrote:
Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

Ask them to tell her the amount of a payment she knows was previously
made to the account on a known date?

That's a good wheeze. Sadly, because the flat has been let, she does not
have the previous invoices.

"I'm sorry, for reasons of data protection I am unable to discuss
financial matters via third world call centres, please instruct the
originating party to contact me by post. Further calls will be treated
as acts of criminal harassment which will result in you receiving a
jolly good whipping."

--
fred
it's a ba-na-na . . . .

On 22/11/14 17:58, Tim Lamb wrote:

Just done that!

It turns out that 0800 048 0202 from the BG site takes you to a call
centre in India!


I hate indian call centres. Note I did not say "foreign". The accent of
the staff is invariably hard to follow IME. Why companies still go down
that route is beyond me.

Talking of which I need to give a certain large software company a
blasting. Got Enterprise Support (which costs a lot of dosh). So I am
less than happy about talking with people on the end of a poor quality
voip line with heavy accents to boot so I have to ask for everything to
be repeated 2-3 times. Especially when they cock up and tell me my
version of the software was end-of-lifed last spring! When in fact our
contract gets support until the end of the contract in 18 months (no
it's not MS).

Dell EQLLogic (disk arrays, SANs and stuff) OTOH are a joy to call. Get
straight through to a helpful chappy in Eire who also has an accent -
but not heavy and I have no trouble with them. And when they've figured
the problem, you get a call back from a 2nd or 3rd line engineering
person who might be irish, or east european - but in all cases, despite
accent, all have excellent and very clear english.

I know indian people in real life who have very minimal accents, so I
really don't know where they get the staff for these sodding call
centres from.

On Sat, 22 Nov 2014 15:44:40 -0000, "Phil L"
wrote:


"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
.. .
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an outstanding
account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a
day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

It's a scam, tell them to **** off


How can you be so sure on the given evidence?

If the OP has any doubt, then he should err on the side of caution,
but in all probability it will be a genuine BG call.

--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

"Graham." wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 Nov 2014 15:44:40 -0000, "Phil L"
wrote:


"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
. ..
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an
outstanding
account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a
day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

It's a scam, tell them to **** off


How can you be so sure on the given evidence?

If the OP has any doubt, then he should err on the side of caution,
but in all probability it will be a genuine BG call.

If it was genuine, they would have sent a paper bill first, then followed
that up with (in my case) emails and paper reminders.
Not once in twenty odd years has a power company phoned me, and one time I
was over 2 months late paying a bill.

If push comes to shove, all they can do is threaten to stop the supply, but
as it's an account from a different address, who cares? - the new tennants
will have their own account.

On 22/11/2014 19:38, Phil L wrote:
If it was genuine, they would have sent a paper bill first, then followed
that up with (in my case) emails and paper reminders.
Not once in twenty odd years has a power company phoned me, and one time I
was over 2 months late paying a bill.

Don't underestimate the f-up possibilities.

I've had a 'phone call purporting to be from my bank, and wanting to
start by asking me some security questions. Naturally I demurred, but
being in a good mood pointed out that they had a pretty good idea who I
was, but I had no idea who they were. There was a long pause... then "I
don't know why no-one else has said that".

It was my bank. I got them to send a message to the local branch (5 mins
walk from my office). Plonkers.

Andy

Tim Watts wrote:

Talking of which I need to give a certain large software company a
blasting. Got Enterprise Support (which costs a lot of dosh). So I am
less than happy about talking with people on the end of a poor quality
voip line with heavy accents to boot so I have to ask for everything to
be repeated 2-3 times. Especially when they cock up and tell me my
version of the software was end-of-lifed last spring! When in fact our
contract gets support until the end of the contract in 18 months (no it's not MS).

Which company?
(Interested as I work in software support - but no accent )

On 22/11/14 21:35, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 22/11/2014 19:38, Phil L wrote:
If it was genuine, they would have sent a paper bill first, then followed
that up with (in my case) emails and paper reminders.
Not once in twenty odd years has a power company phoned me, and one
time I
was over 2 months late paying a bill.

Don't underestimate the f-up possibilities.

I've had a 'phone call purporting to be from my bank, and wanting to
start by asking me some security questions. Naturally I demurred, but
being in a good mood pointed out that they had a pretty good idea who I
was, but I had no idea who they were. There was a long pause... then "I
don't know why no-one else has said that".

