British Gas says customers prefer a chatbot, but you still have the right to speak to a person

When a bill is wrong or a meter stops working, you may need to reach a person who can put it right. British Gas is cutting 1,300 jobs, 500 of them in its call centres, and says that customers would rather go online than speak to someone. The problems people most often bring to a supplier, though, are the ones a chatbot cannot settle.

A chatbot cannot fix the things that go wrong

The main reason a person contacts an energy supplier is that something on the account is wrong. Billing is the largest category of complaint. It was 56% of the disputes the Energy Ombudsman reviewed in 2025.

These cases need a person with the authority to act: to correct a bill, fix a meter, agree a payment plan, or settle a complaint. A chatbot can read out a balance. It cannot decide to waive a charge.

When people are asked, they say the same. In a survey by 8x8, a customer-service software company, 83% of UK adults said that they would rather deal with a person, and 4% preferred a chatbot. The preference for a person was strongest for a complaint.

You have the right to reach a person

A supplier cannot answer only through a chatbot. Under Ofgem’s rules, a supplier must:

• Let you make contact by more than one method, including by phone.
• Keep its enquiry lines open in the evening and at the weekend.
• Give priority to a customer in a vulnerable situation, or to someone contacting on their behalf.
• Make contact free for a customer who is struggling to pay.

British Gas ranks last of the big suppliers for service

British Gas already gives the weakest service of the six largest suppliers. In the Citizens Advice star rating for January to March 2026, it scored 2.61 out of 5, below the median of 3.26.

What British Gas says, and what its numbers show

British Gas puts the cuts down to how customers behave, not to AI. Chris O’Shea, its chief executive, said that “AI isn’t driving these particular job reductions”, and that more than 90% of customers now use digital channels first, with calls down 20%. A trade union has said instead that the company’s investment in AI would hand “hundreds of human jobs” to chatbots.

Those figures show which channel people try first, not what they would choose when something goes wrong. A digital channel is the app or the website, not only a chatbot. And the cuts came as Centrica reported higher retail profits, £346m for the first half of the year, up from £338m.

What you can do

If you cannot get an energy problem put right:

• Ask to speak to a person, and say if you are struggling to pay or are in a vulnerable situation.
• Put the complaint to the supplier in writing, so there is a record of it.
• If the supplier has not resolved it after 8 weeks, or sends a deadlock letter (a letter to say it can do no more), take it to the Energy Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is free, and the supplier must do what it decides.