HUGE DEBIT with NPower

Skeem

Having checked our actual meter readings, Npower have over estimated, but not by much. It seems something is slurping our power 24/7, perhaps the boiler.. on which the timer doesn't appear to function properly..:think:

lestergun

Until recently I'd been paying NPower £78 per month for dual-fuel which was based on the previous years usage. The first year we were paying £70 per month, the second year we were paying £78 per month (an increase of over 10%, which is quite considerable IMHO) and a couple of weeks ago I received my bill which said my monthly direct debit was increasing from £78 to £141. This was based on an estimate of my usage so I called NPower to give them an accurate meter reading for both electricity and gas. An updated bill was with me a few days later, with the new and improved sum of £214 per month. HFS!!!

The cost of both electricity and gas had almost tripled!!! I thought it must be because I was using more electricity & gas although I took a peek at the bills going back over the previous two years and we are in fact using less of both. I called the company and suffered the indignity of being talked at by a lumpy headed moron who was at a loss as to why our monthly fee had increased. I took another look at the NPower bills to see that the tariff had changed. I was originally being charged 3.2p per kilowatt hour and am now being charged 7.9p for the very same.

I called them again to point this out to them and that I wanted it reduced back to what it was originally and the utter cretin I spoke to told me it couldn't be done. Possibly because he was an utter cretin. Possibly because his mum was calling him for his tea. I shall never know. I then pointed out that my tariff had changed and wasn't as set out in my original contract. The lumpy-headed (a guess) tw*t said my tariff hadn't changed, only the charges had, of which I would have been advised about. I recommended that their staff are made aware that the price associated with a tariff is so instrumental in its very existence that one cannot exist without the other to the point where they are one and the same. If the price changes, the tariff changes. I am at a loss as to how I can right this!!! If I were to kill one of their employees every week then I would immediately be in the wrong. If I were to take an axe to their vehicles, it would be me in trouble (and would justify another 200+% price hike).

I think I am going to have to find out the names and addresses of their board of directors and write to them personally.

One more thing - on looking at my previous NPower bills, they don't seem to write 'price increase' on the part of the invoice that's detailed - only 'PC'? (for 'price change').

:mad:

/rant

mrs_moneyspinner

yes - I have a similar situation with EDF - same usage and a fixed rate tarrif but my electric is costing an average £86 pcm instead of last year's £39 pcm. How can this be. There bills are totally impossible to understand. I have asked them to immediately take me off the fixed rate which is now more expensive than the standard rate and will be paying standard - but with a view to leaving them asap. EDF advised the difference in price is down to the increased cost of the fuel - I thought that was the whole point of the fixed rate tarrif. Are there any grown ups out there that can explain this in childlike terms that I can understand please?

delain

Npower swore blind that they did not supply my electicity despite repeated requests for a bill... when i switched to scottish power they sent me a letter demanding £300!!
:mad:
i said no way, i asked for a bill and was categorically told i owed you nothing:rolleyes:

KimYeovil

Lestergun. Prices are not fixed. Your point is?

Everyone else seems to have noticed that prices have more than doubled over the past few years.

lestergun

Clearly not everyone else has noticed the increase in prices, otherwise there wouldn't be threads on this site and numerous others confessing to have failed to acknowledge the very same. And those that were aware of price increases may have thought that they would have been more modest than they actually are. The original increase (from £70 to £78) was more in tune with what I'd expected (although still excessive). The jump from £78 to £214 seems criminal.

And I thought there was a duty of care to the consumer regarding clarity of price increase. Not hiding 'PC' somewhere on the bill to indicate a price increase.

Thanks

fatboy88

But if you sign up for a fixed price plan like i did which is due to expire in Sept, you dont expect the unit price to go up during the length of the contract

KimYeovil

fatboy88 wrote: »

But if you sign up for a fixed price plan like i did which is due to expire in Sept, you dont expect the unit price to go up during the length of the contract

Please identify the miscreant tariff and supplier.

(And please use separate threads if you want to start discussing business contracts.)

evenstar2009

Hi

I was given incorrect information by an npower rep who said my dual DD would be £35 per month (this was coming up to winter 08) and then i got a bill in March 09 saying i was over £400 in arrears as the DD was far too low to cover it.

I used to be with Atlantic and the sales woman said npower were cheaper which is not true (according to npower themselves!) so after many callcentre conversations the have admitted liability and are switching me back erroneously - if you were mis-sold the switch in the first place they can do this you have to get put through to the agent investigation team who rarely answer the phone but it is worthwhile pursuing - i'm still waiting for an apology however for all the months of hassle and overcharging but at least i'm not with npower anymore!

janninew

KimYeovil wrote: »

£900 is a pretty average bill for nine months. Two people in a two bedroom house is pretty average. Why did you expect your bill to be half the national average?

Is that really pretty average? It seems a heck of alot to me! I live in a 2 bedroom house, 2 adults, 6 dogs and i pay around 40.00 per month for my electric (360approx every 9months!) We have all the normal appliances aswell.