Add your feedback on energy supplier Npower

mtw

First of all - do not ever ever sign up with npower!

When things go wrong their customer service is abysmal and refuses to follow their complaints proceedure.
I had an erroneous transfer, they sent me a transfer letter and when I phoned then the next day it was already too late to stop them transfering it. Since then there have been unable to transfer it back due to a "technical hitch" and they refuse to progress my complaint ( or even answer them phone or respond to emails!) ( 4 more days until the 56 days response time is up and will go to ofgem).
Ofgem - please do something to regulate npower and make sure they address problems according to their complaints procedure and erroneous transfer agreement.

Wywth

mtw wrote: »

First of all - do not ever ever sign up with npower!

When things go wrong their customer service is abysmal and refuses to follow their complaints proceedure.
I had an erroneous transfer, they sent me a transfer letter and when I phoned then the next day it was already too late to stop them transfering it. Since then there have been unable to transfer it back due to a "technical hitch" and they refuse to progress my complaint ( or even answer them phone or respond to emails!) ( 4 more days until the 56 days response time is up and will go to ofgem).
Ofgem - please do something to regulate npower and make sure they address problems according to their complaints procedure and erroneous transfer agreement.

As explained in the nPower complaints procedure, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the energy ombudsman if, after 8 weeks (sooner if you receive a deadlock letter), you have not received an acceptable resolution.

bargainhunteruk_2

HALF PRICE ELECTRIC - not ethical I suppose but perfectly legal.

Here is how I did it.

I run up an unpaid bill of £600 with a standard meter.

Told them I could not pay and they insist on installing a prepayment meter set with a debt recovery charge of £6 per week meaning that over 100 weeks the debt will be cleared.

Npower fail to apply the £6 weekly charge to recover the debt. (They always forget to apply the charge). You can check by pressing buttons on the meter. My weekly charge shown on meter is £1.76. Should be £7.76 but who am I to correct them.

Two years later I call them up and insist that the debt must now be paid off as it has been over 100 weeks.

Then npower tell me my debt is still £600 and they have not been collecting the weekly debt repayments through the meter.

There are regulations in place that say that the debt must be wiped as it would be unfair for a person to be tied to npower for another two year paying the £6 per week that they should have been collecting for the past two years.

So I inform npower of my rights due to their incompetent billing system and the £600 debt gets wiped off of my account.

Then rinse and repeat.

On my third go at this.

Just one bit of advice. as you run up the bill put the cash aside in case they close this loophole.

nPower

bargainhunteruk wrote: »

HALF PRICE ELECTRIC - not ethical I suppose but perfectly legal.

Here is how I did it.

I run up an unpaid bill of £600 with a standard meter.

Told them I could not pay and they insist on installing a prepayment meter set with a debt recovery charge of £6 per week meaning that over 100 weeks the debt will be cleared.

Npower fail to apply the £6 weekly charge to recover the debt. (They always forget to apply the charge). You can check by pressing buttons on the meter. My weekly charge shown on meter is £1.76. Should be £7.76 but who am I to correct them.

Two years later I call them up and insist that the debt must now be paid off as it has been over 100 weeks.

Then npower tell me my debt is still £600 and they have not been collecting the weekly debt repayments through the meter.

There are regulations in place that say that the debt must be wiped as it would be unfair for a person to be tied to npower for another two year paying the £6 per week that they should have been collecting for the past two years.

So I inform npower of my rights due to their incompetent billing system and the £600 debt gets wiped off of my account.

Then rinse and repeat.

On my third go at this.

Just one bit of advice. as you run up the bill put the cash aside in case they close this loophole.

Morning bargainhunteruk,

This doesn't sound right at all and, as a consumer of energy, you are responsible for paying for the energy you are using. I'd like to take a look at your account to see what has happened our end and make sure our process is accurate, which I believe it to be.

Please can you email me your details to [EMAIL="forumresponse@npower.com"]forumresponse@npower.com[/EMAIL] and I can take a look and see what's happened here.

Many thanks,

Adam

billp_2

Recently my 'Go Fix 11' deal came to an end and I received a letter from Npower that they would transfer me onto their 'Go Save S' tariff and that I would not have to do anything. This despite there being other cheaper tariffs available for me. On top of that there was a debit balance of £164 from my previous tariff - expected really, after the winter that we have just had. Npower decided that my monthly payments on the new tariff needed to be increased from £109 to £184, which certainly woke me up. On the new tariff, using my kwh usage figures, and Npower know what they are, gave me an estimate monthly payment of £133.82 - add in one 12th of the debit balance of £164, £13.66, and I get a figure of £147,48. Elementary maths in my book. When I rang to complain they agreed with me and offered to change my payments straight away. However, after pointing out that they did not offer me the best deal for me in the first place, I have decided to switch.

Roll on summer 2014 when all the energy suppliers will have to put us on their best deals, but I expect the Energy cartel will negate this move before that so that it is in their favour.

