NPower harrassment

PaddyEvans

Back in April I completed purchase of a new house. The previous owner used NPower, and I immediately switched to Scottish Power (my supplier at my previous rented property). I did this mainly because I can handle SP, so every mistake they've made over the years has given me about 6 months free electricity at least!

At the time, I submitted to both meter readings for gas and electricity as the new owner.

Firstly I went through rigmarole with SP making up readings after having submitted correct readings several times, and got that cleared up satisfactorily (and some compensation - thanks to this place) with written evidence that they had accepted readings lower than those they were trying to charge me for and photographs of the meter! Fine.

NPower also messed up, and we went through a similar process, wasting several hours before they accepted I didn't owe them anything. The NPower phase took from 3rd May to 18th July (dates of letters). They refused compensation as I was not their customer. Have spent far too long on it and got money from SP and come out ahead for their !!!!!!ing about, I let it go.

*At this juncture I should point out the property was empty and unfurnished for 2 months (and I can prove this with Council Tax documents), so 1 single KWh was used - drill and hoover work on it to clean it up - and no gas at all.*

Now on 1st October they have sent letters dated 25th July demanding payment by August 3rd of £84.88. On 5th October They sent red letters repeating these demands. I got both together as I was away for a few days.

Frankly I now consider them to be harassing me, and quoting "customer readings" that are wrong and have been proved wrong several times, and my readings corroborated by another supplier.

Can anyone recommend a further course of action? Can I stick them in the dock for this? Should I wait for them to summon me and just whip out my proof? I'm really not in the mood to go through spending a fortune on telephone calls and waste hours again, to be told I'm not a customer and they have no obligation to pay me anything, and no doubt go through this again later down the line. I'm also not in a position to do it until the 17th at best.

How do you recommend I move forwards?

PaddyEvans

Just checked my records for the proofs sent to SP - I have a written note of the correct readings, but not the photograph of the meter or email confirmations frmo them

@&$£

Premier_2

On the day you collected the keys, you should have contacted nPower with your meter readings, nPower being the existing supplier to the property.

nPower would then have compared those readings with the ones provided by the previous owner who should have done likewise. If there was a discrepency, then nPower would have investigated, perhaps by instructing a meter reader to attend to get their own proven readings.

As I often post, those who attempt other ways to change supplier often end in tears.
A case in point it appears.


Btw, from 25 July and 5th October, that's quite a few days indeed... :cool:
Presumably you informed your insurance company of this extended period of continuous unoccupancy?
Why didn't you provide the supplier/creditor with an alternative mailing address during this period?

PaddyEvans

Premier wrote: »

On the day you collected the keys, you should have contacted nPower with your meter readings, nPower being the existing supplier to the property.

nPower would then have compared those readings with the ones provided by the previous owner who should have done likewise. If there was a discrepency, then nPower would have investigated, perhaps by instructing a meter reader to attend to get their own proven readings.

I did inform them, and have those readings on the house documents I think (filed upstairs ATM). As I said, they even previously accepted that they were pulling numbers out of their backsides. I had to do this to keep both them and SP happy.

I really have no idea why they have decided to resume a losing line months after the issue was closed.

PaddyEvans

Premier wrote: »

Why didn't you provide the supplier/creditor with an alternative mailing address during this period?

Was in on weekends making it habitable, so post was picked up.

Premier_2

PaddyEvans wrote: »

...*At this juncture I should point out the property was empty and unfurnished for 2 months (and I can prove this with Council Tax documents), so 1 single KWh was used - drill and hoover work on it to clean it up - and no gas at all.*...

PaddyEvans wrote: »

Was in on weekends making it habitable, so post was picked up.

You can't have it both ways.

Either the property was unoccupied, and hence the council tax discount and low energy usage ... but the extortionate insurance premium

or

you were occupying the property at the weekends in which case you would not be entitled to council tax discount and your claim of using just 1kWh in total for all those weekends would be unbelievably frugal.

