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Warning: npower accept new customers without sending them a Contract
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Hi lamialex,
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the update.
On 19 November 2012, in Post #63
"Adam at npower" said "... backlog is now cleared so you shouldn't see any further issues."
He implied that 'all issues were solved'.
Your post is more evidence that there are still issues.
I and other readers have noticed that "Adam at npower" has tended to 'play down' the whole issue.
See Post #113.
False promises only add to Customer's frustration.
If npower had been more realistic in their communication they might begin to repair some of their reputation.
For examples of better communication see Posts by the E.ON Company Reps here at MSE and
The Energy Shop see their blog: 20 Nov, 23 Nov, 27 Nov, 30 Nov and 6 Dec.
http://blog.theenergyshop.com/?p=492
The Energy Shop have tried to inform their Customers and they have tried to get some accurate information from npower.
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0 -
In Post #120makeem95 wrote:...
Guess they messed up big time.
Unfortunately so.What I have found particularly frustrating is that npower knew that there were issues with their 'new system'. They told me about some of them in September 2012 (see Posts #1-#5). Yet, instead of stopping to fix their 'new system', they 'kept on going'. In October and November the issues then affected people who were using 'switching sites'.
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0 -
Update from me.Have recieved no reply to my email asking when my new tariff started and have still not recieved a contract.
I recieved a letter from npower today to say that the sign on line 24 is ending on the 3rd february and I am going to be put on the go save s tariff on the 4th.
I really dont think npower have a clue what they are doing and really wish I had left them and gone somewhere else.0 -
Welcome pack from npower finally arrived this week, dated 18th November so it looks as if npower must be trying to blame Royal Mail for stuff not being delivered for 4 weeks.
Another letter asked me for a starting reading. I tried to create an online npower account - no joy. I tried to use the online meter reading system - no joy. I tried to use the telephone automated meter reading system - no joy; it diverted me (via an intermediate human) to another human, who took my meter reading.
He also advised that my direct debit has not been set up. It was currently listed for £xx.xx per month, which their systems can't cope with, as it only takes whole numbers of pounds! He did at least round the number down. I asked what date the direct debit would be taken each month; that hadn't been set up either, but my question prompted him to do this also.
In short, the npower systems seem to hover somewhere between just creaking along and utterly failed. It will be interesting to see what happens when npower's systems finally and irrevocably come crashing down around their ears; it will doubtless make life interesting for whichever insolvency practitioner gets the job of trying to sort the whole mess out.
In terms of the original complaint, npower have now sent me a valid contract (including tariff details) in compliance with their licence obligations.
IC0 -
*Jane* wrote:Update from me.Have recieved no reply to my email asking when my new tariff started and have still not recieved a contract.
I recieved a letter from npower today to say that the sign on line 24 is ending on the 3rd february and I am going to be put on the go save s tariff on the 4th.
I really dont think npower have a clue what they are doing and really wish I had left them and gone somewhere else.
Thanks for the update.
You (anybody) can ask a Supplier for a copy of your Contract. You don't have to give a reason. The Supplier, if they are complying with SLC 22.8, have to send it to you.
"Provision of Domestic Supply Contracts
22.8 If a person requests a copy of any form of Domestic Supply Contract that the licensee may offer under paragraph 22.2, the licensee must send a copy of that form of contract to that person within a reasonable period of time after receiving the request."
Source:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Licensing/Work/Pages/licence-conditions-consolidated.aspx
Jane, I guess that you have asked npower for a copy of your Contract but from what you posted it is not 100% clear that you have asked them. Did you (or did you just ask when your new tariff started)?
From Post #97 we read that you switched Tariffs (for your Gas), using energyhelpline, on 26 October 2102.
I agree that npower are not giving good customer service.
If their 'new system' is not working well, which is fairly obvious from this thread, it is likely that the CS Staff who have to rely on it will also struggle to give good service.
IMHO a smoothly running system should be able to get you a copy of your Contract in a week or two by post (with some extra delay for the Christmas post).
By email is should be quicker!
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0 -
ic451uk wrote:Getting there!
Welcome pack from npower finally arrived this week, dated 18th November so it looks as if npower must be trying to blame Royal Mail for stuff not being delivered for 4 weeks.
