Should I get Energywatch involved? Npower

HeatherH

Okay where do i start, I'll try and make this as short as possible. This is all about Npower and the problems I've had with changing meters

I decided to change me pre-payment key meter to a credit meter 6th June 2008. It took them ages to figure out that it had changed (over 2 months) and that was the smallest problem. In august 2008, they sent me a bill for £199 which included a charge of £70 from when I had a pre-payment meter. Not only did I think that the bill was a bit high, no one could tell me what the £70 was for. (This has been resolved only this week, but they still say it was a debt on the meter, even tho I thought this couldn't be possible as the key meter updates itself with new prices through the key, but even so they've apprently refunded it)

While this was going on, I've realised that my economy 7 meter hadn't been switching to the night reading. This problem was made aware to them last august, not that I knew what was going on at the time, but I kept getting the excuse of not using enough electric in the night.... hmm try electric oil heaters for heating over winter... and still it hasn't moved.

I put in an official complaint in october as I'd got fed up of not being sent proper bills, because they still thought I was on a meter, and I was sent estimated readings which were still way over the amount I paid on my pre-payment meter. By this time I'd had 2 engineers looks at my meter, none of them took any notice about the stuck night reading and just went away with a reading to give to npower. After getting fed up again, I had someone have a look at all my bills, but all she did was send me a confusing list of charges and meter readings (some of which were wrong). They then decided they had done enough and closed my complaint.

In Jan, my meter still hadn't been looked at properly, I rang up energy watch, but they said I needed to send in a new complaint and thats what npower is dealing with now. Apparently they're looking through my energy use, and have taken on board that the meter is not clicking onto the night rate, but they've said as I don't use my storage heaters there wont be much taken off... I said I use oil heaters... 2kw oil heaters, but they got this confused with oil burning heaters, so they're just running around mindless.

I got fed up with running after them, so i decided to change companies. They still haven't sent me my last bill, but I dread to think what it's going to be. So far, I'm supposed to have credited to my account £70.98 back from my pre-payment meter complaint, and £70 from the over charge of the non working night reading (even tho I think it should be more)

Every time I rang up between June and now I was giving a different excuse of why things weren't happening, it's obvious they just read from a script. I just want to know how much I'm supposed to be paying. On the pre-payment meter I was paying average of £26 a month, but now I was told that a DD a month would be £60 a month!

From reading all these posts, it looks like not many people like nPower, and I'm no exception.
Should I ring up energywatch again to see if I can get them to sort nPower out. I've been stressing over this since last year and I just want it over and done with.

Heather

Fire_Fox

I am not sure I have understood fully, so please excuse if I am asking dumb questions. Firstly I think you have an Economy 7 meter and E7 tariff, but do not use your storage heaters. Instead you use oil filled radiators, at what time of day/ night are they on and how long for? Are you aware that E7 night rate is approximately midnight to 7am? Is there a reason you remain on an E7 tariff when you don't have storage heaters?

Are your old storage heaters wired into the same electrical circuit as the rest of your electrics (i.e. all electricity used overnight is E7 prices) or are they on a separate circuit (i.e. only the storage heaters are able to use E7 rate electricity)?

Also why are you still with NPower?They are not known for being cheap and you are not happy with their service! Have you put any of your complaints into writing or are you having to keep repeating yourself over the telephone?

HeatherH

Sorry, my brain isn't in gear tonight. the reason I don't use the storage heaters is because they don't work (even longer story) and I was given the oil heaters when downstairs had central heating put in.
At the moment, the oil heaters are put on from 7 til about 3 in the morning when my timer switch goes, there's one in my bedroom and one in my son's room.
The engineer that put in the meter didn't pass on the information to npower, so I have no idea what tarrif I was on, that was one of the other problems.
I don't know if the storage heaters are on the same circuit, they all have switches next to them, but as I said I don't use them.
Since 1st Feb I am with EDF, and they've said after 28 days they'll be able to replace my meter.
Both my official complaints have been in writing. A lot of it has been over the phone, I've learnt that this is useless as even tho the people on the line seem useful, nothing actually gets done. I've recieved lots of "sorry your complaint hasn't been sorted" letters. It looks like I'm going to have to wait for my final bill, and find out the outcome of the current complaint.

