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"Data protection" hell from npower
GingerBob_3
Posts: 3,659 Forumite
in Energy
I inherited npower as my gas/electric supplier when I recently moved. I wrote to them with my bank details asking them to set up a monthly direct debit and set me up as the person with sole liability for the account. Although they set up the dd (but didn't tell me how much it would be or anything else) they seemed to ignore my letter and sent out a (grossly inflated) estimated account, so I had to ring them up - big mistake!
To start with, the recorded message said the current wait time was in excess of ONE HOUR!!! I persevered (it's an 0800 number) and after about 50 minutes they answered. Then we had the stupidity of "taking me through security" (anyone would think they were a bank or something). Q: how do you pay your bill. A: I haven't paid one yet. Oh dear! they were expecting me to say "direct debit", but because I got it wrong it had to go to "the supervisor" and you don't get a second chance. After a long and heated discussion, during which they refused to accept any other verifying information I was prepared to give, all I could get from them was "you failed security so you need to ring back" What! Another 1 hour wait! You must be joking! "Sorry, it's out policy". Well you ring me back then. "Sorry, we can't. You must ring us". Why !!!!!!! "It's just policy".
So I rang back and put the phone on the desk and waited, another 55 mins, then they answered and I sorted it all out. But they weren't too happy about me becoming solely liable for the account. "Does so-and-so live with you?" F. off! But they, as far as I know, have agreed to this.
Anyway, I'm moving to another supplier. Npower are scum beyond belief. Don't deal with them.
To start with, the recorded message said the current wait time was in excess of ONE HOUR!!! I persevered (it's an 0800 number) and after about 50 minutes they answered. Then we had the stupidity of "taking me through security" (anyone would think they were a bank or something). Q: how do you pay your bill. A: I haven't paid one yet. Oh dear! they were expecting me to say "direct debit", but because I got it wrong it had to go to "the supervisor" and you don't get a second chance. After a long and heated discussion, during which they refused to accept any other verifying information I was prepared to give, all I could get from them was "you failed security so you need to ring back" What! Another 1 hour wait! You must be joking! "Sorry, it's out policy". Well you ring me back then. "Sorry, we can't. You must ring us". Why !!!!!!! "It's just policy".
So I rang back and put the phone on the desk and waited, another 55 mins, then they answered and I sorted it all out. But they weren't too happy about me becoming solely liable for the account. "Does so-and-so live with you?" F. off! But they, as far as I know, have agreed to this.
Anyway, I'm moving to another supplier. Npower are scum beyond belief. Don't deal with them.
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Comments
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you are not telling us everything, did you partner still live there and your trying to get the account in your name? If so they will search credit ref and if found to be lying you will get a cifas marker be warned.
they wouldnt just fail dpa on a dd either, unless you have provided false date of birth etcDon't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.0 -
you are not telling us everything, did you partner still live there and your trying to get the account in your name? If so they will search credit ref and if found to be lying you will get a cifas marker be warned.
they wouldnt just fail dpa on a dd either, unless you have provided false date of birth etc
Rubbish! The "partner" point is incidental to the first problem I had with these morons. Their first question after "first line of address" and "postcode" was "how do you pay your bill" and because I didn't say "direct debit" they said I failed their (rather stupid) so called data protection policy. The point I'm trying to make is that any reasonable person/organisation would have accepted a further reply and woudn't have forced me to ring back - what the hell good does that do!
I notice that npower has several negative posts in this thread, maybe more so than the other suppliers, and I'm not surprised based on my single dealing them.
Cifas! I think not. They don't know my date of birth or anything else. When I rang them back a second time they tried to collect this information, together with phone number and email address. I took the sensible approach of politely not disclosing it - so they can't then loose it or sell it. Be wary of organisations trying to collect all this data about you (incidentally, looking at alternative suppliers, EDF don't require this when you sign up with them, others do, if done online - so EDF, if everything else is good, is probably where I'm going).
My partner - it is of no concern to npower who lives at the property. I have decided to be solely liable for the account and if they don't like it they can stuff it! They try it on - the more people they can name as liable the better from their point of view. If there's a problem they can go ahead and struggle to find out who else might be liable.
We tend to give these bum organisations far too much quarter.0 -
Rubbish! The "partner" point is incidental to the first problem I had with these morons. Their first question after "first line of address" and "postcode" was "how do you pay your bill" and because I didn't say "direct debit" they said I failed their (rather stupid) so called data protection policy. The point I'm trying to make is that any reasonable person/organisation would have accepted a further reply and woudn't have forced me to ring back - what the hell good does that do!
I notice that npower has several negative posts in this thread, maybe more so than the other suppliers, and I'm not surprised based on my single dealing them.
Cifas! I think not. They don't know my date of birth or anything else. When I rang them back a second time they tried to collect this information, together with phone number and email address. I took the sensible approach of politely not disclosing it - so they can't then loose it or sell it. Be wary of organisations trying to collect all this data about you (incidentally, looking at alternative suppliers, EDF don't require this when you sign up with them, others do, if done online - so EDF, if everything else is good, is probably where I'm going).
My partner - it is of no concern to npower who lives at the property. I have decided to be solely liable for the account and if they don't like it they can stuff it! They try it on - the more people they can name as liable the better from their point of view. If there's a problem they can go ahead and struggle to find out who else might be liable.
We tend to give these bum organisations far too much quarter.
So really what your saying is that you havent really moved in, and just wanted the account in your name......or as that just hit the nail on the head.
Just hope your partner doesnt have credit, as when they go to trace them the supplier will flag they still live there.Don't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.0 -
So really what your saying is that you havent really moved in, and just wanted the account in your name......or as that just hit the nail on the head.