Another letter asked me for a starting reading. I tried to create an online npower account - no joy. I tried to use the online meter reading system - no joy. I tried to use the telephone automated meter reading system - no joy; it diverted me (via an intermediate human) to another human, who took my meter reading.
He also advised that my direct debit has not been set up. It was currently listed for £xx.xx per month, which their systems can't cope with, as it only takes whole numbers of pounds! He did at least round the number down. I asked what date the direct debit would be taken each month; that hadn't been set up either, but my question prompted him to do this also.
In short, the npower systems seem to hover somewhere between just creaking along and utterly failed. It will be interesting to see what happens when npower's systems finally and irrevocably come crashing down around their ears; it will doubtless make life interesting for whichever insolvency practitioner gets the job of trying to sort the whole mess out.
In terms of the original complaint, npower have now sent me a valid contract (including tariff details) in compliance with their licence obligations.
IC
Thanks for the informative update.
You are the first to receive a Contract!
However, they failed to send it to you before they 'switched you'.
If you had been a Telephone Customer, with no way to read any 'online quote', this would have been more serious.
The date "18th November" is curious
(more than a week to process online data?? - one day before Post #63 - see below).
See Post #96 (and #98).
You applied to switch your gas to npower online on 10/11/2012.
If the Contract has come by TNT (with no postmark as most npower mail is sent) you don't know how long it took.
I would guess only 2-3 days.
"... npower must be trying to blame Royal Mail for stuff not being delivered for 4 weeks".
I don't think so. Did it come by Royal Mail? I think the date might be the 'Contract Generated Date'.
You may remember the '17 August 2012 document', which is like a Contract but which does NOT mention my Gas (see Post #4 and #109 - this was Printed on 24 September 2012 {and printed again on 20 November 2012}), was generated on 17/08/2012.
I speculate that, if you asked 'the system at npower', it would say my 'Contract Date' was 17/08/2012 and your 'Contract Date' is 18/11/2012.
Edit to add (17/12/2012)
Like you, I also experienced an issue with a DD not being 'round pounds'.
In my case, my Electricity DD was set at £29.01 (it still is).
However, when I phoned about this (in early October 2012 - can't remember if it was 1st, 2nd or 3rd Oct - see Post #5) I was told that npower only set DDs in 'round pounds'.
Also, my Gas DD was documented, in the 13/09/2102 DD Letter, as "£0.00" (in fact it is £5.00) and this was clarified in the Letter of 05/11/2012 (see Post #35).
End of Edit.
Of more relevance to the question of the systemic issue (or issues) at npower is the long delay.
I speculate there are a large number of Contracts in the 'big backlog' that "Adam at npower" assured us, on 19 November 2012 (in Post #63), "... backlog is now cleared so you shouldn't see any further issues."
This is important evidence that there have been (and possibly still are) systemic issues at npower.
Ofgem are looking into this.
The rest of your Post #125 illustrates a shambles - as you said "... npower systems seem to hover somewhere between just creaking along and utterly failed."
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0 -
Timeline - npower's 'new system' and SAP
I am sure all readers will accept that:- computer systems are designed by people
- computer systems are programed by people
- computer systems are tested by people and
- computer systems are approved for use, in 'live' / 'production', by people
It is not clear if the failures are in one or more of the above areas.
See also
The SAP anti competition argument
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4294069
RWE npower goes live with SAP CRM
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240112904/RWE-npower-goes-live-with-SAP-CRM
by Cliff Saran 21 Dec 2011computerweekly wrote:RWE npower has rolled out a new SAP customer service system and virtual call centre to
600,000 customers.
It hopes to move all residential accounts to the new system by August 2012.
The utilities company hopes the multi-million pound project, run by IBM, will improve customer services. The system will support RWE npower customer service and sales teams, which handle customer administration, maintenance, billing and payment.
Customer services staff will use a single system to work through customer-related processes and access information such as contract history, invoice information and installation appointments. ...
emphasis added.
Comment:
I know, from phone conversations (see Posts #1-#5) that I was, in August 2012, on the new (SAP) system because when I phoned even the 'normal Joiners and Leavers Team' could not see my Account Info: only a sub team who were dealing with the 'new system' could assist.
Dataflow management for RWE npower
http://www.amt-sybex.com/case-studies/dataflow-management-for-rwe-npower/AMT-SYBEX wrote:The Challenge
RWE npower embarked on a programme called Atlas, which aimed to implement SAP in order to deliver 'best in class' customer experience and reduce service and IT change costs. Within the overall solution, one key area was the management and control of information exchanges with other companies in the UK energy market – for example, during the 'change of supplier' process when RWE npower gains customers from other suppliers.
