Warning: npower accept new customers without sending them a Contract

Terrylw1

Whether the contract is Deemed or Offered, terms have to be sent out per different sections of the SLC's. This is also to cover the sections regarding mandatory services imposed on suppliers or other consumer bodies.

spiro

How did you sign up with nPower as a supplier? SLC 25 is around marketing activities and is designed to cover face to face and telesales and protect consumers from dodgy salespeople.
If you signed up via a switching site then SLC 23.1 applies.

undaunted

Terrylw1 wrote: »

OP - no regulator will comment or here and you will be lucky to get a supplier response, unless it was Eon as their reps are very helpful. I suggest you Google Ofgem Consumer Affairs Team and report it to them with your questions.

Where if you're lucky you'll be fobbed off in person and if you're not you may well just be ignored. They think they are above talking to mere consumers.

GemBlueTopaz1984

I signed up to Npower at the end of september and haven't received any paperwork at all, i have no account number i haven't given any meter readings. I sent in 2 emails asking for it to be looked at both were ignored, i rang last week to be told their system was down and they couldn't look at my query but someone would ring me back in 24-48hrs which also never happened. I eventually spoke to someone after ringing them again this week to be told I wasn't on their system yet due to a change over of the system the new customers were being put on in the next week and I would receive some paper work shortly. It doesn't look good for a year with them.

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

undaunted wrote: »

Doesn't surprise me at all. Npower seem to believe themselves a law unto themselves.

The Regulator is about as useful to the Consumer as a chocolate fireguard when it comes to enforcing / resolving such issues.

undaunted, thanks for your response.

undaunted wrote: »

Doesn't surprise me at all. Npower seem to believe themselves a law unto themselves.

Having read the thread that you started "Npower versus the vulnerable? Court Challenge"
(I don't yet have 'link posting privileges'), and other threads, I can see how you have come to this opinion.

undaunted wrote: »

The Regulator is about as useful to the Consumer as a chocolate fireguard when it comes to enforcing / resolving such issues.

Indeed, this might also be true. The reason I am posting here is to try and alert the Regulator. I have not found an easy way to alert them to this very clear breach of the SLCs. Perhaps npower's Competitors will draw this to the attention of the Regulator. What I have found particularly shocking is that the official procedures seem to allow a Company to breach the regulations for many weeks - hence my Question to Ofgem:

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig wrote:

Q-R-06. Is there a mechanism for a member of the general public to report an apparent breach of the Regulations without waiting MANY MANY weeks? If so how? Do you agree that, in a Regulated competitive market, these apparent breaches should be reported and assessed rapidly?

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

Terrylw1 wrote: »

The answer is that they are supposed to comply with the SLC's.

The problem lies in the incredibly lax way in which they are enforced, if at all. Investigation tends to be triggered by pressure on Ofgem.

Terrylw1 wrote: »

There are continual breaches seen in threads on this board and I think everyone should be bombarding Ofgem's Consumer Affairs Team until they get sick of us all! ...

Terrylw1, thanks very much for your comments. In the few days I have been reading here at forums.moneysavingexpert .com I have found your input particularly helpful and informative.

Terrylw1 wrote: »

Ofgem could easily get the dates and ask for evidence and prove non compliance...its not rocket science...

I agree!

Terrylw1 wrote: »

OP - no regulator will comment or here and you will be lucky to get a supplier response, unless it was Eon as their reps are very helpful. I suggest you Google Ofgem Consumer Affairs Team and report it to them with your questions.

I had, prior to my first post, thought of reporting direct to Ofgem but, it seems to me, quite difficult.
To misquote Magnus Magnusson "I don't like to start what, I anticipate, I can't easily finish (right to the conclusion)."
So, I may well end up writing to Ofgem's Consumer Affairs Team. This will cost me more time and money (for telephone
and/or postage).

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig wrote:

From my point of view the main issues are not personal to me but are wider.
This is why I am making these public posts.

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

DUTR wrote: »

Personally I cannot see what the fuss is about?
I switched from BG and Npower to SP in April, I never recieved a contract (although it is probably online for me to read) , I suppose it is deemed accepted as I pay the DD and the previous suppliers are not billing me.

