nPower Prepayment Meters - Forced to stay on them

damoandclaire

Hi there,

Don't know if anyone has any ideas on how we can tackle this. We joined Npower when we moved into our property last year and were forced to keep the existing prepayment meters that were in place. We were told that we could pay £60 for each meter to be paid which I think was grossly unfair given that these meters were there through no fault of our own - they were forced upon our previous tennants because they ran up thousands of pounds worth of debt.

They did say to us that once we get our first statement we would be able to apply to have it done free of charge then. We rung them when we received our first tstatement only to be told we had to wait 6 months so they have 6 months history on file and would be able to change it then. That time came and went and I rung again to be told, no you have to wait 12 months.

I rung couple of days ago and asked and they said nope, it will be £60 per meter to change it despite what I had been told on several occasions previously.

Now I've spoken to consumer direct and they state that the rules are they are allowed to charge for meters changes regardless of the circumstances. Given that this department is run by the Office of Fair Trading, I asked them how it was fair that I was penalised for someone elses debt.

Granted we're not actually paying the debt of the previous tenants, i made sure of that, but we are being penalised because if we want to change to a plan that benefits us better, for example, dual fuel discounts, discounts for paying by direct debit etc etc, we would have to pay to have the meters changed and given how much that would cost, it would be pointless because that would eat up any savings that we could possibly make at least for the first year. not only that, we can't afford the up front payment like that. I asked how that was fair?

Has anyone had any experience of trying to get this sorted (i.e. getting the meter changed)? Failing that, asside from telling me to look at uswitch and the like, has anyone got any recommendations of alternative suppliers to use that are cheaper than npower (wont go with british gas) or can do meter changes for free or at least cheaper than £120?

Appreciate any "sensible" comments.

Premier_2

Assuming you don't have over £200 of debt on the meters, you are free to change supplier.
(You haven't mentioned any debt at all)

Some suppliers may not charge you a separate price to change the meter.
(Note, however, they may charge a large security deposit, something you've not mentioned either, before agreeing to extend credit to you.)

Whilst some suppliers may not make a consumer pay the separate charge to fund the change of meter costs, that supplier will themselves incur such costs which must be included somewhere in their overall pricing structure.

All you can do is contact each supplier individually and see what you can negotiate.
The good news is that any of the other big 6 will charge less than nPower to remove the meter (if they agree to do so), so hit that phone

Terrylw1

Why don't you just complain and state all of the points in your post?

They have clearly failed to advise you.

Always point out to them that if they put in a PP for a previous debtor, thats not your problem.

These recent policies have come about because as usual, Ofgem have not protected the consumer.

This issue about removing PP's in the 1st year has been going on since 1999. Until recently, they didn't charge but tried to refuse them and they met the same issue as you have.

At the end of the day Suppliers fork out a ton of cash for non essential site visits that they don't dare try and charge to consumers.

They have just spotted a way to cut costs.

A new consumer should not be penalised for the failings of a previous one, but there is no policy on this so Suppliers are exploiting it for more cash.

Complain a lot and they will most likely just back down.

mattcanary

I really thinki it needs to get to the stage where a customer in the same situation as damoandclaire takes the supplier to court over this issue. I feel that the judge is likely to rule in the customer's favour (if they moved in to a property which already has prepayment meters) and this will then set case law, meaning suppliers will ahve to back down in future.

Waste of time going to the industry regulator. They hardly act to protect the consumer - they're a waste of space.

Terrylw1

mattcanary wrote: »

I really thinki it needs to get to the stage where a customer in the same situation as damoandclaire takes the supplier to court over this issue. I feel that the judge is likely to rule in the customer's favour (if they moved in to a property which already has prepayment meters) and this will then set case law, meaning suppliers will ahve to back down in future.

Waste of time going to the industry regulator. They hardly act to protect the consumer - they're a waste of space.

Totally agree.

It's just another loophole in an industry with holes in everything.

Customer wants to change from 1 rate to E7, no charge. Want a PP out, Ka ching!!!

