First Utility - Any users or reviews

wildbreed100

first Utility's poor customer service has cost me. I signed up for a switch and they responded that it is being processed. After a month I gave a casual call to find out that I faile the credit check. No one from FU bothered to call and tell me. I signed up the same day at OVO so now would not be switched until Jan 1 2010.
See the email i sent to them.

Hello,
Thanks for your response.
I have switched to OVO which is a cheaper supplier than first utility. What has annoyed me is that rather than getting back to me about the failed credit check there was no communication for over a month. I was left to believe all was ok and the switch was taking place. It was only when I called did you indicate that the application had failed and nothing was taking place. Therefore I wasted a month and could had been switched to OVO from Dec 1st. Now I would not be switched until Jan 1 2010. That is an extra month of paying Britsh Gas more than twice what it costs me at OVO. So because of First Utilitity's very poor and inefficient customer service I will have an expensive Christmas.
I know this will not change anything for me but I'm letting you know this in the hopes that another customer would not suffer financially because of poor customer service like me.

Regards
XXXX XXXXX

NonGeographicalMan

Doc_N wrote: »

Also, this extract from their T&C bothers me:

If, once the AMR meter has been successfully installed, we are required to re-visit your premises to reposition it or install any additional equipment to it in order to re-establish the connection or signal to the meter, you will bear the reasonable costs of this work.

So - any problems with your meter connection are down to you! Not a risk I'd want to take - sounds expensive.

This definitely puts me off given that the mobile signal on O2 to the basement store room my two meters are in is only marginal and that there is no signal on any of the other three GPRS networks.

So if O2 changes their signal footprint for the local transmitter I end up paying the cost. What a ridiculous proposition.

NonGeographicalMan

Not_So_Naff wrote: »

The phrase 'biting off more than they can chew' springs to mind and I certainly will be looking to change unless they improve the service they are providing.

That is certainly also the impression I have formed of this company and I am waiting with interest to see when Ovo Energy starts implementing its plans to begin offering smart meters from some time early on in 2010.

Although Ovo Energy is also a new business it looks to me like it is a lot more competently managed than First Utility is............

Not_So_Naff

I now have many regrets about signing up with First:Utility.

Are there any F:U Customers who do not have any problems regarding the Energy Usage Charts?

Doc N Seems like a sensible call, the Signal Strength Test was merely ascertained by the installers ability to contact the office by mobile phone.
Initially whilst the Usage Charts were not displaying as expected the thought crossed my mind that the insulation in my walls, which has layers of foil on each side, may be blocking the signal.

NonGeographicalMan F:U comment on Meter Locations similar to yours and say that Aerials will probably be needed, it does not say who they expect to pay for the additional installation.

The tales unfolding here seem to indicate each new Customer has to be set up individually rather than it being an automated procedure.
Of course there is some mileage for F:U if there is a delay because then they can issue yet another Estimated Bill. Don't we all wish we could operate a scam to borrow money free of interest for a few months?

tez694

I signed up with First Utility in October of last year, four months later and still waiting for their smart meter to be installed. Contacted their customer service department, was told would receive an email, twice, even double checked they had the right email address, still no email, contacted them again today to receive the excuse "when I signed up they were not installing the meters in the West Mids region", firstly why was I not informed of this when signing up (smart meter a big draw to this company, with the promise it would be installed within 60 days). Part of their agreement with me was the smart meter within 60 days, already clearly in breach of their contract with me, any more excuses and I will change suppliers and First Utility be damned.

Any other posters have a similar problem???? I wanted the smart meter so I could keep an eye on electric useage as most suppliers only sent out estimated bills, something else First Utility is doing now, frustrated or what ?!?

NonGeographicalMan

tez694 wrote: »

contacted them again today to receive the excuse "when I signed up they were not installing the meters in the West Mids region", firstly why was I not informed of this when signing up (smart meter a big draw to this company, with the promise it would be installed within 60 days). Part of their agreement with me was the smart meter within 60 days, already clearly in breach of their contract with me, any more excuses and I will change suppliers and First Utility be damned.

If they weren't any longer offering the smart meter tariff in your area then it should never have been possible for you to sign up for that tariff in the first place. If they were still offering it when you switched to them then the smart meters should be installed and if not they are in breach of contract and you should be immediately free to switch elsewhere without any penalty.

I note that neither their Chief Executive, Mark Daeche, or any of his subordinates at First Utility ever seem to post in this thread to try and offer any form of explanation as to what is going on.:mad:

Doc_N

I've had such an abysmal experience of First Utility (quite apart from the T&C problem referred to above) that I've decided not to switch to them at all - now or ever.

Any company that can't even bother to reply to three emails from a potential customer (which I certainly was) isn't a company I want any dealings with. If they're this bad with customers looking to sign up, God knows what they're like once they've got you in. Actually, we do know - look at the feedback they're getting.

I'd also be concerned about the potential risk to the inevitable credit balances that build up over the summer period with energy suppliers. I don't worry about that at all with Scottish Power, but First Utility would give me sleepless nights! :eek:

Not_So_Naff

tez694 in your position I would be counting my blessings, you need to have a reliable Smart Metering system if you want to avoid Estimated Bills. F:U do not have a reliable system full stop.
By 'reliable system' I mean the whole shooting match from sign up through the Data collection/display system and Customer Service.

The very helpful Customer Service Manager was brave enough to post her eMail Address in a thread but it seems she was overwhelmed and is long gone. During my dealings with her she passed my issues over to a subordinate who was similarly helpful, and you have probably guessed she is also long gone.

The F:U Messaging System is pointless as there is never any response, seemingly to any type of problem.
Telephone contact, if you are prepared to pay to wait a long time, gets a response but the explanation of what has gone wrong [should that simply read 'excuse'?] is shall we say 'fuzzy'. Ten days ago I was due to receive a call in 'the next couple of days' to make arrangements for my Gas Meter Module to be changed. The problem is the the Gas readings stop. Many times in the past they have got the readings going again and on one occasion when this happened I expressed concern about getting another 'Estimated' reading as it was coming up to the month end. 'That is not a problem' I was told 'We can see your readings here'. They apparently could ascertain my readings as they sent me an Actual Bill. Following on from this my Gas Usage Chart returned to normal.
All of this is giving me a sense that all is not well especially when I learned that one F:U Customer after several months on Actual Bills was reverted to Estimated Bills.
Could it be that somebody is short of the readies?

If I do get another Estimated Bill I get from F:U I will be in touch with Consumer Direct with a view to tackling the root problem.

Potential First:Utility Customers beware, read the feedback and make your choice.

cheekyherb

Hiya, I am with First Utility and have a smart meter. We moved into a new property which had the meter ready installed, I'm sure this is why we found it so easy. I don't have any real complaints about the company, bills are on time, graphs easy to read etc. I have a couple of outstanding queries with them but all seems ok so far (been with them since May)

Not_So_Naff

Good to hear that some folks are getting a reasonable service.
The downside with the above post is that there are still issues, what is so difficult in reading Meters and raising Bills for the Utilities consumed?

Thanks for your input cheekyherb, believe me you really do not want to experience the installation phase of F:U Smart meters, consider yourself very fortunate.

For the sake of clarity it would be great if you can spare the time to detail the issues you do have.