Npower Investigation Update

DirectDebacle

meggsy mentioned this site just after it started up, many, many moons ago. There are now some interesting posts if you fancy a chuckle. It is the npower brighter energy debate here:

http://thebrighterenergydebate.npower.com/Question.aspx?cid=138&p=ofgem's report on sky news

meggsy

DirectDebacle wrote: »

meggsy mentioned this site just after it started up, many, many moons ago. There are now some interesting posts if you fancy a chuckle. It is the npower brighter energy debate here:

http://thebrighterenergydebate.npower.com/Question.aspx?cid=138&p=ofgem's report on sky news

Waiting for them to answer my question sent on 16th, nothing yet !
Do you stop the discount and restart the clock when changing tariffs isn't too difficult to answer is it ? :rolleyes:

Just noticed that an npower rep joined the site in July
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=781221

DirectDebacle

Waiting for them to answer my question sent on 16th, nothing yet !
Do you stop the discount and restart the clock when changing tariffs isn't too difficult to answer is it ? :rolleyes:

Now now, meggsy. You shouldn't be asking trick questions of such simple folk.

Just noticed that an npower rep joined the site in July
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=781221

Probably have to join as part of their cust. service training. Be under the section, 'How to Evade Customers Tricky Questions'

DirectDebacle

The Times have now drawn the npower overcharging issue to the attention of the Energy Minister, David Kidney. Here's hoping it is another step closer to all overcharged customers being properly compensated.

Full story here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article6934692.ece

meggsy

I had a reply from Consumer Focus this morning in which they say that
npower have told them that the monthly discount would not be affected by the consumer changing to a newer tariff i.e., if they switched to a new tariff in month 6, they would still get the discount at month 12, “the clock doesn’t stop ticking” when a consumer changes tariff.

So now we know, unless anyone knows differently of course ?

mimo1

Npower are rotten to the core. I advise people to avoid them like the plague.

I joined them when Greenpeace touted their green energy tariff. Eventually I got fed up with their rudeness- the final straw was when I went on holiday for two weeks, and when I returned I found a bill and a separate letter from their debt collection department threatening to send bailiffs round to my flat, just because I hadn't paid the bill yet!

So I paid the bill, and left for Ecotricity, telling Npower why I was fed up with them. But once I'd left, they got far worse.
My account was transferred to Ecotricity, but 6 months later I got a huge bill from Npower, for several hundred pounds, acting as if they were still my supplier! It took me a month to sort that out with help from Ecotricity.

Then, Npower sales department started ringing my home phone at least once a week, and cold calling on an almost weekly basis, trying to get me to go back to Npower. I wrote a letter to complain of this harrassment, and it stopped briefly.

Then they started again when their sales team blitzed my neighbourhood with nuisance cold callers. I live in a gated development, and they would trick people into letting them into the gates. Their teenage staff would say "Hi it's gas and electricity here to read the meters", disguising the fact that they were from Npower whenever able, then come in and go round knocking on every door with their sales pitch. The whole point of a gated development is to keep cold callers out, so this was an abuse of power.

I got into the habit of asking which company they were from, and they would always say really quickly in a sing-song voice "Npowergasandelectricity" so you couldn't even here the word Npower. I often have to say "Who?" a few times until I can understand that they're Npower. It's a tad deceitful. I then tell them that I'm not with Npower any more and usually have to turn the intercom off when they start reeling off their sales pitch.

I told Ecotricity about it, and they told me that they have heard a lot of similar stuff about Npower. They said that Npower even come around and read other people's meters, people who aren't even their customers! Ecotricity have been great and match the prices of the other suppliers, without the harrassment and phoney bills. I strongly recommend Npower customers to switch to them.

It's saturday morning, a year on from when I left Npower. They woke me up this morning by buzzing me for entry. Npower are indeed the worst energy supplier. I am a young man, and I fear for how their amoral sales team must be ripping off old people as we speak. My father, who lives the other side of the country from me, has had problems with them overbilling and weaving their inexplicable webs of deceipt already.

glider3560

mimo1 wrote: »

npower are rotten to the core. I advise people to avoid them like the plague.

I joined them when greenpeace touted their green energy tariff. Eventually i got fed up with their rudeness- the final straw was when i went on holiday for two weeks, and when i returned i found a bill and a separate letter from their debt collection department threatening to send bailiffs round to my flat, just because i hadn't paid the bill yet!

So i paid the bill, and left for ecotricity, telling npower why i was fed up with them. But once i'd left, they got far worse.
My account was transferred to ecotricity, but 6 months later i got a huge bill from npower, for several hundred pounds, acting as if they were still my supplier! It took me a month to sort that out with help from ecotricity.

Then, npower sales department started ringing my home phone at least once a week, and cold calling on an almost weekly basis, trying to get me to go back to npower. I wrote a letter to complain of this harrassment, and it stopped briefly.

Then they started again when their sales team blitzed my neighbourhood with nuisance cold callers. I live in a gated development, and they would trick people into letting them into the gates. Their teenage staff would say "hi it's gas and electricity here to read the meters", disguising the fact that they were from npower whenever able, then come in and go round knocking on every door with their sales pitch. The whole point of a gated development is to keep cold callers out, so this was an abuse of power.

I got into the habit of asking which company they were from, and they would always say really quickly in a sing-song voice "npowergasandelectricity" so you couldn't even here the word npower. I often have to say "who?" a few times until i can understand that they're npower. It's a tad deceitful. I then tell them that i'm not with npower any more and usually have to turn the intercom off when they start reeling off their sales pitch.

I told ecotricity about it, and they told me that they have heard a lot of similar stuff about npower. They said that npower even come around and read other people's meters, people who aren't even their customers! Ecotricity have been great and match the prices of the other suppliers, without the harrassment and phoney bills. I strongly recommend npower customers to switch to them.

It's saturday morning, a year on from when i left npower. They woke me up this morning by buzzing me for entry. Npower are indeed the worst energy supplier. I am a young man, and i fear for how their amoral sales team must be ripping off old people as we speak. My father, who lives the other side of the country from me, has had problems with them overbilling and weaving their inexplicable webs of deceipt already.

do you really need to post this on every topic that relates to npower?

meggsy

"30 November: When changing to a new tariff during the year will the annual discount be received at the end of 12 months? I have heard that it is removed and the clock starts again on the date of change of tariff.

What you have heard isn't true. As long as you stay with npower and pay by monthly direct debit for 12 months, your anniversary date will stay the same and your £100 discount will be applied to your account after 12 months. You're free to switch tariffs throughout the year, without this affecting your discount".

http://thebrighterenergydebate.npower.com/Default.aspx

DirectDebacle

I am reliably informed that there will be another piece in The Times tomorrow. I cannot go into details but matters are progressing.

npower are not pleased with the way it is going and starting to get 'twitchy'.

DirectDebacle

npower have not yet escaped the sculpting scam. Consumer Focus have completed their investigation and done a proper job which Ofgem failed to do.

Article here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article6989946.ece

Great news and well done The Times for sticking with us.