N Power have thrown a bombshell

FiParsons

Hi, am hoping for some advice here. A friend of mine was sold a tariff for gas & electricity by an N Power representive (at the front door) stating that it would be a fixed payment of £65.00 a month for both and this is what has been paid every month by standing order out of their bank account. Today my friend has recieved a phone call from N Power stating that they have not been paying enough and owe over £1400.00 and are stating that they must pay a minimum of £214.00 per month in order to clear this. She cannot afford this and prior to this telephone call today N Power have made no other contact at all to say they are not paying enough. Also it appears that because this fixed price is paid by standing order N Power at first stated today that they had been nothing and after some confusion by the N Power administrator who then found the payment details and even the N Power administrator admitted that she did not understand what the sales person had done. N Power have stated that there is nothing they can do to reduce the payments and my friend has to pay this, whilst she is not disputing she might owe the money she cannot afford £214.00 a month! Any help/advice willingly recieved please and thank you

penrhyn

Its very easy to be wise after the event, but did your friend not get quarterly statements from N-power, also is the bill based on an actual reading or an estimate.

Plushchris

Did your friend not recieve any bills during the time they worked up that debt??

If they cannot afford the payments and Npower will not budge then they will probably just load the debt onto a prepayment meter.

Unfortunately this is a harsh lesson for your friend - Not to sign up to anything at the door and to keep a close eye on her bills in the future.

Over what period of time did she work up that debt?