Npower problem...

Pink1983_2

Hi people,

Just wondering if anyone could help with my issue I have with npower.

I have been a customer of theirs for over a year now. I called them today to see if they could assist with my monthly payment (as I've been living on my own for the past 3 months I felt the payment was too high). I have been providing them with electricity and gas readings over the last couple of months.

After speaking to an advisor it appears I have been on the wrong meter payment all this time (economy 7 - storage heater). Therefore, I have been paying a much higher rate for electricity. I asked Npower if there was anything they could do to help and they offered for another meter to be installed. I asked if they could help with the payment difference I have been paying over the last year and after they admitted it was a big difference in money which hasn't gone towards my bills there was nothing they could do as it was my error when I signed up to npower.

I dont know if I'm being stupid and should just accept the mistake but I feel they have been taking money for no reason when it is OBVIOUS I do not have storage heaters and should not have been paying for having them!

I called again and spoke to another advisor and he told me it was my fault and they wasnt to blame for taking the payments for the wrong units.

I am considering changing provider too as I am not in a contract with them anymore.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks for reading

Pink1983

Vestra

They were billing you because you had an economy 7 meter, how were they to know you would prefer to be on a different tariff?

Magentasue

Pink1983 wrote: »

I dont know if I'm being stupid and should just accept the mistake but I feel they have been taking money for no reason when it is OBVIOUS I do not have storage heaters and should not have been paying for having them!

As pointed out - although it should have been obvious to you, why would it be obvious to the supplier? There are some people who choose E7 because they do something like charge their electric car overnight or have inherited the meters and make them work for them by running all their white goods overnight.

In our last house, we had storage heaters when we moved in, put central heating in and had the meters changed. We weren't charged for this.

dogshome

Hi Pink 1983 - Ouch - As you are probably now aware ECO 7 tariffs offer cheap power overnight, but what you use in the day is very expensive compared to single meter tariffs - You say you have been with n'power for a year which leads me to think you switched suppliers and must have dealt with either n'power or a switch site- think hard because the dialogue once you say you have ECO 7 is different from a standard meter - it's not unknown for Switchers to be put on a different tariff from the one they asked for - Also try to escalate up to a manager above the person who answers phones on the Customer Service desk, you have after all been paying n'power for costly day electric when they have not provided the balancing cheap rate overnight units, but put it all in writing The upside, if there is one, is that you now have a years use figures under your belt so it will be easy to Switch and know your costs
Good Luck

PNPSUKNET

Why not ask them to bill you on single rate tariff from now on? You still can even with a dual read meter

Pink1983_2

Thanks for your replies. When I purchased the house last April I kept the same supplier as the previous owners so they must've been charged for the wrong tariff too. I know what economy 7 is (cheaper rate of an evening) but surely this will only benefit me if I had storage heaters!?! I wasn't asked about storage heaters when I took over the policy. I have been looking at switching providers but it looks like I can save £240 a year by changing tariffs.

I am totally aware now of my mistake but just dissapointed with the customer service I experienced. I feel the extra higher unit amounts have gone into npower's pocket!

We live and learn....!

Pink 1983

dogshome

Hi Pink 1983 - So this a problem you inherited with the house -It would seem that the property at some time had electric heating and this has been changed by a previous owner. The question is do you still have either Day rate and Night rate meters or a Dual rate meter ? I suggest you have a close look at your meter box. If you have a Night rate meter then you would have had some very strange bills with the Night rate meter reading never changing and zero charges. If you have a single rate meter with no night rate meter, (they are often removed when Eco storage radiators are discarded), then the problem could be the fault of n'power for not recording the change.
The question comes to mind that as n'power are supplying your gas, they must have been informed of the change in the properties heating arrangements - I think you should write to n'power asking them when they started to supply gas to the property, when they reply, then ask why they didn't change the electric tariff