Lizling

I'm being threatened with court by a debt collection agency who say I owe nPower over £160. NPower confirmed on the phone weeks ago that I don't owe them anything, but the letters have kept coming.

I've just phoned nPower's complaints team and been through security twice, but they cut me off when putting me on hold again. When they phoned me back later, they insisted I went through security again but I got a question wrong (not surprising since this is about an account from an old address, long since closed) and now they won't talk to me so I'm stuck.

nPower

Lizling wrote: »

I'm being threatened with court by a debt collection agency who say I owe nPower over £160. NPower confirmed on the phone weeks ago that I don't owe them anything, but the letters have kept coming.

I've just phoned nPower's complaints team and been through security twice, but they cut me off when putting me on hold again. When they phoned me back later, they insisted I went through security again but I got a question wrong (not surprising since this is about an account from an old address, long since closed) and now they won't talk to me so I'm stuck.

Hi Lizling,

Sorry to hear about this - please can you send me your details in an email and I can take a look into this for you and have someone call you about this?

My email address is on my profile page.

Best wishes,

Adam

Parafira

Hi All,

Just want to share my bad experience with Npower and hope you will share yours as well.

In November 2012 I requested a switch to Npower, they switched the electricity within 2 months, although messed up the opening meter readings twice!
It has been almost 9 month, but my Gas account is still not open (I have a supply, but I cannot submit readings, check balance, receive bills, etc). For the first 5 months they have been promising to fix everything asap and to add some credit to my account for my troubles. Initially I did not want to complain to Ombudsman, as I understand that sometimes things can go wrong and I gave Npower time to sort everything out. But then they have just stopped responding and stopped contacting me, as if they saw my unwillingness to Complain to Ombudsman as a weakness. They ignored all my contacts. I have experienced the WORST customer service in my life. In addition they sent wrong closing Gas meter reading to my previous supplier and I was harassed and overcharged by my previous supplier.

Eventually I took the matter to the Energy Ombudsman and the Ombudsman told Npower to fix all my problems and to pay me £100 (which is nothing compared to all the problems they have caused to me). It will soon be 28 days since the Ombudsman’s decision, but Npower has not done anything so far. Ombudsman said that he will chase them after 28 days, but chasing is not a solution. Something needs to be done to stop such disrespectful and ignorant attitude towards paying customers.

If you had a bad experience with Npower, please add it to this topic, with the explanation of your problem and what has been done to resolve it.

Maybe eventually we will collect several such stories and will file a group complaint to Ombudsman asking to fine Npower for that bad Customer Service, just like they did a few years back.

Thanks,

LittleMax

I have applied to switch suppliers due to the consistently bad service from Npower. Just received a letter today that I have been blocked from switching as I have a debt of £120. Checked online and my account is £3 in debt. Took my meter reading and calculated the amount I owe to date as around £100. So even if I left today I would not have to pay £120.

Called them, and apparently I have debt payment plan for £144 and have only made 2 x £12 payments off it, so the computer 'thinks' I am £120 in debt. I told them 3 months ago I wouldn't need to pay the additional amount, but they wouldn't listen.

I really can't be bothered to take it through the complaint process again, but I do feel they have unduly delayed my switch and caused me inconvenience in having to ring and resolve it, when I was not in debt.

Reluctantly I have paid £104 today to bring my account bang up to date. I am now cancelling my direct debits, and will pay off the additional small amount when the switch goes through, I do not trust them to give me my money back if I allow the account to go into credit.

The guy on the phone today told me they had some good deals and could he look at those for me, to stop me leaving. My reply - I wouldn't stay with Npower if they were giving the gas away ... it is too much hassle.

I sorely wish I had read all the comments about Npower before I switched to them in September. I have learned my lesson and have checked before picking my new supplier. I am taking a gamble going with Flow ... but figure they can't be any worse than Npower?

CRISPIANNE3

I was already to switch to NPower and during the cooling off period I wanted to check the £100 discount and how it worked. I rang NPower twice and on both occasions was given incorrect information. I was advised by the second advisor I had it completely wrong and there were no plans on changing the way the discount worked from August despite me quoting where I got the information from. The advisor said whether I paid by monthly or qty dd the discount would not be paid until after 12 months. (This was apparently not correct when you paid by monthly dd)

Thinking she knew more than I did I got the advisor to cancel the contract. There was no I'm sorry to hear that just all matter of fact etc.

After thinking about it I emailed Adam the NP representative and he emailed all my details to their Executive complaint team and about 3 hours later had a lovely email back from them.

No cover up and basically appalled at the bad customer service I had received and they even went on to say all the staff were briefed the day before I phoned them that the dd discount was changing in August.

They could not apologise enough and bearing in mind I had decided not to go ahead with them they are sending me a good will payment.

I did not hint at any kind of payment and did not expect anything.

However because of the way the complaints team and Adam dealt with my concerns I have now started the process again in joining them.

After all every one or company deserves a second chance.