Add your feedback on energy supplier Npower

rrtt

Well - guess I'm just about to join the long list of complainants. Bought a house supplied by nPower, not living there yet due to renovations, but on Mon 9/12/13 changed tarriffs to their fixed price till March 2015.

However, haven't yet had contract (they have my email addy) and thanks to the advice earlier in this thread, I looked at the 2 bills I'd already paid them for usage going back to date of purchase of a few months, and see they billed me twice & I paid twice for the same period! (one estimated and one they read).

And I've since compared their charges with the supplier at house where I'm living (OVO) who are enormously cheaper - and whose customer service I've found excellent (actually I suppose I've never needed their CS as I've had no problems with Ovo)

So I'll now be switching new house to OVO too. Is that best done by actually switching? or should I just get out of nPower under the cooling off period, can anyone advise? Thing is that the fixed rate nPower I just switched to is a bit cheaper than the previous rate former owners had.

cheers for any help

silverwhistle

The day before yesterday I received a standard letter from Npower (Dear Customer) apologising for their billing problems with the paragraph headings 'We're sorry.', 'What's happened, exactly' and 'What are we doing to put things right?'

I have some sympathy in that it was due to a large data migration and I've been involved in those, but it does seem like a major ****-up.

In my own case I moved in, had credit meters installed in August, reading at the end of October and still no bills. I'll be moving on in the spring anyway so I'm not putting much effort into helping them out. Half an hour in a telephone queue really doesn't appeal and there is no way of sending a simple email to point this simple fact out without registering and accepting paperless bills.

DragonQ

I finally got my contract via e-mail yesterday. It was in text format though rather than a PDF, what the hell?

No switch date yet but I'm hoping it's before the end of the month!

chocolatekay66

I made the switch to NPower following recommendations from the CheapEnergyClub. Little did I know what awful experiences people have had with this supplier.

I made the switch in late October and received an email confirming that a contract will be sent in the post within 7-10 days. It is now mid December and I have not heard anything since.

I have been trying to call NPower to chase this up myself but have had an absolute nightmare trying to get through. They state a wait to of 45 minutes whatever time of day you call, morning, afternoon or evening and you are often left holding for a lot longer!

I finally decided to make a formal complaint. I was given the same old story that they are issuing technical difficulties with their billing system and that my complaint will be resolved within 28 days! 28 days!

Yes NPower may be offering the cheapest and longest fixed tariff, but it all seems more trouble than its worth.

I also did a bit of research on NPower and have come across several horror stories such as NPower using force to enter peoples homes and using bully tactics to get customers to pay their bills. Others are having to wait an entire year for a DD review.

I don't want to cancel mid-switch because I imagine NPower wont even be able to do that properly!

I am currently looking for another supplier, preferably one that isn't one of the big six. Or I may stick to EDF - I've not had any issues since the switchover with them although the switchover itself was a little cumbersome.

NPower switchers be warned!

dmliverpool

redfrock wrote: »

To update ... I rung NPower again today, 15 working days after the above call, as my online account is still showing estimated readings. No, they said, they still haven't sorted it, and the dispute is in hand, to which I queried what dispute exactly? I have given you the readings and you haven't inputted them, instead plucking figures out of the air. There is no dispute. You simply haven't done it. They couldn't tell me any more, and simply repeated the mantra that it will be done. In the end I told them I shall be leaving them, less than 8 weeks after moving to them due to a simply abysmal start. I also advised that I wanted to escalate the matter. Got put through to the Complaints team, who were pleasant, and can see there is a problem, but it will take up to a further 28 days to resolve :mad:
As soon as they have got figures correct on the system, I shall be moving to another supplier - I would go now, but cannot trust them to correct the system which would really cause havoc.

My theory is a rigged meter like my current one. I just want to know if anyone else's pre-paid gas meter is using units, when no gs is being used?

StinkerPinker

To illustrate nPower disfunctionality regarding supplier switching, I've just had my "we're ready to start supplying your energy" email, dated 14dec2013, stating a switchover date some 3 weeks ago and wanting a meter reading from that date, plus or minus 5 days.
Fortunately, I have been taking a meter reading regularly weekly so can oblige, but many might have been caught unawares, I should think.

StinkerPinker

Already run into a problem giving my opening reading to nPower. They want a reading from 3 weeks ago, plus or minus 5 days. However, the functionality on the form that lets you specify which date you took your reading on only goes back 2 weeks, and it won't let you put your own date in.

Thus, it is impossible to comply with the nPower opening reading request online. I'll have to use the phone line when they open on Monday but suspect the service person will only have access to the same dates.

StinkerPinker

A further source of amazement now apparent - my old supplier BG has sent me a final bill without me ever being told the switchover date or giving a switchover reading to nPower. Yet BG have made up the bill to the correct date, and have estimated almost exactly my meter reading for the switchover.

I suppose it helped BG that I have submitted a gas reading on the 1st of every month for years, but I was well impressed. The bill though describes the reading as an "actual", not an estimated read. Odd. They must want to be finished with my account without further delay from nPower. Wish I hadn't felt compelled to leave BG now, but the price rises have been fierce all 'round, and the nPower deal was good. I got in to their March '17 Price Protector BEFORE they hiked their prices, so feel lucky on that score, provided nPower can get their act together.

Clem123

I applied to Npower in October 13 to move gas and electricity accounts to them from British Gas. I received a letter stating that my electricity account would move in 6 weeks time and that I would be kept informed.

I tried ringing power but the waiting time was 45 mins so gave up.

I didn't hear anything else until British Gas emailed asking me to provide a meter reading for my electricity account. This I did and when I received the bill I rang British Gas to pay it. They helpfully informed me that my account would move the following Monday. I asked them if my gas account was also moving. They informed me that was not the case. Apparently when npower applied go them my account was slightly in debit due to the time of year. This being the case British Gas were within their tights to object.

They advised me that since the request had been turned down that my account had now rectified itself and that power should request again and the changeover would go through.

I rang npower and managed to get through and asked them to reapply. I asked if it would take 6 weeks to move over and they said not. Only two weeks which I was quite pleased about.

Four weeks later still no word from them. All the phone calls have put me in a queue of 45 mins wait on an 0845 number which I am totally unwilling to pay for. In exasperation I rang a British Gas to enquire if npower has reapplied and am informed that they have not.

I was expecting to save more than £300 per year but by only taking my Electricity account I have only saved £24pa. It has also cost me £65 to put my account back in credit which if had not askednpower to move my account would have cleared itself over the next twelve months.

So my advice is dont touch them with a barge pole. I am also concerned about them bring organised enought to take the direct debit I have set up and will be putting the money away safely for when they finally get around to billing me.

DragonQ

Just got an email from nPower saying they're ready to take over my account (even though it's already happened according to the person I spoke to a few days ago). The email asks for meter readings from between 09/11/2000 and 16/11/2000. Seriously, nPower? Seriously??