Magentasue

I also find your account a little confusing but wonder if your confusion has been caused by the way your house is wired rather than your supplier. As suggested, it is possible that only your storage heaters are on your off peak meter and so it's not stuck, it's not moving because your heaters are off.

Secondly, estimated bills are common. Have you submitted customer readings and have they been used?

Your DD has been set higher than necessary because your account started after the summer - if you'd changed meters in March, you'd have built up a credit balance over the summer and so the DD would be lower.

Lastly, you can work out what you owe by reading your meter and calculating how many kwh you have used. By the way, are you saying that you're using plug in heaters but have central heating?

HeatherH

how can a meter reading not move in 9 months?! I'm student and sometimes I'll be up way into the morning with computer and lights on etc. so please understand it's nothing to do with lack of storage heaters.

I also have a 4 year old so sometimes my washer dryer in on at night, so please believe me when I say the reading should definitely of changed!

When I said downstairs, I meant another flat downstairs. They've just become people I refer to as the downstairs people lol. I live in a terrace house, but I live on the first floor thats been made into a flat.

What they've generally charged me over the time since June, I just find it a lot more than what I was paying on a pre-payment meter. I thought it was supposed to be cheaper. I did give various readings, but they kept sending me estimated statements, they weren't even actual bills.

Magentasue

HeatherH wrote: »

how can a meter reading not move in 9 months?! I'm student and sometimes I'll be up way into the morning with computer and lights on etc. so please understand tt's nothing to do with storage heaters. I also have a 4 year old so sometimes my washer dryer in on at night, so please believe me when I say the reading should definitely of changed!
I did give various readings, but they kept sending me estimated statements, they weren't even actual bills.

It is possible that only your storage heaters use off peak electricity and everything else used at night used peak rate. Some properties are wired this way. If you have storage heaters off and the meter doesn't move, it would seem that your Economy 7 is only for the storage heaters.

As for statements, that's all you get if you pay by DD. If you submit readings, they should use them but it doesn't always happen. Have your readings been higher or lower than the estimates?

Premier_2

HeatherH wrote: »

...In Jan, my meter still hadn't been looked at properly, I rang up energy watch, ...

Sorry to bring bad news, but I can assure you you didn't speak to EnergyWatch in January this year.

Energywatch was disbanded on 1st October 2008, so I'm not sure where your complaint went either that you say you filed with them in October.

HeatherH

because of the muck up, they haven't been able to sort out a DD, when the account was in dispute, I paid through the website.

I'll ring up npower and see what they say about the storage heaters, it's the first I've heard of it, but I'll check it out all the same.

Cheers

HeatherH

Ah just remembered, unless it's something to do with the meter... it should take all my electric into account over night, as when I had a pre-payment meter, both the night and day reading were going up. Just a though

HeatherH

I just want to cry. I've spoken to someone at npower. They've redone my final bill and apparently I owe them £239.45!

That can't be right can it?

they sent me a bill in jan saying I owed £60, I paid it and then paid more money to what I thought would cover me til I changed to EDF.

They're supposed to work out what my night units were for the period of june til now, while the night switch wasn't working. If this is the case, should they be refunding money to me? I just don't get it. They're also supposed to be refunding me £70 for a mysterious debt from my pre-payment meter. How the hell did they get that I owe them £239.45!

Magentasue

HeatherH - I'm still confused!

Npower are saying you owe them £239.45. OK, I get that. You've given them meter readings and they've calculated a bill.

What period does this cover and what payments, if any, have you been making? I can only see you paying £60 this winter and obviously you've used a lot more than that because you've used electric heating but I can't see where you've been billed/paid for electricity this winter, apart from the £60.