DUTR thanks for your reply.
DUTR, and others who "cannot see what the fuss is about", I phoned npower in August 2012.
I have not received a Contract, so I've NOT been able to 'cool off'. I did NOT know my switch date until I phoned again.
The outline of the whole saga is above.

My main point is that this clear breach of the SLCs is NOT a 'one off - just a single Customer' but is affecting other npower Customers too.

Unlike you, DUTR, in my case there is no online version of the Contract for me to check (I phoned npower). I STILL do NOT know what Gas Tariff I am on, nor do I know the Terms of my Contract (because I've not received it despite repeated requests).

Even if I were the only Customer in this position it would be, IMHO, a breach of 25.6.

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

spiro wrote: »

How did you sign up with nPower as a supplier? SLC 25 is around marketing activities and is designed to cover face to face and telesales and protect consumers from dodgy salespeople.
If you signed up via a switching site then SLC 23.1 applies.

spiro, thanks for you comment. I did phone (see above) so SLC 25 is the relevant section. For the avoidance of doubt I did NOT use a switching site. Also, as I've not been sent a Contract, following my request, there may be OTHER breaches ...

SLC wrote:

22.2 Within a reasonable period of time after receiving a request from a Domestic Customer for a supply of gas to Domestic Premises, the licensee must offer to enter into a Domestic Supply Contract with that customer.

22.3 If the Domestic Customer accepts the terms of the Domestic Supply Contract offered to him under paragraph 22.2, the licensee must supply gas in accordance with that contract.

I've not seen my Contract and so I RESERVE THE RIGHT to reject the Contract until I have had a chance to read it!

SLC wrote:

22.4 A Domestic Supply Contract must:
(a) be in Writing; and
(b) include all the terms and conditions for the supply of gas, including: ...

<snip>

SLC wrote:

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.

I think npower are ALSO in breach of SLC 22.8 as I have repeatedly asked for my written Contract (see above in this thread).

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

GemBlueTopaz1984 wrote: »

I signed up to Npower at the end of september and haven't received any paperwork at all, i have no account number i haven't given any meter readings. I sent in 2 emails asking for it to be looked at both were ignored, i rang last week to be told their system was down and they couldn't look at my query but someone would ring me back in 24-48hrs which also never happened. I eventually spoke to someone after ringing them again this week to be told I wasn't on their system yet due to a change over of the system the new customers were being put on in the next week and I would receive some paper work shortly. It doesn't look good for a year with them.

Hi GemBlueTopaz1984, I am very pleased that you have posted. Your post confirms what I am documenting. The 'new system' at npower is not compliant with the SLCs. I speculate that they MIGHT be trying to fix it. If you contact your current Supplier you may find that you are 'still with them'. You may be able to switch to another (not npower) Supplier.

IMHO a compliant Energy Supply Company, on discovering that it was about to receive a Customer WITHOUT supplying them with a written Contract should do the following.

1. STOP the switch.
2. Contact the Customer to explain the delay.
3. Use a 'fall back' / old / manual system to produce the Contract.
4. Sent it to the Customer.
5. If the Customer accepts the written Contract THEN continue with the switch.

They should revert to the previously 'compliant system for accepting new Customers' until they have fixed their 'new system'.

IMHO a compliant Energy Supply Company, on discovering that it HAD received a Customer WITHOUT supplying them with a written Contract (as npower has done in my case) they should do the following.

1. Report themselves the Regulator.
2. STOP all 'Customers who are attempting to become their Customers' from becoming a 'Customer without a Contract'
by stopping all Sales.
3. Send a Contract to ALL the Customers who have not Recieved one.
4. Fix their system. Possibly revert to a previous system which is compliant.
5. Prove to the Regulator that their system is now compliant.
6. Once the Regulator is satisfied, resume their Sales (i.e. start to accept new Customers again).

25.6_Pre-contract_oblig

backfoot

I switched at the end of October from a Scottish Power contract to another fixed term contract. This was done over the phone directly with SP.

I didn't receive any written confirmation either by email or post. neither have I received any contract documentation to this date.

It seems totally wrong to me.