Add your feedback on energy supplier Spark

When I recently moved home the new letting agents had switched the utilities to Spark Energy. Not knowing them, I Googled the name and was horrified to find a lot of negative comments. I asked the agent to change back to British Gas but they said they couldn’t, so I was stuck with Spark, like it or not. I decided to give Spark the benefit of the doubt and see how it worked out. Maybe others had just been unlucky in their dealings with Spark.

Spark offer three different tariffs; the most expensive where bills are paid quarterly in arrears; the second and cheaper, where payment is taken monthly by direct debit; the third and cheapest where one month’s advance payment is taken as well as the monthly direct debits. The difference between the highest and lowest tariff is quite staggering. The dearest tariff is almost DOUBLE the cost of the cheapest.

I phoned and asked to be put straight onto the advance pay tariff. So far, so good. The customer service rep was very helpful & friendly and set it all up. I started to feel better, although sorry for anyone who just moved into a Spark supplied property without knowing about the different tariffs. They would sit & wait for a bill, only to be hit with one almost double what I would be paying for the same units used. Lucky, clever me, sad unlucky them!!

But forewarned is forearmed so, not trusting Spark to get things right, I logged onto my account a few weeks later (I never before saw a website that takes 15 minutes to load every single page but, hey ho, just keep on trying!!). I was horrified to find myself on their Standard tariff. WHAT ??? I phoned customer services again and was told that I had been taken off the Advance pay tariff because although I had arranged to pay monthly, my direct debit had been cancelled three days after my supply commenced. “It was NOT cancelled by me” I said.

The rep. went off to speak to someone else and came back to apologise. There had been a problem with their system and my direct debit arrangement had not gone through to their direct debit department when it should have. I pointed out that they had sent me a letter confirming I was paying by direct debit and listing the dates payments would be taken and the amounts. “Ah, that letter was sent from a different department” said the rep. What?? How many different departments do Spark need to deal with direct debits?

I am still giving Spark the benefit of the doubt but my experience to date is not looking too good. What worries me is the question of whether I should believe:-

1. That Spark are trying very hard to get things right and genuinely made a mistake in setting up my direct debit.
2. Or that Spark can charge a lot more for their gas and electricity if they conveniently “lose” a customer’s direct debit details, provided the customer does not realise it has happened. It is actually in their interests to make this mistake.

It is interesting to note that Martin's Energy Club is indicating Spark as the cheapest supplier on the basis of their advance payment tariff. I wonder how many people who switch might end up on one of the more expensive tariffs, in which case Spark will not be cheapest. Anyone out there had this experience? Do you really know what tariff you have been put on, as opposed to what you were promised? Might be worth while checking now.

Time will tell. Watch this space for further feedback from a (so far) unbiased customer

Ridiculous that Spark hasn't got systems in place to flag up ridiculous bill amounts like this before they get sent out TBH. It would certainly be in their interests to avoid negative publicity like this. Like the article states, the charge would be equivalent to:

using 21 three-kilowatt electric fires all day long every day – which would have burnt out your wiring and could have caused your flat to burn down.

:eek:

Plus that sort of usage (if genuine) would surely scream cannabis farm!

Wywth wrote: »

If you read the article carefully, they have got procedures in place.

And there is no such thing as bad publicity.
(especially when it then gets advertised this this)

What makes me laugh is that someone gets stressed out and goes to the press instead of contacting the supplier when the bill is obviously incorrect

Whatever silly spin you wish to put on this, the fact is a ridiculous bill got sent out that has caused the company embarrassment so even if they HAVE got procedures in place they didn't work.


PS So there's no such thing as bad publicity, eh? Ask Gerald Ratner if he agrees.