The Solution
AMT-SYBEX worked with SAP Custom Development to design and deploy a solution based on Affinity Marketflow, its industry-leading solution for dataflow management.
The Benefits- Automates key industry data exchange processes from end to end.
- Delivers increased 'up-front' data validation, reducing the costs and errors caused by poor data quality.
- Provides automated escalation to ensure that industry dataflows are received in a timely manner, reducing the number of customer complaints from overdue processes.
- Acts as a highly configurable central point of control for dataflow management, enabling RWE npower to respond to industry changes in a more agile manner.
- Replaces a number of legacy dataflow management systems with a single solution, significantly reducing software licensing and maintenance costs. ...
I've been told, on the phone, by people who work at npower - that the 'new system' has some features that are an improvement on the previous system.
However, as documented in this thread the 'new system' has not been able to produce my Contract.
Neither is is capable of sending me a copy.
So it is failing to meet npower's own published standards and it is failing to comply with SLC 25.6 or SLC 22.8 (plenty of detail in the thread).
The npower Rep has been avoiding difficult questions (see [URL="https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/57051151[/URL] and [URL="https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/57349159[/URL]). In Posts #71 to #74 and #109 I have tried to explain the 'lost in the Post (TNT or Royal Mail)' points "Adam at npower", the npower Rep, made in Post #65.
Started switch process before Npower price increase...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/56642041#Comment_56642041
In Post #8, on 19 October 2012,
chanz4 said "If you are switching to a fixed rate it shouldnt be effected, if not then it would be. I believe they are migrating to sap today fully. Also they have given you the same cooling off period all suppliers give with is 14 days"
emphasis added.
Then on 24 October 2012, in Post #3 of
Npower - Does it take 7 days to get an answer
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4250555
chanz4 said "havent their systems also been down for a few days?"
There are other examples, in this thread (and in threads linked to this thread), of MSE Posters reporting that npower CS Staff telling callers that their 'computers were down' as well as long delays in answering the phone, responding to email.
I think, once npower used their 'new system' in more areas of their 'IT infrastructure' the 'still unfixed new system' impacted more Customers and 'switching sites'.
In Post #109 I have listed some of the 'switching sites' that were reported to be affected. I imagine that there were other 'switching sites' affected.
npower might know. Ofgem will want to know.
03 May 2013: Edited to Add
Npower: The only way is up
By Tim Probert
Published In: Intelligent Utility Magazine March/April 2013
http://www.intelligentutility.com/magazine/article/308003/npower-only-way
"Npower is among the least popular organizations in Britain. For the fifth year in a row, the British utility has been voted the country's worst energy supplier in terms of customer satisfaction by price comparison website uSwitch and for the second successive year by the Consumers' Association, more commonly known as Which? ..."
1. See end of this Post for link to the Which? Survey.
There is some interesting background information in this article.
Readers will be able to compare npower's optimistic comments to Tim Probert with the actual issues in this thread and the linked threads.
1. See the survey at Which? - conducted in October and November 2012.
Energy companies rated
http://www.which.co.uk/switch/energy-suppliers/energy-companies-rated
npower are 15th (worst rated).
End of Edit 03 May 2013
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0 -
Update: Ofgem are aware of this issue and this thread. :j
I am in two way communication with Ofgem.
Establishing this has taken longer than I had hoped.
There have now been more than 5,000 views of this thread.
This evening I have started two threads:
FAO Ofgem and Secretary of State DECC - 3 points
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4348967
Please make only ONE Post in this thread.
Please use the "Comment on - FAO Ofgem ..." thread (next) for your comments.
Comment on - FAO Ofgem and Secretary of State DECC - 3 points
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4348989
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0 -
Have had no reply to my email that was sent on the 6th December. It really does not surprise me either.
Have sent another asking for my contract and have told them they are required to send it to me. I have also said I expect it within 14 working days. I dont hold out much hope.
Funny how the Adam from npower has not posted since.0 -
Thanks Jane, for the update.
Very good that your were specific in the email. IMHO this is a fair test for npower. I agree about Adam.
25.6_Pre-contract_oblig0
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