Switching From Spark - ombudsman complaint

skintnclueless

Hi,

Property was switching over to Spark as we moved in.
Switched away from them in March for reasons discussed here by many other forum members, and have yet to get a penny out of them.
In a large amount of credit - energy cost was less than half of what we actually paid, although it took them 7 months to admit this with a final bill.

They missed the promised payment date in November, so I have submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman.

Has anyone been through this with Spark before? Are they stubborn or is the presence pf the ombudsman enough?

Premier_2

You wouldn't normally have got your money back until they had produced a final bill.

Now they appear to have done that, just demand the repayment. If they fail, pursue as you would any debt.
Don't waste time with the ombudsman - they can only do what you can in this instance and ask for the money to be repaid; they have no extra powers.

If writing does not get the repayment, use this:
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

skintnclueless

Cheers for the reply.

They've generally been shambolic, it took a lot of effort to get them to produce the final bill, but they didn't stick to the payment date stated on it, and have since basically said "you'll get it when you get it".

guess I'll wait for the ombudsman response and take it from there.

foal

Spark Energy is hands down the worst ever customer service I have experienced (and I have experienced socialist Poland in its prime). I have a dispute with them that continues over 1.5 year already and doesn't seem like it will stop any time soon. Their incompetence is unbelievable and they lie to their own customers for most of the time, judging by above posts I am lucky that I owe them money and not the other way round...

They even admit they have one person taking calls in their 'call centre' between 4-6. No wonder I cannot get through :mad:

I could take it to ombudsman but I don't believe anything would come out of this.

anotherletter

when I moved into my rented apartment, I was shoehorned into having Spark energy as my supplier, due to a stitch up I believe between the letting agent and Spark(because they are the preferred suppliers for tenanted properties supposedly.

However, following a change in management at the letting agency I switched to E-ON, which is where spark energy's total lack of customer service became apparent. The switch was 9 Nov 2010, it took until 16th Dec to produce the final bill which showed a refund of £184.51, but it didn't say when it would be paid. Since then I've tried innumerable times to speak to someone in the CSD at Spark, as of the 21 Jan I'm still waiting.

E-Mails generate a standard response in that they'll respond within 5 working days, still waiting for an answer form one sent 6 Jan 2011. If you call the Spark energy number of 08450347474, you just get anyone but the CSD, but they will take a message and get back to you, I have done numerous times since 16th Dec, but still no call back.

An email to their customer resolutions department is no better, and a call to the actual CSD number(0845 869 4002) doesn't even ring, it goes straight to a message stating that they cannot connect you.

I would never recommend anyone to spark energy, they are absolutely awful, with the CSD being the absolute worst ever, AVOID SPARK AT ALL COSTS. :mad:

Premier_2

You switched supplier in November and are moaning you didn't get a final bill til December?

Good job you weren't with a certain company within the 'big 6' suppliers - it could have been next November before you got a final bill. Not all their fault though as I believe they were under instructions to delay issuing final bills to ensure they were correct ... but perhaps not delay quite as long as they sometimes do/did.

Now you have a final bill, don't pfaff about with phone calls or emails - write as I said back at the beginning of this month. Send it recorded delivery!
Demand the money you are owed.

skintnclueless

Going to the Ombudsman has resolved my problem, and I now have my money back, plus an added few quid inconvenience - suggested by the ombudsman, not Spark I should note.

They are the worst company I've ever dealt with, and that includes Sky when I had the "pay once watch forever" deal that they infamously forgot about when it ran out.

Had the same problems with overflow sending my call to a receptioninst who promised a call back, and called me a liar when I said they had never called me back before. I still can't decide whether they are deliberately obstructive, or just incompetent.

