Npower Sales Tactics

alecpr

I must be getting old because this kind of thing is really starting to get to me and the more I try to complain the more angry I get :mad:

So I came here to vent. About an hour ago a nice young girl came to the door to offer me £200, resisting the urge to slam the door yet thinking the offer was too good to be true I asked why she would be so generous? To which she replied that my name was Kevin (no it isn't) and that my current energy supplier was British Gas (wrong again). I explained that Kevin didn't live here anymore and maybe the £200 was his and I would feel uncomfortable taking the money from him. Yet she was adamant that I was entitled to... a £200 discount on my energy bill. I advised her that my energy supplier was E-On and I had just switched supplier, how did she know that E-On (or maybe my previous supplier had overcharged me by £200), I asked if this was actually a promotion that involved switching my supplier to NPower (her name tag gave it away), she said something I didn't catch about a meter reader coming round to check my meter and I would get a new bill that would include a £200 discount. I tried again and got an equally confusing answer about the gas and electricity being "exactly the same". On my third attempt vainly hoping for a yes or a no I got and I quote:

"When you get your bill what do you look at first, the logo or the balance?"

I advised her that, in NPowers case I would most certainly look at the logo and the contact telephone number below it in order to switch away from her company. I continued that I would never subscribe to Npower precisely because of the sales techniques they used at which point she thanked me for my time and left. I didn't get my £200.

...and then I tried to complain. NPower apparently have a number for complaints, it's on the statement their customers receive (I assume only if they elect for paper bills?). Energy Watch which I have found useful on previous occasions has been merged with "Consumer Watch" who's playschool style webpage helpfully informs you to contact the energy supplier in question if you have any issues and gives out their emergency hotline numbers with the exception of Npower for whom they fail to provide any contact details.

Back to the Npower website and their PDF document detailing their complaints procedure failed to download at which point I put finger to keyboard to write the above in the hope that if just ONE person is saved the hassle of having to deal with this company as a result of this post then it was all worthwhile

nPower

Hi alecpr

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've had with the information one of our sales advisors provided. We take complaints like this very seriously and would like to look into this further for you if you like? Please could you forward your address details into forumresponse@npower.com and we can then trace the agent.

For information, we are currently offering a £200 bonus for new customers who switch to npower for both fuels and pay by direct debit. This is a £100 energy bonus, which is a "one off" payment for new customers, plus £100 annual discount. Both discounts are then credited on to your account on your 12 month anniversary - you will see these in your first statement after your first anniversary with us.

We're also looking into the problem you had downloading the PDF from our website.

Best Wishes
Sally

backfoot

nPower_company_representative wrote: »

For information, we are currently offering a £200 bonus for new customers who switch to npower for both fuels and pay by direct debit. This is a £100 energy bonus, which is a "one off" payment for new customers, plus £100 annual discount. Both discounts are then credited onto your account on your 12 month anniversary - you will see these in your first statement after your first anniversary with us.

Sally

The problem being, and now repeated by yourself,is that it isn't a Bonus.

How can the existing Direct Debit Discount be advertised or stated to be a Bonus? It is a conditional payment upon remaining as an Npower customer for more than 12 months.

Indeed as just shown following your recent price rise,it is actually a penalty that a customer has to forfeit if they choose to switch Supplier.

If these were genuine bonuses, they would be paid up front or at least on a monthly basis as the Contract unfurls.Avoid false marketing be it on the doorstep or by phone. :mad:

Quentin

nPower_company_representative wrote:

I am not allowed to tout for business at all.

What would you call this then???

nPower_company_representative wrote: »

...........For information, we are currently offering a £200 bonus for new customers who switch to npower for both fuels and pay by direct debit. This is a £100 energy bonus, which is a "one off" payment for new customers, plus £100 annual discount. Both discounts are then credited onto your account on your 12 month anniversary - you will see these in your first statement after your first anniversary with us..............

rabbitmumu

Of course bonuses can be paid subject to terms and conditions. For example, their sales team can get £x as bonus after conning Y customers in a year, or the customer service team will get £x after pretending to answer each call or £x in pretending to solve your query/ "looking" into your query.

Why can they afford to pay for all these "bonuses"? Because:

(1) High prices (but that's the same for all companies). So to be more specific here : Carefully designed Tier 1 gas allowance which is different for each month. So the low users will have all/ most of their consumptions under Tier 1 which is almost triple the price of Tier 2 throughout the year.

However, I was told that would save me money (by another con man).

(2) Constantly over-estimating the gas usage (if you are not on any online plans) so that when you phone up and tell them a lower usage say 1-2 weeks after the billing period when you receive the bill, instead of correcting the bill as of the end of the original billing date, they cleverly increase your billing date to whatever date you phoned up.

Because of how they set the tariff in (1), even after you tell them your lower usage, you will still get a higher bill. This problem has been highlighted here before and I have experienced it personally.

(3) Excellent sales staff who tell you ANYTHING you want to hear.

(4) Excellent customer services who pretend to look into/ resolve your problems, but won't actually do anything after the phone is put down. Excellent audit-trail as what you discussed previously may not be in THEIR SYSTEM.

(5) But there will be threatening final warning letters even when the problem is still in the process of being "resolved" by the lovely staff in (4). That will frighten lots of people who thought they had no choice but to pay.

(6) Failing (5) above, they have this highly EFFICIENT and PRODUCTIVE Debt Collection Department who keep sending bailiff or court order letters even when the matter is STILL not being resolved by those lovely people in (4). That would make some of these stubborn customers panic and pay up. Thats why they can make so much money and afford all these bonuses.

(7) If they fail (6) above - e.g. had a customer like me who refused to accept con and injustice and ridiculously stubborn, they will then tell you (in their exact words) "I AM DOING YOU A FAVOUR" by write off your final bill" (a bill which had units that I didn't use.....). So according to them, I should be grateful that they have finally "released" me....

Edit: (8) Before I forget - last but not least - Once a customer has experienced (1) to (5) above, especially being very impressed by the amazing stories that they can come up with via the phone.... a customer with "principles" will decide to switch supplier.... Hurray !!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED !!! There's no need to pay this year-end £100 BONUS.

So there's another £100 to recruit more sales people... and cycle will keep on and on and on and on......

While writing the last point, I realise how stupid I was..... I shouldn't have ANY principles .. I should have waited for another 5 months to get that £100... I fell into ANOTHER trap AGAIN !!!