Pullng my hair out because of npower!!

chris9478

Hi all...

Brand new to all this but just wanted some advice.

I am a dual fuel customer of npower and opt to pay cash on receipt of quarterly bill. My bills fall February, May, August and November. However in December I received a letter saying for my benefit they would be issuing the bills January, April, July and October. I rang them and told them this does not benefit me especially having a large bill just after Christmas. The "Customer Services Advisor" said I did not have to let the meter man in and that was it.

I therefore assumed that the bill would be issued in February but yesterday I was issued a bill covering 27/10/08 - 23/12/08. I have rang them and told them I object to this bill as I only paid the November bill six weeks ago but they said 'bill has been issued and requires paying'.

I explained that I have a baby under one and a four year old and that I work to a very tight budget and that I could not afford this bill until the end of February but was told it had to be paid by 26/01/09.

Surely these companies are not allowed to just change a bill cycle at short notice?

Vestra

Which area to you live in? South West? There has been a change in the meter routes so the bills have to follow with them.

filmnoir

Rian1988 wrote: »

Which area to you live in? South West? There has been a change in the meter routes so the bills have to follow with them.

Sorry but that has nothing to do with it.

It all depends on your contract terms, if the clause in the small print for your payment terms indicates that they can change invoice cycles at their discretion they are quite within their rights, plus they did notify you of the change.

However the advice given that don't let the meter reader in was incorrect, as if they didnt read your meter they would still change the billing cycle and estimate a read.

Ring them to explain that you are lodging a complaint and a) You were not happy with the change b) You informed them and were given incorrect advice on the date you spoke to them c) Aggree either new terms to go back to the old billing cycle or payment plan on the invoice your struggling with and budget with them too the new billing cycle.

Make sure you note the name department and time and date of your call and try not to get irrate etc.

Inform them you expect a resolution within 8 weeks or you will ask the Omburdsman to intervene. They should then respond within this deadline, either changing back, agreeing new terms or payment plan or refuse.

If they have put it in the small print of your terms and conditions and they did give a reasonable notice period then I doubt the omburdman would side with you, however Im sure they will offer better terms or an agreement on the payment of the invoice which I would be pushing for.

http://www.energy-ombudsman.org.uk/links/5-0-complaints_process.php

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/

chris9478

Thank you for the advice. I will call them and try to arrange payment.

Vestra

filmnoir wrote: »

Sorry but that has nothing to do with it.

It all depends on your contract terms, if the clause in the small print for your payment terms indicates that they can change invoice cycles at their discretion they are quite within their rights, plus they did notify you of the change.

However the advice given that don't let the meter reader in was incorrect, as if they didnt read your meter they would still change the billing cycle and estimate a read.

Ring them to explain that you are lodging a complaint and a) You were not happy with the change b) You informed them and were given incorrect advice on the date you spoke to them c) Aggree either new terms to go back to the old billing cycle or payment plan on the invoice your struggling with and budget with them too the new billing cycle.

Make sure you note the name department and time and date of your call and try not to get irrate etc.

Inform them you expect a resolution within 8 weeks or you will ask the Omburdsman to intervene. They should then respond within this deadline, either changing back, agreeing new terms or payment plan or refuse.

If they have put it in the small print of your terms and conditions and they did give a reasonable notice period then I doubt the omburdman would side with you, however Im sure they will offer better terms or an agreement on the payment of the invoice which I would be pushing for.

http://www.energy-ombudsman.org.uk/links/5-0-complaints_process.php

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/

And how does that have nothing to do with it? Surely if the meter were being read in February and August that is when the bills will be issued with the other 2 bills being estimated in between, and if the meter route has changed (which in a few distribution areas has done) then the meter is now being read a month earlier now in January and July that is when the bills will follow.

So how is it the meter routes have nothing to do with the billing cycle?

filmnoir

Actually 'walk orders' change as per the meter readers discretion and there are a number meter reading agencies within each Distribution area for the various suppliers. This is due to churn in the market on change of suppliers and change in meter readers.

Majority of Meter Reading agency do not pass details to suppliers in changes of walk orders or 'Target Read Dates' through the data collector back to the supplier.

Also the letter would have stated the benefit of a change in the reading cycle. Suppliers do change billing cycles, but getting them inline with meter reads is way down their priority list.

Before de-regulation it would have been 100% because of a change in the walkorder, I doubt it very much is in this case the way suppliers operate today.

SwanJon

chris9478 wrote: »

a bill covering 27/10/08 - 23/12/08.
I could not afford this bill until the end of February but was told it had to be paid by 26/01/09.

In another 6 weeks, the bill will be twice* as big.
Would it be easier to budgete by making more frequent smaller payments (weekly/fortnightly/monthly)?

jetski690

IMO Npower are useless at billing, they have calculated my gas bill as zero units for my last two bills even though I phone them and tell them, I'm a afraid their all too human and in a right mess, I feel like moving supplier while I'm hundreds in credit.

filmnoir

jetski690 wrote: »

IMO Npower are useless at billing, they have calculated my gas bill as zero units for my last two bills even though I phone them and tell them, I'm a afraid their all too human and in a right mess, I feel like moving supplier while I'm hundreds in credit.

If your not an Idependant Gas Transportor Site that may be an issue with the Xoserve yearly AQ review where all Gas Supplies Annual Quantity are recalculated if requested by suppliers. (Its happens Aug/Sept/Oct) Check with npower what your AQ is if zero or very low they need to change this with Xoserve. Suppliers use the AQ to estimate your bill, so if its wrong or zero they estimate poorly.

Its their job to ensure its accurate, but its a very tricky procedure.

cfj

I am also a dual fuel direct debit customer of npower - have been since November 2005. Last year I checked for a cheaper tarrif and ended up changing to online dual fuel dd in August last year. I was then informed in December 2008 that I would only receive two statements a year. When I queried this with npower they said this was because i pay by direct debit - which I have been doing since Nov 2005 and up until now have always received quarterly billing. I am still in correspondence with npower as I have told them I do not like being dictated to about when I receive my statements, I was not gven any choice in the matter. In these days of high energy prices I think it is important to keep a check on how much gas/electricity you are using and how much it is costing. npower don't seem to see it that way, to my mind what they are actually tying to do is make use of customers paying by direct debit on a monthly basis so they are able to earn interest (albeit not much interest now) on customers' money and if you happen to be in credit you won't know this for six months when you receive your twice yearly statement. They tell me that nowadyas the majority of leading energy providers only send direct debit customers statements every 6 months - I am not certain this is the case. Has anyone else had this situation with npower, it would be useful to know as I feel that most people would prefer to have quarterly statements and if customers are unhappy about only having two statements a year, the more customers who complain there is more chance that we will be listened to!!

filmnoir

Most suppliers are aiming, especially on DD to reduce statements and invoices and to move them online, in essence paperless billing. This is again a preceed to smart metering, where the aim again is for your account, statement, consumption is all online for you.

For example my CC and Bank harp on to me every month to move online and stop all my statements.