NPower harrassment

PaddyEvans

notbritishgas wrote: »

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

Yup, that's exactly right.

notbritishgas wrote: »

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.

This is what happened months ago, and why I believed the matter was closed until these latest letters.

I have meter readings from 8 April, 8 May, 22 June.

The go-live readings were miles too high due to my aforementioned low usage. We spent weeks getting a correct start point for SP and end point for NPower. These new demands are miles higher than any set used and agreed upon by all parties back then.

The discrepancy is 74 units/2338kWh

PaddyEvans

macman wrote: »

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.

Nope. Itemised bill states very clearly this is for usage of 74 units/2338kWh that I have not used.

They are effectively attempting to charge on top of the amount used at switch.

Hell, my gas meter STILL isn't at the level they want to charge me as being at months ago (I barely use my gas supply).

t0rt0ise

If it were me I would send a letter, signed for delivery, to their complaints department setting out the problem clearly.. better than you have done here as it is really not clear what the problem is.. and take it from there. I wouldn't just leave it however tempting that is as it will escalate and become more difficult to deal with.

Erialc1972

Unable to add any further advice on this except to say the only way I got nPower to take any notice of my complaint was to post on here. They asked me to contact them via this forum and issue got sorted quickly after 2 years of aggro! Good luck!

meggsy

Hi Paddy

The npower representative uses the following email [EMAIL="forumresponse@npower.com"]forumresponse@npower.com[/EMAIL]

Good luck from me as well

PaddyEvans

Many thanks to all for their time. know some of my responses were snarky - exasperating stuff!

grahamc2003

I'm not sure I follow what's happened, there seems to be some inconsistencies here and there.

But anyhow, isn't the point totally moot anyhow? We are talking about the agreed readings at the swtich (i.e. on the day SP started supplying you and NPower ceased). If the readings on that date were incorrect, it makes no odds to you. One supplier may gain or lose a little, but the result is neutral to you - if you want lower readings on that date, then whatever you gain from NPower you'll lose from SP won't you? (i.e. if the readings currently are 1000, and you think they should be 600, then that means you are just paying for 400 units to NPower rather than SP - those units will still have to be paid for. Unless you want the switch day reasding to be different for each supplier?

Your claim of 1 unit used during 2 months of weekend diy/hoovering seems too low to me. Did you have a kettle for coffee for instance?

So to confirm what I think you are saying, did you submit a meter read the day you compelted the purchase? Did you also submit a reading the day of the switch 4/5/6 weeks later? Did those 2 meter readings differ by just 1 unit? were those meter readings initially accepted as valid by the suppliers? Were the readings submitted online, and did you get confirmation they had been accepted?

PaddyEvans

Guess I was as clear as mud. Apologies for that.

Important point is, NPower have backed down and cancelled the bill. In the end got them and SP to talk to each other and confirmed that NPower were making readings up.

For the sake of those confused, see if this makes more sense.

1. I buy house, previous owners supplied by NPower.
2. I call NPower "I want to use someone else, here are readings when I took ownership so we can part ways" "They match what we have from previous owner as final readings, no problem"
I call SP "I want you to supply my property".
3. Date of switch. I call SP "Here's my starting readings" I call NPower "here's my final readings"
4. NPower send out final bill - readings are far higher than I gave. I call them "Oops, we'll fix that" Repeat x3

4a. Unrelated SP issues with estimated bills being given out over first few months when I can prove I'd given readings much lower than their estimates - eventually solved with me sending pictures of the meter and them making a grovelling apology and sending money

5. Time goes by.

6. October 1st I get letters dated July from Npower - readings are far higher than I gave.
7. Red letters arrive October 5th. I find point 6. and point 7. letters at the same time, as had been away for a few days.
8. Posted the OP of this thread in frustration.
9. Today got the bill cancelled.


re: Low numbers. Damned right. I'm poor as dirt as was brought up tight! eg For electricity, nothing is even pluged in if not in use. The only reason the fuses are even on is my fridge. My heating hasn't been on since I bought the property. I typically use £10-£15 month, tops. Energy suppliers hate me for this :P
//Yes, will go up when the snow comes and I've got no choice

chanz4

The gaining supplier comes up with the read, not the loosing supplier. This problem occured by you not first oppening an account with npower in your name and your move in read. You account would be going through disputed reads which is electroninc and can take sometimes weeks dependant on the mra

PaddyEvans

chanz4 wrote: »

The gaining supplier comes up with the read, not the loosing supplier. This problem occurred by you not first opening an account with npower in your name and your move in read. You account would be going through disputed reads which is electronic and can take sometimes weeks dependant on the mra

None of that excuses continued inaccuracy since June (so over a period of 3 months), logging readings as customer entered when they are estimated (which I consider carelessly unprofessional at best, dishonest at worst), and completely failing to resolve the issue within the 8 weeks grace or 3 tiers of escalation their complaints procedure outlines.

There are written logs on my part and telephone logs on their part that between 22nd June and 10th October they received the correct readings on 4 occasions (I'm including today in this).

NPower had accurate move-in readings, confirmed by the previous owner and house sales documents which were given on the day I called to arrange the switch, on the day of switch, and during every call to NPower after that.
NPower had accurate switch readings given by me and confirmed by SP on the day of switch, and they had them on 3 occasions in total (including wasting time to confirm with SP each time) before today, when they got them a fourth time!

Believe me, the number of times I've had to defend the readings is quite something, and has been 99% of the conversation with any customer services/complaints personnel I've dealt with (the other 1% being recaps of our story so far) - even earlier today when the matter finally closed *crosses fingers*

"We'll contact SP and confirm those readings, they are very low aren't they sir"
*NPower call back*
"SP confirm everything, but are you sure those readings are accurate, they are very low?"

//growls

Anyhow, they are locking the query, and have agreed to call back by 5pm on the 24th to confirm it is all resolved correctly.