Add your feedback on energy supplier Npower

Parafira

CRISPIANNE3 wrote: »

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.

You will regret about this, something will go wrong 100% and they will be useless. Run before it is too late!!!

LankyMoneySaver

I've just used the cheap energy club and npower Online Price Fix February 2015 came up cheapest for me.

I've done some searching and it seems that unlike other suppliers they only give the direct debit discount after 12 months. So unless you stay with them for 1, 2, 3 whole years etc. you'll miss out on the DD discount for the remaining months. Clearly switching in July to a Feb 2015 fix I won't be with them for a whole number of years.

However cheap energy club has this text under the tariff:

Note: The annual saving includes a direct debit discount if you stay with Npower for a year. From August, Npower will pay it daily rather than in one go – so this shouldn’t affect your decision to switch to it.

Does this mean that if I wait until August to switch then this won't be an issue?

CRISPIANNE3

This is from the Executive complaints team

quote
I can confirm that from August 2013 we will no longer promote the Direct Debit discount as an end of year credit onto customers’ accounts. This will now be incorporated in their standing charge and applied on a daily basis rather than paid as a fixed amount annually in arrears.
unquote

I have applied a few days ago and based on the above will qualify. Also on the instruction/advice by OFGEM the change was made.

CRISPIANNE3

Parafira wrote: »

You will regret about this, something will go wrong 100% and they will be useless. Run before it is too late!!!

Thanks for that but I was with them about 6 years ago and found them very good. Anyway will see what happens.

LittleMax

CRISPIANNE3 wrote: »

Thanks for that but I was with them about 6 years ago and found them very good. Anyway will see what happens.

They aren't in the same position they were in 6 years ago. They have new systems which are not working properly, and they are in a mess trying to resolve the resulting complaints. They have got into a terrible downward spiral that they can't break. If I had read half these comments 9 months ago I would never have gone with Npower. I have had nothing but problems. Can't wait to be with another supplier. They really do not deserve your loyalty - good luck with them.

joncombe

I am still waiting for a correct Final Bill from Npower. I have a complaint with Executive Complaints but am still waiting for a correted bill and have already waited so long I've been told I can take it up with the regulator.

To see the current status, I logged into my account and checked the history and found the in the screenshot below. This is the first few pages.

I think this makes clear the amount of problems Npower are having. Their billing system is, in my opinion, not fit for purpose. Ask yourself this - would you want this system connected to your bank account? Yes there is the Direct Debit Gurantee but it still won't resolve all the hassle you might suffer if they tried to charge you these amounts.

As an aside, my Npower account is showing as "closed" with a balance of £512.52 in credit, but it was £0.00 a little while back. Perhaps I should ask them for a cheque

Parafira

joncombe wrote: »

I am still waiting for a correct Final Bill from Npower. I have a complaint with Executive Complaints but am still waiting for a correted bill and have already waited so long I've been told I can take it up with the regulator.

To see the current status, I logged into my account and checked the history and found the in the screenshot below. This is the first few pages.

I think this makes clear the amount of problems Npower are having. Their billing system is, in my opinion, not fit for purpose. Ask yourself this - would you want this system connected to your bank account? Yes there is the Direct Debit Gurantee but it still won't resolve all the hassle you might suffer if they tried to charge you these amounts.

As an aside, my Npower account is showing as "closed" with a balance of £512.52 in credit, but it was £0.00 a little while back. Perhaps I should ask them for a cheque

If it has been more than 8 weeks, take it to the Ombudsman and ask for at least £100 for your troubles.

Wildbird_2

I had a nightmare switching to nPower. I was moving Mum's account from British Gas. They raised a dispute because of an unpaid bill on the electricity account which I then paid immediately, but try as I might I couldn't get nPower to send in a second request to them. The gas had been switched over smoothly.

After a few weeks of getting nowhere I raised a complaint. After a week or so I rang the complaints team and had a very surreal conversation with the guy. He told me that they have 28 days to resolve a complaint so my 14 day wait was nothing. He said I was in a queue. I asked him what number I was in the queue.... 737!! He said that they cherry pick the easier complaints from the list to resolve those first (obviously to produce numbers which make them look good).

Things went from bad to worse with the complaints team when they thought the electricity supply was being switched from my address (it should have been my mother's address).

After a very long wait I was told that I would have to start the switching process from scratch. This would have complicated matters because the contract was for gas & electricity and they had already switched the gas over. I bailed out and switched to Flow Energy instead. nPower paid compensation and refunded the exit fee.

Chiebald

nPower_company_representative wrote: »

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

Haha - I'll bet Npower will have this issue resolved within a matter of hours! Then it'll be back to reading the paper, drinking tea and chucking more jobs in the 'in' tray.

devilish6

So far I am unimpressed after switching to the npower Online Price Fix February 2015 with MSE Cheap Energy club over 5 weeks ago! ... Received my confirmation from MSE Cheap Energy club on 7th August, but not a squeak since. So much for customer service!