Althought, some charge I think for the move in number of rates.

However, some meters now can be switched remotely from PP to credit...but the old Smartpower ones could as well and it was used this way. Sadly, these newer meters such as Actaris KBD's have been subject to yet another industry loophole and now the industry has moved away from remote switching by making it an individual thing to Suppliers to arrange with agents as there is just no formal infrastructure for it! Well done regulators.

Smart meters I would imagine are what they are hoping will make this go away but it's a long way off.

Not heard yet of any Suppliers who hold you to ransom over a payment because they had pulled the fuse before you moved in. That of course also costs them...but they don't pass that on.

There is a whole load of pointless access visits Suppliers send out. Eash of these cost as well.

PP is just an easy target...they know Ofgem won't help anyone.

undaunted

Don't wate your time complaining to Npower just do as Premier suggests & switch to a supplier who will do it for free. When Npower learn that they can no longer just bully enough consumers in this fashion they may possibly learn their lesson.

Terrylw1

Npower have recently bought this in, but they followed other Suppliers in doing it.

OP needs to be careful, since a new Supplier has not record of whether they are a good payer. So, may have to pay a deposit or wait until they build up a payment history.

Complaining will most likely mean you get a free meter change. Then, you are free to move anywhere you want with less hassle over credit checks & security deposits.

damoandclaire

well,


as it happens i made a call to consumer direct (as energy watch are now merged with them). They stated to me that the rules state energy companies are well within their rights to charge for meter changes regardless of the situation or reasons they were put there.

That said and after a bit of a rant to them about fairness to the consumer (and them being run by the office of "Fair" trading) they made a referral to nPowers complaint department.

Wasn't expecting to hear from them and kinda left it at that. That was until friday when I got a call from npower executive complaints. They told me that I shouldnt have had to go to a 3rd party to get this resolved. Turns out that i could have got them changed when i signed up to them and that for the last year ive basically been given the run around.

As it happens theyve arranged for the meters to be changed FOC next week. Bit of a result i thought.

PNPSUKNET

Good on them, been honest suppliers all have in their terms that they have the right to refuse to supply on credit meters. Consumer focus cant force it as its a comercial decision. Its like me going to my mobile provider and saying say I was on pay as you go that I want a contract one instead.

Terrylw1

damoandclaire wrote: »

well,


as it happens i made a call to consumer direct (as energy watch are now merged with them). They stated to me that the rules state energy companies are well within their rights to charge for meter changes regardless of the situation or reasons they were put there.

That said and after a bit of a rant to them about fairness to the consumer (and them being run by the office of "Fair" trading) they made a referral to nPowers complaint department.

Wasn't expecting to hear from them and kinda left it at that. That was until friday when I got a call from npower executive complaints. They told me that I shouldnt have had to go to a 3rd party to get this resolved. Turns out that i could have got them changed when i signed up to them and that for the last year ive basically been given the run around.

As it happens theyve arranged for the meters to be changed FOC next week. Bit of a result i thought.

Thats good news...although it's the likely action they will take to shut a complaint down since they know that they don't charge consumers for any number of visits they make outside of contract for them!

They just try it on, like with many other things they fail to mention.

The fact that they are now suddenly willing to install them FOC, and the fact that option should have been made available to you, just says that it's not something they are willing to push for.

spiro

Terrylw1 wrote: »

A new consumer should not be penalised for the failings of a previous one, but there is no policy on this so Suppliers are exploiting it for more cash.

A couple of points about this.
1) The new tenant would know the property has a ppm before they move in. Therefore they should consider this when moving.
2) If its a rented property a lot of LLs prefer these and can state in their T&Cs that you cant swap them to a credit or have to swap them back to a ppm before you move out. This is especially in areas with high levels of transient population.
3) The supplier incurs a charge of about £40-60 per meter exchange so why should they not pass this obnto the customer.
4) If the ppm is relatively new the owner of the meter can claim a payment for his meter being removed before the end of its life.