Add your feedback on energy supplier Spark

Pikeman2

Let me share just one problem I had with Spark...

In my bill received in early December 2012 they told me I owed £6,052.83!!! :eek:

After several phone calls I got a credit for £5,445.15 and the bill was revised to £587.68 and I paid this. I'm not sure if it was really correct or not as their bills are not easy to understand but life is too short to spend dealing with companies like this one.

I have this bill in writing so am happy to back this up if anyone finds it hard to believe...

johnv007

I have just joined Cheap Energy Club as I am a major fan of Martin. I have run a check based on my energy usage and put in annual consumption of 6030 KWH Electricity and 23315 Gas. I am currently on Scottish Energy Online Fixed Price Energy April 2014 Tariff. When the quote comes us it suggests that my current supply cost will be £1661 which I think is about what I expected and that this can be beaten by one supplier Spark Advance tariff giving a saving of £167 per year. Whilst this looks attractive I have not heard of spark, the information warns that the provider did not raise prices in the last hike (so presumeably may increase soon) and worst of all I cannot understand that £the collection value will initially be set based on 1/12 of estimated annual consumption of 3500 KWH Electricity and 16500 KWH gas which is considerably below my stated figure. This all makes me a bit nervous as I currently have a fixed rate until next year. Perhaps some feedback from Martin would reassure. I do wish to support this initiative.:T

Tylium

Spark Energy are the dodgiest shysters in the business.

yabbadoo

I was pretty savvy, I thought, choosing OVO (now in 2nd year) but I put my actual usage data into the new Cheap Energy Club template anyway, to check it out.

Having read the feedback (both the quote differences and crucially, service) I'll not be saving a projected £100 a year from Spark.

Next best is Npower, at £24 p.a. more after factoring the £60 cancellation charge, so my OVO 12 month fixed deal to Oct 2013 remains "best buy" for now (review in Sept).

Full marks for the effort put into creating Cheap Energy Club - response time was a nanosecond. I look forward to reading feedback from other MSE's over the next few months, hopefully confirming that suppliers quotes are same as Cheap Energy Club quotes. It's frustrating, the quote differences between comparison sites and supplier sites - not always generated by MSE data entry error!

yabbadoo

Sparks website - customer service reviews, the good, the bad and the ugly!

http://www.sparkenergyreviews.co.uk/reviews/index

lestajo

I wouldn't recommend Spark. We were switched by our agents/landlady without our permission when we moved to a new house (our fault for not realising this was possible, so didn't understand the letters!) then really struggled to switch- difficult to contact, and often unable to access our account as systems regularly down or unavailable. Also when we thought we had paid the final bill which we were quoted over the phone, 9 months later after switching we received another final bill for nearly £200. Really unhappy about the terrible administration and disorganisation of this company. If it's cheaper for you then great, but I would be seriously wary.

Wywth

lestajo wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend Spark. We were switched by our agents/landlady without our permission when we moved to a new house (our fault for not realising this was possible, so didn't understand the letters!) then really struggled to switch- difficult to contact, and often unable to access our account as systems regularly down or unavailable. Also when we thought we had paid the final bill which we were quoted over the phone, 9 months later after switching we received another final bill for nearly £200. Really unhappy about the terrible administration and disorganisation of this company. If it's cheaper for you then great, but I would be seriously wary.

Sounds like you have got a right dodgy landlady/agent if they switched your supplier after you moved in.

You realise they only did that for one reason, don't you? A big backhander. It's not as though you don't pay them enough in rent as it is.

Such a shame you didn't post here for advice at the time, but it's probably far too late now

bebewoo

yabbadoo wrote: »

Sparks website - customer service reviews, the good, the bad and the ugly!

http://www.sparkenergyreviews.co.uk/reviews/index

It's so funny that the reviews are so bad on Spark Energy's own website!

skkamh

We use a lot of gas and elec in our house, so were delighted to find that we could save £18 per month using Spark, according to the "Cheap Energy Club". But when I went to their site and entered my data directly then they priced my usage at £45 per month more than we pay at EON.

Another bright idea bites the dust...

Wywth

skkamh wrote: »

We use a lot of gas and elec in our house, so were delighted to find that we could save £18 per month using Spark, according to the "Cheap Energy Club". But when I went to their site and entered my data directly then they priced my usage at £45 per month more than we pay at EON.

Another bright idea bites the dust...

To be fair, that is probably not a failure of Spark.

Assuming you are confident you have used the sites correctly, the chances are the error is with the chaep energy club data itself, either what it uses for Spark or with your existing supplier.

I would suggest you post your issue on the Cheap Energy Club feedback thread.

If you post your details there: i.e.
1. annual consumption figures in kWh you used
2. Supply region (or first part of your postcode)
3. current supplier & tariff name

Someone may take a look into this.