Add your feedback on energy supplier Npower

abc123456

I have posted my current problem with nPower elsewhere on this forum.

My feedback??....I just cannot believe in this day and age, a company are able to operate the way they do - almost criminal !
Even if they offered a cheap deal in comparison, I would rather stick red hot needles in my eyes than go back with them.

As a point of note, I have not had a bill from them since January 2013, despite amassing a large credit as they failed to take the starting direct debits for a whole 6 months, upping the DD from £80 per month to £134 !

Following advice on this forum, I have today switched.

My mother also had a similar problem, having switched from nPower to another company last year. NPower refused to hand back her £200 of credit she was due, and it took a lengthy enquiry from the Ombudsman to sort that out nearly a year later. No apology, no compensation (which had been promised in a letter from nPower), and no token interest.

This company is seriously needing investigated for the public good !

nickj_2

i was tempted late last year by their fix til 2017 deal , so switched from bg
last month my bill nearly went up by £40 pm, they had "worked out" my usage and had estimated that my electric bill was 1/3rd higher than my gas bill
i've lived in the house for 20 years ,and at no time has my electric bill been higher than the gas , it was so high , just the electric bill came to more than the combined gas and elec bill from BG,
i pointed this out ,only to be fobbed off that this was their "estimate" and it was right
in the mean time , essex county council did a utility auction and ovo came up with the best deal , so i have switched to them
so my stay with NP was 4 months , if you thought BG was bad then NP take it to a whole new level

Halfway_home

Hi MSE Angels

I am desperate for some help, I have spoken to Npower several times in the last five weeks (long story coming I'm afraid)

I have always had an estimated bill despite my meter being read 3 times in the last year, I have been recently sent a whopping £800 bill despite my account at the time being £60 in credit.

I called up and queried this and was told it was an issue with my start reads (I switched to Npower from Scottish Power in November 2012) Npower did not have any start reads and so my bill had always been estimated. I called Scottish Power and got the accurate readings. I was then told my bill would be checked

3 weeks later and with no response I called again, I was told that it had been rejected by the relevant department as they had the start reads - yes because I gave them to them!! I was then told that as my meter had been read 3 times and there were discrepancies those readings had never been used hence the £800 bill. I have already paid over £300 for my electricity which is not unreasonable for a one bedroom flat but a total of £1200??????? It was then passed to the back billing team as the adviser Steven Mackie told me he could clearly see on the system that my meter had been read and the readings not used clearly showing a massive lack of care to your customer as if they had been used then this whole nightmare would not be happening

Fast forward to today when I called again for an update. I was told that the back billing team had rejected my complaint and that no readings were done - as I had to let the readers in I am perfectly aware that the readings were done and this was confirmed on the 24th April by Steven Mackie. So far it seems like I am being passed from pillar to post with no one having any idea about what is going on.

I fail to understand why when readings were given (and ignored), start reads were given (and ignored) this bill has come out of nowhere to put it into context there are energy saving bulbs in every room (all four rooms), storage heaters that are used properly and no one present in the house during the day where this bill could have come from as the previous year with Scottish Power I paid less than a quarter of what they are saying I owe.

I am desperate for some help and advice, I'm at my wits end and just can't understand why there is such a massive difference and why I am being told inaccurate and conflicting information with every different person that I speak to


Sent from my iPad

Suffolk_lass

My Fix online tariff ends at the end of May 2014. I received a paper letter over Easter telling me this. I checked and compared tariffs and for the really small difference, decided to move to another Npower electricity only tariff - fixed until March 2018. I used the secure message service from inside my account log-in. I have done this previously with Npower and it worked really well with no trouble.

I received a follow-up phone call pressing me to discuss my tariff last Friday. I explained I had already initiated the switch.

Today I received an email. This is what it said:

"Thank you for contacting us about your account.
I understand that you wish to change the tariff to Price Protector March 2018. Having checked our records, I confirm that you are currently on our Online Price Fix May 2014 for electricity. Ms X, please get back to us after 20 May 2014, so that we can proceed with your request.
To help improve how we protect your account information, I would be grateful if you could provide us with your date of birth the next time you are in touch. We will then be able to use this as a unique security question, helping us to make sure that we only ever discuss your account with you.
I trust this information is helpful.