Just hope your partner doesnt have credit, as when they go to trace them the supplier will flag they still live there.
What are you talking about! Take my Dad for example, he is solely liable for all household accounts. My Mum's name doesn't appear on any of them. Yet she still manages to get credit and so does my Dad, in some cases jointly, other times not.
As I said, it is of no concern to the supplier as to who is living at a property. Presumably you think that if I was living on my own then someone moved in with me I should hot-foot it down to the leccy office to tell them about it. Stroll on!0 -
It does matter if your doing it to try and avaid debt, check the utility act about responsability.Don't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.0
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It does matter if your doing it to try and avaid debt, check the utility act about responsability.
Well I'm not. Don't forget, these disreputable organisations have a habit of making life very difficult for people on occasions - see the many threads on this board. The less they know about you the better.
But anyway, as I said earlier, the point about the liable party is incidental to the point I'm really trying to make, which concerns the absolutely appalling customer service given by npower. The didn't respond to my letter, they have a disgracefully undermanned call centre and they have a particularly stupid data protection policy (policy used loosely). In the heated discussion I had with them first time around the supervisor said (I lie not) "well you wouldn't want us disclosing your bank details to someone claiming to be you, who actually wasn't". Quite right. I wouldn't want you disclosing my bank details to anyone, at any time, whoever they were, over the phone, including me! These clowns haven't a clue about proper data protection. I work in an open office and over time I've come to know the personal details of many of my colleagues, due to this obssesion with "taking you through security" when they've been on the phone. I could easily masquerade as any of them .0 -
Well I'm not. Don't forget, these disreputable organisations have a habit of making life very difficult for people on occasions - see the many threads on this board. The less they know about you the better.
But anyway, as I said earlier, the point about the liable party is incidental to the point I'm really trying to make, which concerns the absolutely appalling customer service given by npower. The didn't respond to my letter, they have a disgracefully undermanned call centre and they have a particularly stupid data protection policy (policy used loosely). In the heated discussion I had with them first time around the supervisor said (I lie not) "well you wouldn't want us disclosing your bank details to someone claiming to be you, who actually wasn't". Quite right. I wouldn't want you disclosing my bank details to anyone, at any time, whoever they were, over the phone, including me! These clowns haven't a clue about proper data protection. I work in an open office and over time I've come to know the personal details of many of my colleagues, due to this obssesion with "taking you through security" when they've been on the phone. I could easily masquerade as any of them .
most suppliers are now asking these questions, and even more with them all going to sap which is automated. Im a customer of theirs and never been in a que as long as you state, unless it was a saturday.
Data protection is to protect you and the company, trying calling halifax when you just open an account if you fail you have togo into branch with id before anyone will speak on the phone againDon't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.0 -
Be wary of organisations trying to collect all this data about you (incidentally, looking at alternative suppliers, EDF don't require this when you sign up with them, others do, if done online - so EDF, if everything else is good, is probably where I'm going).
...suggest you read some of the (many!) negative posts about EDF and their (lack of) Customer Service/ computerised billing systems on this forum before you jump:)0 -
I inherited npower as my gas/electric supplier when I recently moved. I wrote to them with my bank details asking them to set up a monthly direct debit and set me up as the person with sole liability for the account. Although they set up the dd (but didn't tell me how much it would be or anything else) they seemed to ignore my letter and sent out a (grossly inflated) estimated account, so I had to ring them up - big mistake!
To start with, the recorded message said the current wait time was in excess of ONE HOUR!!! I persevered (it's an 0800 number) and after about 50 minutes they answered. Then we had the stupidity of "taking me through security" (anyone would think they were a bank or something). Q: how do you pay your bill. A: I haven't paid one yet. Oh dear! they were expecting me to say "direct debit", but because I got it wrong it had to go to "the supervisor" and you don't get a second chance. After a long and heated discussion, during which they refused to accept any other verifying information I was prepared to give, all I could get from them was "you failed security so you need to ring back" What! Another 1 hour wait! You must be joking! "Sorry, it's out policy". Well you ring me back then. "Sorry, we can't. You must ring us". Why !!!!!!! "It's just policy".
So I rang back and put the phone on the desk and waited, another 55 mins, then they answered and I sorted it all out. But they weren't too happy about me becoming solely liable for the account. "Does so-and-so live with you?" F. off! But they, as far as I know, have agreed to this.
Anyway, I'm moving to another supplier. Npower are scum beyond belief. Don't deal with them.
Just to let you know, all Direct Bebits are covered by the terms of the DD scheme and you are fully covered by the terms of the DD guarantee.
One term that applies to all DD transactions is that you must be given advance waning of when and how much is to be collected. If you do not receive such notice, you can ask for a full and immediate refund from your bank
When you call any supplier about your account, they will ask some security questions to ensure compliance with the DPA.0 -
Well I'm not. Don't forget, these disreputable organisations have a habit of making life very difficult for people on occasions - see the many threads on this board. The less they know about you the better.
But anyway, as I said earlier, the point about the liable party is incidental to the point I'm really trying to make, which concerns the absolutely appalling customer service given by npower. The didn't respond to my letter, they have a disgracefully undermanned call centre and they have a particularly stupid data protection policy (policy used loosely). In the heated discussion I had with them first time around the supervisor said (I lie not) "well you wouldn't want us disclosing your bank details to someone claiming to be you, who actually wasn't". Quite right. I wouldn't want you disclosing my bank details to anyone, at any time, whoever they were, over the phone, including me! These clowns haven't a clue about proper data protection. I work in an open office and over time I've come to know the personal details of many of my colleagues, due to this obssesion with "taking you through security" when they've been on the phone. I could easily masquerade as any of them .
have you just moved in with the partner who held an account with npower?0
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