edf energy - 135 mins on hold and waiting....

echoecho_2

Having worked for an energy company in the past, I can tell you that there is never a real urgency around computer issues. Customer Service staff proactively raise issues, but until it gets to a point where customers are going crazy and it's going to cause problems in the press, problems are left to fester for months, new upgrades are implemented even when it is known that one or two important tools won't work until the next update which will be months away...it's a shambles.

British Gas DID bungle their upgrade a few years ago, so did Powergen back when they were still Powergen, the issue here is that there isn't any point, saying, "well, they all messed up so stop making a big deal"...EDF should have learnt from the massive furore around BG's system's upgrade and realised they needed to do the changeover in a really controlled way with as little margin for error as possible. And the thing that really got me was in the middle of this massive mess they were very aggressive with getting new customers, which while very welcome from a price point of view, they must have known how inadequate their customer support was and the pressure the new signups would put on their new system.

backfoot

Excellent posts above.

One of the further disappointments for me is how having botched the implementation they have just stood there watching the fire and not tried to manage or put it out.

Many of the problems relate to set up of accounts,yet they added many more new accounts.

Other common issues involve incorrect DD set up yet they had no mechanism (reports) to identify them. e.g.a dual fuel fuel contract with only one DD.

A block on inputting online meter readings until the system was corrected so that new DD's wouldn't be produced.

Investigate why opening meter reads are being rejected.

All of these things have led to further problems,customer confusion and complaints. It has spiralled into chaos.

They also failed miserably to communicate real advice and solutions(even temporary) to help manage this so called transition. I invited their top Customer Services Manager personally in writing and in a phone discussion, to issue guidance here or on their website about generic issues. Instead many posters here have given better advice than EDF have been able to do.

We finally got a bona fide Rep from EDF on the Forum and they have been really conspicous by their absence in doing anything of substance in this regard.

Supply billing and customer service is an easy operation. It has been done for many years successfully and it is the Suppliers like EDF who have messed it up with new products,new systems and poor management.

Don't ever blame the customer.

babydeaksmom

what a bunch of morons they keep setting up direct debits then cancelling them they then set up 5 on my bank account and used two and my BANK cancelled them as instead of the 58 pounds per month they took out one payment of 58 pounds and one of 160 nearly wiping me out
it took me FOUR MONTHS to contact them to set up a direct debit as they did not send me a contract to sign i got abused by the woman on the phone who denied that i was entitled to a welcome bonus apparently they investigated this when i complained and told me at no time was i offered this
when i finally thought i had everything set up a direct debit for 58 pounds i get a letter stating i had one for 48 pounds instead so i get that changed (again) it then comes up on the screen that i actually owe 74 pounds but she stopped that from being taken out changed it back to 58 ive just randomly checked my account guess what with no warning they are taking out 74 pounds according to the direct debit guarantee you are supposed to receive ten days notice to any changes to your direct debit i have yet again received none
my question is after violating my contract and not even sending me one abusing me and changing the rules to suit themselves can i leave without paying my early exit fee of 50? i have put in several complaints to them and got the were sorry etc even when i complained i couldn't get in touch with them by phone i complained via email and they said to ring them back? do i have the rights to exit early due to poor customer services?

backfoot

You may be interested in this associated thread regarding Direct Debits and the mismanagement by EDF.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3787041=

kizkiz

They have put my dd up every month.
Every month i have phoned them and put it back down.
I'm still way in credit though

undaunted

I haven't read the entire thread but why anyone would be willing to sit in a phone queue for over 2 hours to speak to anyone on this earth is utterly beyond me.

If they can't manage to answer the phone in a sensible period I'd just write a letter & put it in the post (with proof of posting or recorded delivery if you prefer) if I were you. What they then do with it is entirely upto them but I'd still only pay for that correct energy usage & write complaining if they then billed on estimates.

Ultimately reading the meter & correctly billing the account is their responsibility not something they can just entirely abdicate responsibility for to you.

backfoot

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/PressRel/Documents1/EDF%20press%20notice%20March%209%202012.pdf

http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/news/edf-energy-remain-at-bottom-of-energy-complaints-league-table

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