Kind regards

Judith Taylor
Customer Services"

Actually it is not helpful. Except that I will now move my account somewhere else, because this is not customer service. It is a total waste of time. My direct debit payment will be cancelled tonight so that I do not overpay them and I add them to the power generals who I will also never use again because they do not offer customer service either.

If this were really a marketplace they would not still be in business.
SL
Update. I have just cancelled my direct debit and initiated a switch to Ovo

HelpMeOut_2

We switched to NPower in February 2013 after doing a price comparison online. Now 15 months later we still haven't received a bill. We have 3 meters which all need reading but NPower will only accept 1 reading for 1 meter! Our previous suppliers were Scottish Power and we could upload a reading for each meter on their website. We tried to switch using MSE Energy Club but NPower blocked it because our account is not paid up to date! I stopped my DD after they had taken £2800. I've now registered with OFGEN. They promise to respond within 8 weeks. Now 10 weeks have passed we have asked for their response. They say they can't do anything because NPower haven't given them the case file. Does anyone know what we can do now? I'm at my wits end and just want to leave NPower as soon as I can.:(

Flowerpotty

The switch to Npower went smoothly, however, it has gone rapidly downhill since. There has been a host of issues but in brief their software system and customer service is extremely poor. I've been with a few energy suppliers, EDF, Scottish Power, Sainsbury's, SSE and another I can't remember the name of. All have been far better than Npower. I will never go with Npower again, even if they have an amazing deal.

The_Green_Hornet

I have switched to/from npower on a number of occasions and never had a problem with them personally, but then I have never experienced a problem with British Gas, SSE or E.on when I was with them either.

My top tips for a harmonious energy supplier relationship is as follows:

1. Avoid monthly direct debit as the energy companies will engineer it so that you are always in credit. Go for quarterly variable direct debit instead and just pay for what you use.

2. Give weekly meter readings where possible so that you never end up with estimated bills, and if you do have an estimated bill contact them straight away with a meter reading so that it will be corrected and re-issued.

3. If you do have to contact customer services keep a smile in your voice, be polite and never get angry. Even if it doesn't feel like it the person you are talking with is trying to help you and isn't your enemy.

4. Be wary of people on forums who say "avoid this company at all costs". Just because they have experienced a problem doesn't mean that you will.

Have a nice day.

maimee_magic

Switched to NPower last December. Tried to provided my opening meter readings on line but couldn't so phoned them in. Have since tried entering readings online but it's still asking for opening readings which it won't let me input as the date is well gone. Have phoned and emailed but no resolution. To date they still haven't input any electric readings I've provided. How do they run a business. It's a shambles. Think I'll give up and switch to another supplier.

deke777

What a fantastic birthday present I received on my doorstep last week; it was so magical when I opened up the package to discover this splendid luxury wine & cheese hamper sent by my energy suppler npower
A few months ago I had an issue with the meter at my property running ‘fast’: I contacted npower and was assigned a mentor in Julie Alderson, who worked tirelessly on my behalf .initially sending an engineer to test the meter and waiving the usual £60.00 fee. The results of the test were inconclusive, so Julie organized the fitting of a new meter and paid me £20.00 to purchase a monitor to check on the readings
After a week, it proved to be that the original meter was faulty and Julie who had kept in regular touch by phone, email and letter; calculated my overpayment for the previous year; she even gave me a handsome inconvenience payment as well, over £214.00
I am off to Northern Cyprus in December, and this bonus will be a great help and fillip to send me on my way, it goes to prove that there is still some love left in this World after all :j

deke777

What a fantastic birthday present I received on my door step last week; it was so magical when I opened up the package to discover this splendid luxury wine & cheese hamper sent by my energy suppler npower
A few months ago I had an issue with the meter at my property running ‘fast’: I contacted npower and was assigned a mentor in Julie Alderson, who worked tirelessly on my behalf .initially sending an engineer to test the meter and waiving the usual £60.00 fee. The results of the test were inconclusive, so Julie organized the fitting of a new meter and paid me £20.00 to purchase a monitor to check on the readings
After a week, it proved to be that the original meter was faulty and Julie who had kept in regular touch by phone, email and letter; calculated my overpayment for the previous year; she even gave me a handsome inconvenience payment as well, over £214.00
I am off to Northern Cyprus in December, and this bonus will be a great help and fillip to send me on my way, it goes to prove that there is still some love left in this World after all:j