It was my bank. I got them to send a message to the local branch (5 mins
walk from my office). Plonkers.

Andy

I asked my CC company under similar circumstances.

They seemed more prepared and told me to ring the number on the back of
my card, then quote a reference they gave me.

Within 2 mins I was talking about the matter they wished to discuss.

On 22/11/14 22:33, lid wrote:
Tim Watts wrote:

Talking of which I need to give a certain large software company a
blasting. Got Enterprise Support (which costs a lot of dosh). So I am
less than happy about talking with people on the end of a poor quality
voip line with heavy accents to boot so I have to ask for everything to
be repeated 2-3 times. Especially when they cock up and tell me my
version of the software was end-of-lifed last spring! When in fact our
contract gets support until the end of the contract in 18 months (no it's not MS).

Which company?
(Interested as I work in software support - but no accent )


I shouldn't...

On 22/11/2014 18:20, Tim Watts wrote:
On 22/11/14 17:58, Tim Lamb wrote:

Just done that!

It turns out that 0800 048 0202 from the BG site takes you to a call
centre in India!


I hate indian call centres. Note I did not say "foreign". The accent of
the staff is invariably hard to follow IME. Why companies still go down
that route is beyond me.

Talking of which I need to give a certain large software company a
blasting. Got Enterprise Support (which costs a lot of dosh). So I am
less than happy about talking with people on the end of a poor quality
voip line with heavy accents to boot so I have to ask for everything to
be repeated 2-3 times. Especially when they cock up and tell me my
version of the software was end-of-lifed last spring! When in fact our
contract gets support until the end of the contract in 18 months (no
it's not MS).

Dell EQLLogic (disk arrays, SANs and stuff) OTOH are a joy to call. Get
straight through to a helpful chappy in Eire who also has an accent -
but not heavy and I have no trouble with them. And when they've figured
the problem, you get a call back from a 2nd or 3rd line engineering
person who might be irish, or east european - but in all cases, despite
accent, all have excellent and very clear english.

I know indian people in real life who have very minimal accents, so I
really don't know where they get the staff for these sodding call
centres from.
Had contact with a Sky call centre in (I assume) Scotland recently. The
accent was so thick that I began to wish, after several requests for the
comments to be repeated) it was an Indian (or other far eastern) call centre

Malcolm

On 22/11/2014 23:44, Tim Watts wrote:
They seemed more prepared and told me to ring the number on the back of
my card, then quote a reference they gave me.

Within 2 mins I was talking about the matter they wished to discuss.

Apparently that can also be part of the scam:
- The caller doesn't drop the call, but detects that you have tried to do so
- then plays a dial tone down the line to make you think the line call
has cleared down
- you dial the number from the back of the card, which does nothing
- a different scammer voice answers with a convincing patter and
continues to get you to hand over your security details...

I'm not suggesting you were scammed, just that it's been known to
happen. The recommended avoidance tactic is either to use a different
phone connection (i.e. mobile vs land line) or simply to wait for 5
minutes or so before calling back, which should mean the original line
connection will have timed out.

"Malcolm Race" wrote in message
...
On 22/11/2014 18:20, Tim Watts wrote:
On 22/11/14 17:58, Tim Lamb wrote:

Just done that!

It turns out that 0800 048 0202 from the BG site takes you to a call
centre in India!


I hate indian call centres. Note I did not say "foreign". The accent of
the staff is invariably hard to follow IME. Why companies still go down
that route is beyond me.

Talking of which I need to give a certain large software company a
blasting. Got Enterprise Support (which costs a lot of dosh). So I am
less than happy about talking with people on the end of a poor quality
voip line with heavy accents to boot so I have to ask for everything to
be repeated 2-3 times. Especially when they cock up and tell me my
version of the software was end-of-lifed last spring! When in fact our
contract gets support until the end of the contract in 18 months (no
it's not MS).

Dell EQLLogic (disk arrays, SANs and stuff) OTOH are a joy to call. Get
straight through to a helpful chappy in Eire who also has an accent -
but not heavy and I have no trouble with them. And when they've figured
the problem, you get a call back from a 2nd or 3rd line engineering
person who might be irish, or east european - but in all cases, despite
accent, all have excellent and very clear english.

