Surge in British Gas complaints

British Gas implemented a new billing system last year, which has seen customer complaints more than double, reports Easier Finance. The new technology replaces a system that dated back to 1985.

The firm had 21 427 complaints, most of which were from customers disputing their bills. "Following price cuts last month, British Gas actually offers some of the best value tariffs in the UK. However, if they can't send out accurate bills, their customers won't feel the benefit," says Karen Darby, founder of the price comparison service, SimplySwitch.com.

Despite having just a 30% share of the electricity and gas market, British Gas gained more than 70% of the industry's complaints, according to a report by SimplySwitch.

Verizon Business says it will plant a tree for each of its customers choosing electronic billing over paper, in honour of Earth Day, reports NJBiz.

In a partnership between Verizon and American Forests, the programme began on 22 April and is modelled after Verizon's eTree programme, for shareholders who opt for electronic annual reports, proxies and other related materials.

"We all can be conservationists throughout the year by actively taking steps that protect the environment and also make good business sense," says Nancy Gofus, senior VP of Verizon Business. "E-billing helps save trees by replacing massive paper bills, while providing more valuable billing information to our customers."

Bales Worldwide, an adventure tour operator, is on an e-marketing and direct mail drive to create more personal and targeted customer communications, says UTalkMarketing.

Launching in May using marketing and communications software from Neolane, the aim of the campaign is to win customer loyalty, higher response rates and increased revenues.

Bales Worldwide marketing communications manager, Raymond Howe, said: "Neolane will enable us to hyper-segment our customer database and run many thousands of mini-campaigns."