Still, at least I never have to speak to them again.

co123456

Oh man..... having read the 'glowing recommendations' about Spark, the first thing I did when moving into rented accomodation 20 days ago was to switch. I set up a Direct Debit with Spark so that they could collect a month or twos payment before the switch and I find I'm penning a letter of complaint already! Here's my beef:

Dear Sirs,

I note from your website that you 'introduced Profiled Direct Debit in 2009 to ensure customers that are paying via Direct Debit are always paying for what they use rather than a flat amount per month' (Source: http://www.sparkenergy.co.uk/make-payment.html)

In the attached mail, you provide details of a Payment Schedule with a flat amount of £74.48 per month.

My complaint is threefold.

One; Your website states that I will only pay for what I use, yet you attempt to collect money from me before I have even received an invoice, or any indication of the tariff I am on. You are in fact estimating my bill.

Two; I believe that £74.48 per month is far too much. In my previous residence supplied by Southern Electric, my Annual Electricity Statement showed that I had used 2907.00 kWh in the twelve months to the 25th of February 2011 and that my estimated costs for the comming year would be £386.75. Using your monthly Direct Debit collection as a guide, you estimate that I will use £893.76 worth of electricity - an increase of 231%. I have gained an extra bedroom, yet lost a Tumble Drier so whilst my usage is likely to increase, it is not likely to increase that much.

Three; You website misrepresents your company and contains wooly statements and 'waffle' which is confusing. You promise best customer service yet I am writing a formal complaint less than three weeks after becomming a customer. You promise leading edge technology, yet I can't see a bill online. You state that you are 'at the fledgling stage of think tanking'. What is 'think tanking'? I have no idea what you are talking about. In your FAQs, you state that you 'are less expensive for (me)' which when faced with an initial Direct Debit demand of £74.48 does not ring true. Your Price Promise is, at a time where the most savvy consummer are not on the Standard Tariff of the 'Big 6', simply a promise that your price is going to be higher. From your FAQs, you claim to be Green yet you do not offer paperless billing.

Please would you reply in writing (e-mail is fine) within 5 working days indicating what remedies you suggest and what compensation you are willing to offer. I recommend that you give serious attention to my complaint. I would rather you spend time and resources satisfying my complaint rather than time and resources if I find no option than to follow Stage Two and Stage Three of your complaints procedure.

co123456

Sent this last Friday:

Dear Sirs,

Considering that you I have not received a letter of acknowledgement by letter/e-mail within 48 hours of receipt, I asume that you are no longer willing to follow your own complaints procedure. I hereby give notice that unless you respond in a timely manner, I intend to skip Stage Two and Stage Three of your complaints procedure and go directly to the Energy Ombudsman where I will seek to obtain their assistance in securing a settlement.

I am very unhappy that you have decided not to reply to ANY of my approaches and believe this is in part because I have decided to switch to a competitor.

Please respond to this e-mail within 48 hours.

co123456

And this today:

Dear Sirs,

Further to my e-mail dated the 18th of March 2011, note that my latest dealine has passed and that I have received no communication whatsoever from your company. I have therefore contacted the Energy Ombudsman and explained that you have not responded to my repeated and fair requests to resolve my complaint. I am frankly disgusted by your lack of cooperation and will certainly not be recommending your service to anyone. If you don't listen to me, then I will ensure that you listen to the Ombudsman, Ofgen, and my local MP, the Right Honorable John Redwood who has assisted me in the past in other matters.

I have spent four hours trying to resolve this complaint. Not only am I faced with the stress and anxiety of higher energy bills, but I am giving up my spare time with my family to try and resolve this complaint.

The Energy Ombudsman have issued me with a Case reference number (xxxxxx) and suggested to me that I issue notice to you to either issue a Final Position or a Deadlock letter within eight weeks of my initial complaint of the 7th of March 2011. Please take this e-mail as my instruction to you to do so.

In consideration of the quite frankly inept service that it has been my unfortunate displeasure to receive, I suggest the following resolution. As a gesture of goodwill, you may wish to consider writing off the amount owed by myself up to and including the 21st of April 2011 being the date my service provider changes to British Gas. Considering that I do intend to employ as many resources as possible in order to resolve this dispute, I feel that this resolution would be better for you than having to engage legal counsel and defending your company repution in the media.