I know indian people in real life who have very minimal accents, so I
really don't know where they get the staff for these sodding call
centres from.

Had contact with a Sky call centre in (I assume) Scotland recently. The
accent was so thick that I began to wish, after several requests for the
comments to be repeated) it was an Indian (or other far eastern) call
centre

Yeah, we get a lot of recent immigrants working in our local call centers
and quite a few of them have accents that are harder to understand than
the call centers in India and the Philippines.

On 23/11/2014 00:19, nemo wrote:
On 22/11/2014 23:44, Tim Watts wrote:
They seemed more prepared and told me to ring the number on the back of
my card, then quote a reference they gave me.

Within 2 mins I was talking about the matter they wished to discuss.

Apparently that can also be part of the scam:
- The caller doesn't drop the call, but detects that you have tried to
do so
- then plays a dial tone down the line to make you think the line call
has cleared down
- you dial the number from the back of the card, which does nothing
- a different scammer voice answers with a convincing patter and
continues to get you to hand over your security details...

I'm not suggesting you were scammed, just that it's been known to
happen. The recommended avoidance tactic is either to use a different
phone connection (i.e. mobile vs land line) or simply to wait for 5
minutes or so before calling back, which should mean the original line
connection will have timed out.

Dial your mobile, see if it rings?

Tim Watts wrote:
On 22/11/14 22:33, lid wrote:
Tim Watts wrote:

Talking of which I need to give a certain large software company a
blasting. Got Enterprise Support (which costs a lot of dosh). So I am
less than happy about talking with people on the end of a poor quality
voip line with heavy accents to boot so I have to ask for everything to
be repeated 2-3 times. Especially when they cock up and tell me my
version of the software was end-of-lifed last spring! When in fact our
contract gets support until the end of the contract in 18 months (no it's not MS).

Which company?
(Interested as I work in software support - but no accent )


I shouldn't...

Oh, ok!

(Hopefully fixed the user settings from this news software, so I display
properly)

On 23/11/2014 04:45, Clive George wrote:
On 23/11/2014 00:19, nemo wrote:
On 22/11/2014 23:44, Tim Watts wrote:
They seemed more prepared and told me to ring the number on the back of
my card, then quote a reference they gave me.

Within 2 mins I was talking about the matter they wished to discuss.

Apparently that can also be part of the scam:
- The caller doesn't drop the call, but detects that you have tried to
do so
- then plays a dial tone down the line to make you think the line call
has cleared down
- you dial the number from the back of the card, which does nothing
- a different scammer voice answers with a convincing patter and
continues to get you to hand over your security details...

I'm not suggesting you were scammed, just that it's been known to
happen. The recommended avoidance tactic is either to use a different
phone connection (i.e. mobile vs land line) or simply to wait for 5
minutes or so before calling back, which should mean the original line
connection will have timed out.

Dial your mobile, see if it rings?

Or if call cam in on landline, make check call from mobile.

--
Rod

On 23/11/14 00:19, nemo wrote:
On 22/11/2014 23:44, Tim Watts wrote:
They seemed more prepared and told me to ring the number on the back of
my card, then quote a reference they gave me.

Within 2 mins I was talking about the matter they wished to discuss.

Apparently that can also be part of the scam:
- The caller doesn't drop the call, but detects that you have tried to
do so
- then plays a dial tone down the line to make you think the line call
has cleared down
- you dial the number from the back of the card, which does nothing
- a different scammer voice answers with a convincing patter and
continues to get you to hand over your security details...

I'm not suggesting you were scammed, just that it's been known to
happen. The recommended avoidance tactic is either to use a different
phone connection (i.e. mobile vs land line) or simply to wait for 5
minutes or so before calling back, which should mean the original line
connection will have timed out.

I was on a mobile so that would not have worked -

but I agree, it could have been done on a typical BT line.

Really is time they removed this archaic practise of holding the line
open until the *caller* disconnects. I thought it silly in the 1970s,
even knowing *why* it was done.

It's completely irrelevant now.

Tim Watts wrote:

Really is time they removed this archaic practise of holding the line
open until the *caller* disconnects. I thought it silly in the 1970s,
even knowing *why* it was done.

