Add your feedback on energy supplier Spark

Jake07

Wow, some positive news! Read this as this might help if you are in a similar predicament. My Spark nightmare is finally over! Quick recap:

As some of you may know, Spark have a contract with Reeds Rains estate agency by which any Reeds Rains property is automatically supplied by Spark for gas and electric unless you specifically request to switch after you move in. They do this rather sneakily by inserting a small paragraph in the middle of the tenancy agreement which allows them to take over the gas & electric for the property. Tenants don't always read the entire tenancy agreement (I know, no excuse, but mine was 30+ pages long) so often unbeknown to them, they are with Spark.

That would be fine, however a few issues arise:

1) Spark often do not send quarterly bills. Instead they may send an annual bill 14 months or so AFTER you moved in for one massive amount. Of course by then some tenants may have left so the person named on the bill must chase them for their share. This happened to me.

2) Spark usually pick the first person named on the tenancy agreement with Reeds Rains and make them the sole account holder for gas and electricity for the entire property, even though the tenancy agreement may have multiple tenants. Read this: THIS IS A BREACH OF THE DATA PROTECTION LEGISLATION. Spark have no right to make any specific tenant the account holder without first obtaining consent from that person. Your contract is signed with Reeds Rains, not Spark. Yes, there is a clause permitting Spark to take over the energy supply but that is IT. They do not have permission to use any of the tenants data such as name, DOB, and god forbid, bank details. Reeds have no permission to provide Spark with those details without seeking your consent first, as Data Protection laws forbid this.

It took me a while (2 years!) as I was arguing with Spark on various other grounds but I finally received an email from them today that my name is being removed from the account.

If this happened to you, you can use Data Protection legislation to back yourself up. If Spark is after you for unpaid bills where you are the Spark account holder but your contract was with Reeds Rains and there were other people on the tenancy they can not make you liable for the whole bill. Just pay your share and stand your ground.

Methusela

halifax50 wrote: »

I would so like to make the savings suggested by transferring to Sparks but have read so many negaive things about them.
A sample can be found on the Review Centre web site:

I cant post a link but the below without the spaces should help you find them.

http:// www. reviewcentre.com / reviews199569.html

I look foward to hearing more positive reviews over the coming months, but for the moment I will not take the risk.

I posted some serious criticism of Spark Energy about 15 months ago. Like many I found myself stuck with them because the Letting Agent had an agreement allowing Spark to take over supplies to all of their rental properties. Spark customer services at that time were terrible. I would hang on for ages waiting for someone to answer the 0845 phone number but as often as not got no answer or got cut off. I sent a number of e-mails but never got a reply to any of them. In short I would have put them as No.1 in a list of worst customer service providers. I couldn't wait to move to another supplier.

But now that has all changed. Over the past year they have transformed their customer service from the Beast to the Beauty. They are now pro-active; they have switched to 02 and 03 numbers and will even phone you back if you spend too long in a queue. They phoned me out of the blue to keep me informed of progress, when I decided to switch back to them after a few months with another supplier (yes-I switched back - that shows how impressed I have been with their new service).

The only thing you need to be aware of is that to get the cheapest deal with Spark you must be on their Advance tariff, which means paying a month up-front and then by direct debit. If you factor this in and Spark still look cheapest then don't be put off by old negative reviews which are now out of date. My final advice is to regularly check your meter readings and send them through. That way you won't find yourself having to pay arrears that have built up because they have been underestimating your useage. This is absolutely vital whether you use Spark or any other energy provider. They all need accurate information and unless you have a Smart Meter fitted you are the only one who can keep your supplier up to date.

Oh and if all this makes you think I might work for Spark, just search for my negative reviews back in 2013 to see how my view has been changed by their improvements. B.t.w. I worked as an electrical engineer in the NHS - now 13 years retired and still counting.

Jake07

Methuselah - thanks for posting, I truly hope their change for the better is genuine and permanent!

Former Spark Representative

Methusela wrote: »

I posted some serious criticism of Spark Energy about 15 months ago. Like many I found myself stuck with them because the Letting Agent had an agreement allowing Spark to take over supplies to all of their rental properties. Spark customer services at that time were terrible. I would hang on for ages waiting for someone to answer the 0845 phone number but as often as not got no answer or got cut off. I sent a number of e-mails but never got a reply to any of them. In short I would have put them as No.1 in a list of worst customer service providers. I couldn't wait to move to another supplier.

But now that has all changed. Over the past year they have transformed their customer service from the Beast to the Beauty. They are now pro-active; they have switched to 02 and 03 numbers and will even phone you back if you spend too long in a queue. They phoned me out of the blue to keep me informed of progress, when I decided to switch back to them after a few months with another supplier (yes-I switched back - that shows how impressed I have been with their new service).

