Add your feedback on energy supplier Npower

spaceboy

I wont be using Npower when we move house that's for sure.

savvy06

I signed up to npower price fix April 15, duel tariff, via cheapenergyclub on October 12th.
I received a letter dated the 14th Oct, on the 30th thanking me for choosing them to supply gas. As I was unable to get an answer on the phone, I emailed explaining that I could not get through on the phone and asking for an assurance that I would be getting gas and electricity. Today I received a reply appoligising for the delay and some system errors and suggesting I phone for further information!!
Not a very good start ......Oh yes they have managed
to set up my direct debit

normandeguerre

According to the Energy Club switching my electric to NPower's 2015 fixed tariff is a winner because there is no standing charge and the kwh rate is 15p against 20p for Ebico. But hold on there, pardner, it says here on NPoor's website that there's a standing charge for the tariff (no mention of, er, like, how much). So, looks like another evening wasted trying to get my previously intelligent head around this feast of snakes (after having my fingers burned after previous Energy Club's misdirections).

Hey, why don't we just take them all back again (and, while we're at it our railways, our water, the air we breathe....)

DragonQ

normandeguerre wrote: »

According to the Energy Club switching my electric to NPower's 2015 fixed tariff is a winner because there is no standing charge and the kwh rate is 15p against 20p for Ebico. But hold on there, pardner, it says here on NPoor's website that there's a standing charge for the tariff (no mention of, er, like, how much). So, looks like another evening wasted trying to get my previously intelligent head around this feast of snakes (after having my fingers burned after previous Energy Club's misdirections).

Hey, why don't we just take them all back again (and, while we're at it our railways, our water, the air we breathe....)

There is a standing charge but it's matched by the direct debit discount. So if you pay by direct debit all you'll pay is the unit price, which is far lower than Ebico's.

Angharadz

To Normandeguerre, as DragonQ says above - the standing charge quoted on the Energy club details suggesting the fixed till Dec 17 is £0.1439 per day - or £52 per year - for the dual fuel, seemingly.
I particularly looked as the Standing charge I'm currently paying with British Gas is 26p per fuel per day
However, the horror stories about nPower are making me nervous about the long fix - off to read up on eon now, before taking any plunges!

Charlton_Taz

Dreadful is a quick summary of npower customer service!

Swapped to them last November 12. Never got any documentation until I complained. Then, it took them 5 months to set up a direct debit despite me asking them to several times. They set it up for £5 a month, which I also pointed out was inadequate, but they never changed it. Ran them regularly with meter readings, but with the 'problems' with their computer systems none of these were ever noted. I finally got bored with all this and swapped away from them in August.....never seen a bill. God knows how this company survives...it is an utter shambles!

normandeguerre

Sincere thanks to Dragon Q and Angharadz.

Now I re-run the Energy Club comparison and the NPower kwh rate has risen to 18p (rounding up, as I always do in the shops). Nevertheless, it's still cheaper than Ebico. And now, lo and behold, there is mention of the 15p per day standing charge (last time it said £0.00). Incidentally, this is why I now go to the energy firm's website, armed with my annual usage - and a calculator (for my sins) - and check the figures.

But yes, you are undoubtedly right that it would work out a better deal if I got the direct debit discount. On the other hand this is one beef I've got with the Enegy Club (which is actually a cracking idea and given the enormity of their task the folks trying to make it work deserve three cheers): that the assumption is that we are not going to skidaddle from our new energy providers after, say crappy service or a cheaper deal somewhere else. Because these discounts only come into force, as I understand, after you've been with them for a year. A week is maybe a long time in politics and a year is a fair old stretch with an energy company. Especially, and this is what really puts me off, if NPower are as bad as they seem!

redfrock

I wish I had heeded the advice on this forum. I switched to NPower's March '17 tariff mid October. Gave them my meter readings on the day of the switch via their website. Received my final bills from SP yesterday - estimated readings. They state NPower have failed to provide the final readings. Rung Npower. Spoke to an officious uninterested advisor - they have estimated & very different readings on their system to the ones I provided. Can't tell me why, where they have plucked these random figures from, & won't look into it. It will apparently take a further 10 working days to update their system and then they will contact SP (who have already chased them twice). Apparently they have 30 working days to provide the readings do this delightful Npower rep told me.
Oh and 4 days after moving to them they reviewed my monthly payments, based on my consumption ????, increasing it from £140 to £220pcm. Yet the initial payment was based on my annual consumption. They have reduced it back down but not taken the first payment which I will have to make manually to ensure my a/c is correct.
Not impressed at all

Unclefoobar

Unclefoobar wrote: »

Had to wait 6 months for my first bill, to then find out they had transposed my readings (Economy 7 meter - regular readings given by me)


Complained but was told bills would average themselves out , complained further only to be told new computer system was being introduced so nothing could be done until new system up and running.


12 months after joining, second bill arrives still with transposed readings, more complaints, engineer comes to my house and agrees with my meter readings, npower still insist their readings are correct.


After further investigation (and a lot of chasing up by me....) they finally agree that they're wrong.


So after nearly 14 months of never really knowing when my day time and night time rates should apply, numerous emails, phone calls and meter readings they offered me £80 credit on my bill.


I should have took them to the ombudsman but I just want away from this bunch of cowboys.


I'm not saying they're the worst company I've ever dealt with, but they're certainly in the top one............

Further to my comments above, I've just checked my latest bill and npower have transposed my readings again.


Their incompetence is beyond all comprehension.


I shall be referring the matter to the ombudsman now, enough is enough.......:mad:

normandeguerre

Despite the suggestiveness of my Cheap Energy Club quote I will not be transferring to NPower. I made that mistake before. I followed the "advice," but only for electric and transferred from Ebico. It turned out that the gain would be marginal – and only if I stayed with them for at least a year (though it wasn't a fixed deal, it was to do with paying 12 month's direct debits. Although I got the cashback, when I changed back to Ebico I was a little worse off than if I hadn't bothered.

Months after the account with them had been closed NPower, without warning, debited my account. Then several days later made a refund, wrote to apologise and sent a goodwill voucher. It later transpired that NPower hadn't debited the final bill amount and so I was still on their system (and in arrears - and possibly in default). Anyway, after spending an afternoon finding and looking through the old paperwork, and checking the bank account, I realised that I did, indeed, owe the money and paid up. But, please, not again! I could write a book on my travails with various banks in the last year or so (no wonder I had forgotten my brief flirtation with NPower.

Lessons (possibly) learned:

1. 1. Always follow up the promised final bill direct debit to make sure they have taken it – and no more! (for they'll surely come back).

2. 2. Delete the direct debit authorisation from your bank account.

3. 3. Don't automatically trust the Cheap Energy Club's recommendation : get out that old calculator and beware the direct debit 12 month rebate (or go for a 12 month fix if it works out better).

4. 4. Don't touch NPower with a bargepole: they're a ship of fools!

5. 5. Perhaps most important: when you do a comparison don't trust the dual fuel comparison: do the electric and gas SEPERATELY (as well). This may be the biggest fault with the Club (is anybody listening?) Only by comparing single fuels (on Which? Switching service actually, but later on the Club) did I come up with Green Energy for electric and Better Energy for gas. Both small, green, and (Omigod yes!) cheaper than Ebico/Ebigas (for a modest user).

Bye-bye Big Six – it's not been nice knowing you.