BT are in the process (maybe complete by now) of reducing the time to
clear a call to a few seconds ...

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/briefings/wholesalelinerentalbriefings/wholesalelinerentalbriefingsarticles/wlr00314.do

On 23/11/14 09:47, Andy Burns wrote:
Tim Watts wrote:

Really is time they removed this archaic practise of holding the line
open until the *caller* disconnects. I thought it silly in the 1970s,
even knowing *why* it was done.

BT are in the process (maybe complete by now) of reducing the time to
clear a call to a few seconds ...

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/briefings/wholesalelinerentalbriefings/wholesalelinerentalbriefingsarticles/wlr00314.do



Excellent - thank you for that!

Well I'd certainly not do anything without a bill in the post myself under
those conditions, one can then independently check up on things.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
...
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an outstanding
account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a
day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.
--
Tim Lamb

On 23/11/2014 12:52, Brian Gaff wrote:
Well I'd certainly not do anything without a bill in the post myself under
those conditions, one can then independently check up on things.
Brian

I have had no problems getting BG to correspond with me via email and I
have had a few disputes with them over the years. Contact them through
their official complaints procedure (email) the complaints are monitored
and with the utility companies receiving a lot of adverse publicity they
are quick to respond.

On 23/11/2014 10:49, Tim Watts wrote:
On 23/11/14 09:47, Andy Burns wrote:
Tim Watts wrote:

Really is time they removed this archaic practise of holding the line
open until the *caller* disconnects. I thought it silly in the 1970s,
even knowing *why* it was done.

BT are in the process (maybe complete by now) of reducing the time to
clear a call to a few seconds ...

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/briefings/wholesalelinerentalbriefings/wholesalelinerentalbriefingsarticles/wlr00314.do




Excellent - thank you for that!

It allowed you to hang up on an incoming call and then go to another
extension and continue the call, i.e. if I answer in my kitchen I can go
to my 'office' without leaving the kitchen phone off the hook. It's a
damn nuisance now!

If you wish to clear an incoming call, simply press R (recall) that
gives you a new dial tone and you may either:

a, make an outgoing call unconected with the original, pressing recall
allows you to return to the original call, or

b, hang up, the phone will ring for a few moments and then stop the
original call will have been force released.

It's been like this for a long time to my knowledge.

Peter

"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
...
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an outstanding
account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a
day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Is the Pope Jewish?



--
Adam

On 24/11/14 10:22, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Sat, 22 Nov 2014 18:20:12 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

On 22/11/14 17:58, Tim Lamb wrote:

[quoted text muted]

I hate indian call centres. Note I did not say "foreign". The accent of
the staff is invariably hard to follow IME. Why companies still go down
that route is beyond me.

Because it's cheap - and they got the dregs.

Having dealt with MS and IBM support engineers from India, I know exactly
where the one whose English is flawless ended up ....


I'm expecting "it's not what you expect" but I'll have a punt:

IBM?

On 22/11/2014 15:37, Tim Lamb wrote:
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an
outstanding account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

As others have said.
NEVER EVER give payment details over the phone to anyone that calls YOU.

Only pay the amount shown on the paper bill or get a copy sent out and
pay by calling the number on the bill. Alternatively tell the call
centre it has already been paid by direct debit etc to British Gas.

In message , "Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬)"
writes
On 22/11/2014 15:37, Tim Lamb wrote:
An Indian call centre is currently badgering my wife to pay an
outstanding account by card.

The account relates to an empty flat with a sale in progress. The amount
claimed does not correspond either to the estimated bill or the meter
reading given to BG.

My advice to her is to insist on a paper bill based on the actual meter
reading and not to pay by card. We are now getting one or more calls a day.

Do BG have a call centre in India?

Unfortunately she can't remember if she actually gave them her account
number or if they already knew it.

As others have said.
NEVER EVER give payment details over the phone to anyone that calls YOU.

Only pay the amount shown on the paper bill or get a copy sent out and
pay by calling the number on the bill. Alternatively tell the call
centre it has already been paid by direct debit etc to British Gas.

Jobs done. Where have you been?:-)




--
Tim Lamb

On 30/11/2014 20:22, Tim Lamb wrote:

Jobs done. Where have you been?:-)

In a time slip it would appear having just checked the OP date...
:¬)