The only thing you need to be aware of is that to get the cheapest deal with Spark you must be on their Advance tariff, which means paying a month up-front and then by direct debit. If you factor this in and Spark still look cheapest then don't be put off by old negative reviews which are now out of date. My final advice is to regularly check your meter readings and send them through. That way you won't find yourself having to pay arrears that have built up because they have been underestimating your useage. This is absolutely vital whether you use Spark or any other energy provider. They all need accurate information and unless you have a Smart Meter fitted you are the only one who can keep your supplier up to date.

Oh and if all this makes you think I might work for Spark, just search for my negative reviews back in 2013 to see how my view has been changed by their improvements. B.t.w. I worked as an electrical engineer in the NHS - now 13 years retired and still counting.

Hi Methusela


We're really pleased that you've seen positive changes at Spark Energy - thank you for taking the time to leave feedback.


If any customers find issue with their Spark Energy account, we would urge them to make contact so that we can help, and my email address can be found on my profile page.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

Former Spark Representative

Jake07 wrote: »

Methuselah - thanks for posting, I truly hope their change for the better is genuine and permanent!

Hi Jake07


It sounds from your previous post like everything was sorted out, but if you do need to get in touch with us, you can contact me directly through my profile page.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

dawn27

I recently moved into a new property and the energy supplier was Spark. I tried to move to NPower straight away as soon as I moved in.
I managed to get the electric switched within about two weeks.
Spark keep objecting to the gas moving over to NPower.
I'm getting really frustrated as when I ring the Spark helpline they tell me there is no problem and to get the new supplier to retry.
I contact NPower and ask them to try again as Spark assured me there was no problem or objection to moving.
Yet again Spark put in another objection, I contact them on twitter and they reply that they would only object if there was a balance outstanding on the account. The problem with this is they haven't sent me a bill to pay.
It seems once you are with Spark there is no leaving even if you never asked for an account with them in the first place.

Former Spark Representative

dawn27 wrote: »

I recently moved into a new property and the energy supplier was Spark. I tried to move to NPower straight away as soon as I moved in.
I managed to get the electric switched within about two weeks.
Spark keep objecting to the gas moving over to NPower.
I'm getting really frustrated as when I ring the Spark helpline they tell me there is no problem and to get the new supplier to retry.
I contact NPower and ask them to try again as Spark assured me there was no problem or objection to moving.
Yet again Spark put in another objection, I contact them on twitter and they reply that they would only object if there was a balance outstanding on the account. The problem with this is they haven't sent me a bill to pay.
It seems once you are with Spark there is no leaving even if you never asked for an account with them in the first place.

Hi Dawn


Although we'd have loved it if you'd decided to stay with Spark, we understand that customers can and will switch to other suppliers if they get a better deal, and we wouldn't obstruct that process unless there was a balance due on your account.


It's not clear why you've not had a bill. Are you signed up for an online account? If so, that's an automatic opt out for paper billing. If that's not the case then I'd have expected you to have received a bill if you've been supplied by us for over a month.


I would be really grateful if you could drop me an email to the address given on my profile page. I should be able to get this sorted out for you.


Hope to hear from you soon.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

mike456889

Like many other consumers I was caught up in the nightmare of the lettings agency giving Spark my details so they took over the account and put it in my name without my knowledge or consent. Spark then refused to transfer the account back to my original supplier or to close the account, using a variety of excuses, threats and just outright refusals.
Beware of signing any lettings contract with a contract mentioning Spark in it. Even if the contract states that you will be able to switch at any time, Spark will not let you, which is clearly not allowed under current consummer law, but you will waste a lot of time and energy trying to sort this out, if you succeed at all.
Unless tennants refuse to sign these contracts the lettings agencies will continue this practice as Spark is giving them kickbacks despite the regulator rulings against the company.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Bumping for Sparks energy customers

houseclearance9_2

We were with Spark Energy, we left for a better deal and got a refund of just over £37.00 . A few weeks later we got a letter from ZINC debt collection demanding £2062.00 for SPARK ENERGY.
We immediately go onto spark about this and were told to ignore it.
Today we got a letter from BW LEGAL another debt collector for £2062 for SPARK ENERGY.
The stress has been unbearable so today @houseclearance9 I took to twitter and facebook and I managed to get to the bottom of it . There has been a problem with the billing software !!! OMG How many more customers have been screwed over by these incompetent !!!!!!!s ( wouldnt let me put boris`s name for corbyn ) Mug Wump