NPower Blatant Misselling

backfoot

I received a telesales marketing call yesterday from NPower which was designed from the outset to mislead me.

The call started with the tempter that it was likely that Npower could save me up to £200 saving off my existing Supplier's charges from OVO Energy. After revealing my overall montly payment of £120 with an approximate split of £80 for gas and £40 for electricity and that I was on Economy 7, he did some calculations.

We can save you £87 p.a. Really?

Intrigued I went to my file to confirm my precise consumptions and gave it to him in units for each element. Some more workings and yes we can reduce the monthly charge to £108 per month. Wow really?

So what is your full actual total cost p.a your bemused writer asks. Aaaah that will be £1793, he reluctantly offers. So how is that £108 per month?

I tell him my calculated total cost for OVO is £1414. So how my friend in simple terms are you saving me money? Aaah well Sir,you obviously aren't paying enough to OVO. Mmmm but I know the units and I simply multiply it by the price per unit and add on the standard charge.It is here on a spreadsheet.

Well you must be in debit sir. No actually well in credit, currently earning interest prior to the winter months. It's been a hard week sir,not much sleep,baby imminent and btw what football team do you support !!

Yes but my friend you have claimed throughout that you will save me money so do you still stand by that? Yes sir, perhaps the system isn't working here properly and you aren't paying enough to OVO.

Didn't we just do that one? 1414 divided by 12 is actually around £118 per month. I'm paying them £120, so even if I use a bit more then it's plenty.

So to conclude, in reality if I changed now it would cost me £379 per annum which doesn't seem to very good advice does it?

Report logged with Consumer Direct. (Trading Standards to contact me)
Telephone Preference Service breached and logged.
Complaint written to Npower Customer Services.

Shocking !! Thank goodness, I am on the ball the with this or these rogues could have cost me a lot of money.:eek:

backfoot

Just found this. The misselling breaches continue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11150541

Sterling

Thanks for the link

As a result, Ofgem brought in new regulations at the end of last year aimed at tightening up the sales process. The new requirements included:

actively preventing mis-selling to customers on the doorstep and over the telephone.

The four energy companies face an investigation into whether these new licence agreements have been breached.

"We expect all suppliers to comply with these tougher obligations, but if our investigations find otherwise, we will take strong action," said Andrew Wright, of Ofgem.

And just how, I wonder, does Npower “…actively prevent mis-selling…” Perhaps Npower’s rep, on this site, can enlighten us.

Terrylw1

Also, what are Ofgem going to do to protect consumers? Probably very little since they don't monitor Suppliers and trust them to follow guidelines...

backfoot

Sterling wrote: »

Thanks for the link

And just how, I wonder, does Npower “…actively prevent mis-selling…” Perhaps Npower’s rep, on this site, can enlighten us.

I can almost guarantee they will say, that they take action against agents who are guilty.

Whereas,these people are trained and scripted to first entice, confuse and deliver apparent savings which are never forthcoming. This is a systematic process.The agents don't just make this up individually.

Unfortunately,it is not good enough to say that I rumbled the scam and didn't suffer any loss. Many others would have been fooled and indeed are on a consistent basis.

If, as the BBC report states they are already being investigated,it seems incredulous to me that they can continue this deception.

However,as we have seen on most of the big recent utility issues, NPower seem to operate under the illusion that they can do whatever they want.

Terrylw1

backfoot wrote: »

However,as we have seen on most of the big recent utility issues, NPower seem to operate under the illusion that they can do whatever they want.

They will because it's the way they operate their business. Until someone gets inside these businesses, it will only continue. Ofgem have did very little to protect consumers.

These dodgy sales agent issues were all around 10 years ago.

These move from industry to industry on a commission only sales jobs and utilities even outsource to sales companies who obvisously have no interest in retention.

backfoot

Terrylw1 wrote: »

They will because it's the way they operate their business. Until someone gets inside these businesses, it will only continue. Ofgem have did very little to protect consumers.

These dodgy sales agent issues were all around 10 years ago.

These move from industry to industry on a commission only sales jobs and utilities even outsource to sales companies who obvisously have no interest in retention.

Thanks Terry.

Ofgem have been pitiful overall and will go down as the worst Regulator ever.The evidence is overwhelming.

The issue of dodgy doorstep selling, as you say, has been a bane of customer's for so long. I know, I was closely involved in dealing with a long running battle regarding my elderly mother's case.

This is different again though, as I would understand it,that these are in house telephone sales employees of NPower.( I stand to be corrected). In any event,they are office based cold calling staff who must be trained in the products,calculators etc.to be able to perform comparisons.

Unfortunately,they ran into someone who actually monitors his own consumption, does comparisons and is very au fait with the industry. I let the call develop because I hadn't looked into prices since changing to OVO around 9 months ago.

As the call went on it became clear that things were seriously flawed in the information I was being given and that I was being being misled on facts combined with false suggestions. Also the nature of the call led me to believe that I was being duped.i.e. the overfamiliarity.

I will be interested to see how the complaint process goes and I will post here as it develops. I welcome any input you experts and others have to offer.:beer:

sofa-spud

Sterling wrote: »

Thanks for the link

And just how, I wonder, does Npower “…actively prevent mis-selling…” Perhaps Npower’s rep, on this site, can enlighten us.

They dont say whether its pro-actively or re-actively;)

Typical npower vagaries that lack detail, like the rest of their 'communications'

backfoot

My complaint has been passed to the Npower 'Sales Agent's Investigation Team'.

Telephone recordings are kept for at least six months.

The Hull Office outbound callers are Npower's own employees.

'At least, you had the information before you to show that our costs were much higher and you didn't change.'

Yes, but this is a very serious case of misselling and breach of Trading Standards. It shouldn't happen.

'But that's what the sales agents do to get their commission'.

Are you telling me that the office based staff get commission?

'I'm not sure, I think they do on the Retention Team'.

I left NPower about 9 months ago.

......

You couldn't make it up. You really couldn't.:eek:
I'll let you draw your own conclusions but please don't hesitate to add them.;)

undaunted

Terrylw1 wrote: »

Also, what are Ofgem going to do to protect consumers? Probably very little since they don't monitor Suppliers and trust them to follow guidelines...

Ofgem have even been known to state that they could not take enforcement action for just one breach of licence conditions even if evidence were handed to them on a plate. An utterly useless "regulator" in my opinion! :mad:

undaunted

backfoot wrote: »

Thanks Terry.
This is different again though, as I would understand it,that these are in house telephone sales employees of NPower.( I stand to be corrected). In any event,they are office based cold calling staff who must be trained in the products,calculators etc.to be able to perform comparisons.

Unfortunately,they ran into someone who actually monitors his own consumption, does comparisons and is very au fait with the industry. I let the call develop because I hadn't looked into prices since changing to OVO around 9 months ago.

As the call went on it became clear that things were seriously flawed in the information I was being given and that I was being being misled on facts combined with false suggestions. Also the nature of the call led me to believe that I was being duped.i.e. the overfamiliarity.

I will be interested to see how the complaint process goes and I will post here as it develops. I welcome any input you experts and others have to offer.:beer:

I wouldn't hold your breath for anything other than excuses. Just because they are employed by Npower (or RWE) doesn't make them honest or decent in my opinion - quite the opposite actually as we've had the gas sculpting thread, the guy who went to Court & was found to have been "harrassed" (see https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2780432 ), and on another dispute which is headed for the Courts soon I've seen written statements to the Courts & an MP that are blatantly false.

You may want to look at whether the ERA can help you in Npower dont http://www.energy-retail.org.uk/

It's about time this dreadful company was brought under control!