angry from Luton about NPOWER Bill

williamD1964

Just recieved my latest bill from NPower and I feel sick. Two yeasr ago the under estimated my bill and was left with a large arrears that I had to pay off monthly. 7 months ago, this was down to 200 in arrears. I was paying 145 a month for both to combine the payments with the arrears. It worked out that in 5 months, (around october) the arrears would be cleared and that I would be able to move my suppliers to a better deal. NPower then offered me a deal that would reduce my payments to 136 a month (including the arrears) which I took.
Today, my bill shows that I am 800 in arrears (gas is actually 22 in credit!) and my payments will go to 280 a month.
My electrcity usage has not increased considerably, the house was completely insulated last year & the boiler is 6 months old and is an A rated energy efficient boiler. And to top it off, their call centre was closed early because of the bad weather! Any suggestions?

KimYeovil

The meters are in your home. You have had two years and then you have had seven months to look at your meters and see what you have been using. As you have previous experience of their estimates not being accurate why did you choose to not to bother to look at what you were spending and at what you were paying? You have had plenty of time to save up any difference if you were wanting to change.

HappyMJ

williamD1964 wrote: »

Any suggestions?

Pay the arrears and switch. Read the meter monthly or even weekly for a more accurate forecast (I use imeasure to save my readings online and there is a charting facility to track usage) and then provide those readings to Npower regularly. Ensure the bill has the readings you provided on it. Estimate your own bill whenever you read the meter and budget for it accordingly. If you read the meter on a set day and time each week lets say first thing every Sunday morning then estimate what each week has just cost you then you'll have much more accurate idea on what the bill will be. Finally, if monthly direct debit does not suit then pay by whole bill quarterly direct debit. Npower still gives discounts to those paying by direct debit each quarter and the bills will be spot on. The only downside to quarterly direct debit is that each winter the bill will be bigger and lower in the summer so you'll need to save up extra in the summer for the winter bill.

TwittersPVFC

Using £600 over 7 months for electric seems absurd. But that's only how much your arrears have increased. You've paid in far more than that! I'm not sure how anyone can use £1k in electric in just over half a year.

Have you been taking meter readings? It sounds like NPower have blundered and you've not picked up on it.

PNPSUKNET

suppose it depends on the size of the property and whats in it. For example a bungalow with marine fish in ti would use a huge amount. then say a family with two teenagers in a semi that leave everything on.

davidgmmafan

I hope you won't take this the wrong way but I am having real difficulty understanding your post. My first impression was that when the payment was changed to 136 maybe the account wasn't billed up to date. I can't think of any other reason why a balance of 800 would appear out of the blue. Yet you say the 136 included the arrears.

Then the second time I read it I rather thought that you had mis-understood and when you say clear the arrears you weren't factoring in any usage.

It is very likely the reassessment, given the increase, is looking at recovering the balance over six months (bearing in mind the 'usage' from this time last year which may be skewed if there was a large catch up bill). If this is the case then I cannot see why the reassessment you refer to would be done over six months. Unless it is done manually there are two types of reassessment - mid term (six monthly) and the annual reassessement. I believe the call centres in the North East are closed, very bad here, I'm off this week and cannot get my car out of the street.

williamD1964

Update - I called NPower and the young lady was extremely apologetic. It appears that the first two digits of the reading had been transposed. This gave me an innacurate reading by approximately 9000 kwts. She could see that the usage was well in excess of what I had been using over the previous months and couldnt understand how this hadnt been picked up. A new bill with the correct(!) amount payable will be in the post this week.

williamD1964

Last entry. NPower have supplied me with new bill which actually states I am in credit, and want now to reduce my monthly payments to 96 pound a month for duel fuel. So much for being 840 in arrears!. Anyway, have told them to keep the payment at 125 pounds a month for the time being.

t0rt0ise

Did you not look at the meter to check that the reading on the bill was right? I think I would have done.

grahamc2003

Seems madness to me to build up a credit voluntarily on your electricity bill, when you have high debts at high interest rates on credit cards.
Why don't you get your act together a bit more. Take meter readings and make a simple spreadsheet to calculate the cost of electricity used, and then knock off the payments you have made. It's quite easy. Then you'll know your accurate standing with your electricity. Knowing that, (and this bit will be controversial) you can even run up a negative balance with npower (if they'll let you), but if you have the cash to cover that negative balance, then no probs - it's an interest free loan). The amount you save by lowering the monthly payment should be used for two things - first keep enough cash to cover the negative balance, if any, then use the rest to pay off the highest interest crdit card debt. (by the way, I'd live like a puaper and work like a dog till i'd got any credit card balances paid off, otherwise you're running to stand still and just shoveling cash into a big black hole every month).