PaddyEvans

Well when I asked the council what the situation was, they said it was fine :think:. I stated it was unfurnished, and was being made habitable in my free time. Which is exactly what was happening. I was living in rented accommodation and paying council tax on that, and the house was a pigsty of wallpaper, drilling, and hoovering. There was no furniture in there, and as soon as there was, the council was informed and tax paid. I specifically asked how it worked and the definition I was given was the presence of furniture. That's the information they wanted, that's the information they got.

Now if you've quite finished inferring dishonesty on my part, this is completely off topic from the OP. That has nothing to do with meter readings being ignored by an energy supplier that has previously accepted them, letters dated inaccurately by months, or harassment for money that is not owed.

This thread is about NPower.

macman

You may have only used 1kwH, but there would be standing charges accumulating on both the gas and electricity accounts?

notbritishgas

PaddyEvans wrote: »

Back in April I completed purchase of a new house. The previous owner used NPower, and I immediately switched to Scottish Power (my supplier at my previous rented property). I did this mainly because I can handle SP, so every mistake they've made over the years has given me about 6 months free electricity at least!

At the time, I submitted to both meter readings for gas and electricity as the new owner.

Firstly I went through rigmarole with SP making up readings after having submitted correct readings several times, and got that cleared up satisfactorily (and some compensation - thanks to this place) with written evidence that they had accepted readings lower than those they were trying to charge me for and photographs of the meter! Fine.

NPower also messed up, and we went through a similar process, wasting several hours before they accepted I didn't owe them anything. The NPower phase took from 3rd May to 18th July (dates of letters). They refused compensation as I was not their customer. Have spent far too long on it and got money from SP and come out ahead for their !!!!!!ing about, I let it go.

*At this juncture I should point out the property was empty and unfurnished for 2 months (and I can prove this with Council Tax documents), so 1 single KWh was used - drill and hoover work on it to clean it up - and no gas at all.*

Now on 1st October they have sent letters dated 25th July demanding payment by August 3rd of £84.88. On 5th October They sent red letters repeating these demands. I got both together as I was away for a few days.

Frankly I now consider them to be harassing me, and quoting "customer readings" that are wrong and have been proved wrong several times, and my readings corroborated by another supplier.

Can anyone recommend a further course of action? Can I stick them in the dock for this? Should I wait for them to summon me and just whip out my proof? I'm really not in the mood to go through spending a fortune on telephone calls and waste hours again, to be told I'm not a customer and they have no obligation to pay me anything, and no doubt go through this again later down the line. I'm also not in a position to do it until the 17th at best.

How do you recommend I move forwards?

I presume those demands were on a bill? If not demand one or at least a breakdown of the charge.

Then compare the meter readings used, the start reading should be the one you gave them when you got the keys and the end one the one you gave SP when they requested one, bear in mind you would not have given SP this on the day you got the keys but on go live date which could be about 4 weeks later.
Then check that the end reading is the same as the start reading on your first SP bill or if you have not had one yet speak to SP to confirm what reading will be used.

PaddyEvans

No. The amounts are purely usage. They are even itemised as such. Previous owner was messy but not daft.
The amounts have previously been accepted as incorrect by NPower.

Possibly relevant background: The SP issue in the OP arose from NPower giving them inaccurate initial readings when I purchased the property. Neither wanted to accept responsibility. NPower insisted they had sent over my amended readings, SP insisted they hadn't, and each trying to fob me off to the other's customer services. I was able to buckle SP with evidence and the fact I have an 8 year history with them (the usual change to another supplier line helped). NPower have always maintained they have no responsibility to me as I am not their customer and immediately left them on purchasing the property (but they apparently still want this money they're not owed!).

macman

You couldn't immediately switch to SP-even if you started the switch process the day you moved in, there is still a 4-5 week period during which you would have been an NPower customer. As I mentioned, there would be standing charges for that period as well as your minimal usage.