I wasted a lot of time writing to British Gas's Customer Service Department at the address on their bills in Southampton. Never a reply. Eventually, I spoke to a lady in their Edinburgh office, who told me of my mistake - I put my phone number on my letter!

It seems, any letter with a phone number is immediately sent up to Edinburgh "because that's where they deal with things by phone".

Top Tip:

So, if you want a written reply from British Gas, omit your phone number! Also, If you do want to phone them, try calling this Edinburgh office, direct on 0131 454 5000. Might be quicker than the 0845 number they give publicly.

Companies often employ numbers for which you are rarely entitled to the usual discounts. If you have phone packages that include "free minutes", these almost never apply, however most companies have alternatives tot he published ones...

Some companies it seems actually take a cut of these call charges!

Never fear, TopTips is here:

Top Tip:

http://www.saynoto0870.com/ - lists many alternatives for UK companies (also handy for just finding a number that you need!)

Good luck!

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