NPower - About to apply for a Warrant;

PNPSUKNET

undaunted wrote: »

I'm certainly suggesting that Npower should have done something sooner but this may not necessarily relate to Court Action (we don't know what the posters circumstances were earlier in the process).

If it is the case, as stated above, that a previous pre payment meter was removed with the customer in financial difficulty and nothing done to identify / address surrounding issues then personally I would consider the supplier complicit in helping to creating this problem, especially if the poster was drinking at that time

Ofgem have of course suggested that suppliers should be pro active in identifying vulnerable customers, addressing problems etc. They have also said (admittedly about 2 / 3 years ago now) that Npower have more improvement to make than other suppliers in terms of best practice.




Surely that's not true. If Consumer Focus pick up the case imminently and Fuel Direct is arranged there will be neither Court proceedings, pre payment meter nor disconnection.[/QUOTE]

Consumer focus can only suggest though, they cant force commercial decisions. The op is cleary been a let try and not pay, when she goes on a dro who pays? Us the suckers that pay the bills. going back to my previous point they can obtain a warrant just to remove or change their meters as they are theres not ours.

undaunted

To be fair Cardew I think they were more concerned about being left without electric at that point but if he / she got a DRO in future the debt would surely become irrelevant regardless of ppm or Fuel Direct?

But PNPSUKNET on what legal basis do you think any company could refuse Fuel Direct (Consumer Focus could of course refer that to Ofgem as unreasonable) or any Judge would grant a warrant if a vulnerable customer had offered Fuel Direct payments & the company refused them in favour of adding £205 worth of costs needlessly?

PNPSUKNET

Its a business and, this is the reason they cant force payment methods. If you log a complaint with the regulator they would always say the supplier has to be reasonable but can not state to the supplier how they are paid. Its like suppliers normaly have in their terms that they can refuse to supply, or request a deposit. Fuel direct is easy stopped, the warrants that energy companys are justice of peace warrants, under the rights of entry act. Just as they can to obtain a meter read. Fuel direct I believe is a last option. Its like a few suppliers have started to take none payers to court via small claims and prices are reflecting these. Do you want to pay for those that dont?

Cardew

undaunted wrote: »

To be fair Cardew I think they were more concerned about being left without electric at that point but if he / she got a DRO in future the debt would surely become irrelevant regardless of ppm or Fuel Direct?

But PNPSUKNET on what legal basis do you think any company could refuse Fuel Direct (Consumer Focus could of course refer that to Ofgem as unreasonable) or any Judge would grant a warrant if a vulnerable customer had offered Fuel Direct payments & the company refused them in favour of adding £205 worth of costs needlessly?

You may 'think' that, however that was not what they wrote.

The way I read it, the delay for court action wouldn't affect a PPM being fitted, but the weekly 'clawback' Npower would be allowed to take would be smaller.

PNPSUKNET

yes I believe the recovery is 100% the same, however the benefits agencys will not accept if something else is an option.

undaunted

If the poster is or has been a drinker, as suggested in the first post, & returns to that at any stage they could well choose booze over electricity with a ppm. With Fuel Direct, just as Kymm suggests above, they can't. Added to the problems of accessing the meter referred to above I cannot see Fuel Direct being refused or disadvantagous to anyone.

Ofgems take (which includes referral to Social Services) but makes no mention of suppliers refusing Fuel Direct can be found here

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/hfvc/Pages/hfvc.aspx

The delay for Court action would of course affect a PPM being fitted IF Fuel Direct is arranged in the meantime (as was referred to in later posts)


The way I read it the poster was saying I don't want a PPM installing because I can't afford to top it up & will be left without power. Npower were saying they would then apply for a warrant add £205 of charges he / she can't afford & he / she was effectively saying those charges (and indeed the bill which could be paid by Fuel Direct) will just become meaningless if I apply for a D.R.O.

PNPSUKNET

but the fueldirect would be the same rate, she would have to pay for what she used no matter what. If she went to the dro route the supplier would 100% install a pre-payment as credit would no longer be granted

mattcanary

It would be good if we could understand what you are saying, PNPSUKNET!

I say again, how can a prepayment meter be appropriate when the OP cannot reliably gain access to the meter to top it up??!!

Cardew

mattcanary wrote: »

I say again, how can a prepayment meter be appropriate when the OP cannot reliably gain access to the meter to top it up??!!

On the other hand how can a credit meter be appropriate, if he won't pay his energy bills!!!! - or for that matter other bills!

macman

Given that the OP hasn't posted in nearly a week, it may be academic. Possibly he hasn't paid his phone bill either...