BOC and Volkszone - Gas Offer

[Pete.Forrester]

Just been at the Sheffield BOC depo to pick my Argoshield Light Y. Took ID and 2 proofs of address and the acc was set up within 15 min over the phone and the gas bottle was sold me for:
- Gas 25.30 (30.36 inc VAT)
- Rental 42.97 inc VAT p/a

Really pleased with the price and level of customer service (Guy's name was Stuart or Steve).

Again, he never had hear about the deal, but after seeing first page of that thread he said he will sort me out and 20 min later walked away with my bottle.

 

[optima21]

I couldn't set my account up in person as I have no photo ID (no passport and an old paper driving liscence), so they emailed me the documents to sign and return and then set my account up. I originally emailed them the scanned direct debit mandate and assumed that would be ok. but after a couple of weeks I queried about when the payment would be deducted from my account,they said the direct debit hadnt been recieved and told me that email copies can't be used so I paid the bill over the phone. they sent me another direct debit form in the post, which has now been set up.

 

[skotl]

I couldn't set my account up in person as I have no photo ID (no passport and an old paper driving liscence), so they emailed me the documents to sign and return and then set my account up. I originally emailed them the scanned direct debit mandate and assumed that would be ok. but after a couple of weeks I queried about when the payment would be deducted from my account,they said the direct debit hadnt been recieved and told me that email copies can't be used so I paid the bill over the phone. they sent me another direct debit form in the post, which has now been set up.

I set my account up via email - they never asked for any kinds of ID at all.

The billing does seem a bit random - I seem to get invoiced around 2 months after I pick up the gas, which is fine by me

 

[optima21]

yeah if you set your account up at the depot I read you need photo ID but I didnt need any setting it up by email either

 

[Pete.Forrester]

Bo***cks with this deal... BOC insists me paying 75 quid for cylinder rental on top of 42 I have already paid.

Their customer service reps are the worst ones I ever encountered...

 

[Richard.]

All the big gas company's charge cylinder rental Pete. I too pay around the same amount every year for my X30 argon from air products. If you go to rent free you generally get stuck with a 9/10 ltr bottle and a lot of the time it's filled to 130 bar and the cost of them can be dear. Refills can also work out very expensive considering a lot of them only half fill. I've not delt with BOC as I'm happy with my supplier. So couldn't comment on level of service.

 

[Richard.]

I think richard he is complaining as he has already paid £42.97 in cylinder rental and now BOC want to stick him for an additional £75 in cylinder rental on top....which sounds like wires crossed somewhere...

Ah I see. I thought the £42 was for the gas. Yeah possibly a mistake.

 

[Bill Edwards]

I suspect some kind of confusion, it ought to be possible to sort it out with a polite phone call.

I was advised by a BOC outlet to carefully check my invoices when they arrived - coming from themselves, it probably tells you how common errors are...

 

[gaz1]

I had no trouble setting up the account account done via email then other the counter at boc just the workers there didnt know about the offer from boc once sorted no problem
had 3 bottles from them and then forgot about the yearly payment for the account

there was a charge for this as it was a late payment for the yearly account something that i had forgotten about

easy sorted out and charge wasnt that much to say i was at fault not boc coming up to my second year now so will pay for another year though ive only used one bottle so far this year and still half of it left to be used

once got i dont intend to lose the account so early payment into the account for me this year

 

[steviec_lj]

Right, just to clarify this one a little please, as I've still yet to actually sign up to the deal, but a house move is holding me back at the moment.

Is the Yearly Rental required in a single payment, or is this spread out over a monthly direct debit?

 

[gaz1]

you have to pay either a yearly rental as a single payment or you can top up your account over the 12 months after getting the account as the account is credited with what you put into it as long as you dont use it on refills

you can also get the account before you move house as i had to do this just changed the account to the new address by contacting the boc account people and changing the address over to the new address

I signed up for the deal before i collected the gas bottle which was 2 week after creating the account only at the ppoint of collecting the gas bottle did i get charged for the yearly payment and the refill of the bottle total price was 70.00+ is needed for the collection of the gas bottle to create the account and also take the gas bottle

 

[mr migwire]

my account was set up over the phone and i have no direct debit, i get an invoice a couple of weeks after a refill and pay over the phone with my debit card, my bottle rental is paid yearly on the 6th of july, i pay for both my puresheild and universal together.
i use an agent as opposed to gas and gear.

 

[Pete.Forrester]

C'mon I know I have to pay line rental, I did stated that earlier with amounts paid for particular item. And trust me lads I was polite, but after like 5 emails exchanged I went fuming especially with the level of neglect that is being throw at ya. Dealt with BOC as a restaurant manager for 5 years and they have been a problem every week back then.

Why I dont talk on the phone? Through out the years I learned to have everything in writing - avoiding phone like fire.

Firstly they wanted 118 quid from me, then 75. They keep insisting that I have not paid for the rental and I still own them monies.

Once invoices numbers were sent out they stop responding to the emails!

Another problem with BOC is slow communication - 48 hrs between each email responded and no chance of having your matter sorted by one person. Every time you have different customer service op referring only to what you have written in last email with no will whatsoever to see what have been said in previous correspondence!

I know, its a small thing easily sortable, but when someone wants from me monies I have already paid for my blood boils within seconds...

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I found them very pleasant and helpful to deal with on the phone.

 

[mr migwire]

THIS IS WHY I HAVE ALL MY INVOICES FOR REFILLS AND MY YEARLY RENTAL FILED CHRONOLOGICALLY SO IF PROBLEMS ARISE I CAN CHECK AND PROVIDE PROOF, YOU DO KNOW YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNT ON LINE AND CHECK INVOICE AMOUNTS ETC...

APOLOGIES FOR THE CAP LOCK BEING JAMMED ON AGAIN

 

[skotl]

Sounds like you've not been short of problems with BOC, Pete, but I'm another who's had nothing but an easy ride.
Any chance of cancelling whatever contracts you have with them, returning the bottle(s), get a refund on unused credit and start again?

For the record, I set my account up on email too. I visit the local BOC shop to swap cylinders and get an invoice a month or so later that I always forget to pay - I tend to pay on the 1st reminder and all has been good so far. Three years in and I think it's a great deal (once you get past the bureaucracy, which is probably what's killing Pete)

 

[Charlie390]

Hi all,
Just signed up as I found this offer through google. I have to commend BOC on their service, I rang them in the morning, sent a few emails and picked the cylinder up the same afternoon. They didn't require any ID for setting up over the phone and I paid nothing on the day. I also didn't bother setting up a direct debit, they just sent an invoice via email a couple of weeks later and I paid it online on their website. Total cost was £79.78 inc VAT.

I had been checking for the equivalent rent free bottles but here in Ireland, I would have had to pay more for a bottle half the size, filled to a lower pressure and then pay delivery on top. Whereas Im only a few miles from the BOC depot so I can pick it up myself. Overall i'm very happy!

 

[Pete.Forrester]

Finally my emails went to someone capable of handling the matter. Mr Adam Griffin sort me out pointing that the prices have not been set up wright on my acc from the start. That poses a question how lazy was lass who set the acc over the phone with who I have confirmed the prices in the first place.

Anyway, all sorted.

Returning cylinder was not an option, I have 25 miles return journey to the depot and I haven't even started using the gas, so returning the cylinder would mean paying again for the gas I haven't even used.

 

[mr migwire]

glad you got sorted pete,

 

[dai]

Pure argon £57 year rent and £33 refill+vat from boc