Left without gas for 4 days with a 1&1/2 year old and a 4 month baby?

wuzzypoo

Hi,

I don't know if I'm right or if it's just one of those urban myth type things, but aren't people with children under 5 meant to be a priority for energy companies?

My niece has just moved house last Friday, her gas is with NPower. They said they were sending an engineer round on saturday to reconnect the gas as she'd just moved in (it's a council house if that makes any difference) but no one ever turned up. when she rung to ask why no one had turned up she was told they had never even put the call through to the engineer!! Not only that, the phone call took nearly 2 hours of being on hold, being passed about etc. She has 4 children, the youngest is only 4 months old, the next is 22 months old and the others are over 5. I know this is disgusting and shes asked me to write a complaint to them, but just before I set off on a tangent at them I want to get my facts straight.
Are they meant to give priority to those with under 5's?
Should she receive compensation?
She hasn't had extra costs as theyve all had to stay at her mothers, but it's a good job she has somewhere to stay as I know other folk aren't as lucky to have family around them and to be treated like this when the weather is freezing is disgusting.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Wuzz

Fire_Fox

Who is 'they' the council or NPower? How and when was this engineer organised?

I don't see how you would be entitled to compensation if there were no losses, tho you might get a goodwill payment. I wonder if NPower might argue people should not move into a house with no heating or hot water, it doesn't seem to me to be the same as reconnecting a vulnerable family/ existing customer who has been cut off, NPower presumably cut off the previous resident or an empty property. They might even argue you are not a customer until you have a supply so can't be priority .... it's could be a minefield if they want to get awkward.
http://www.npower.com/idc/groups/wcms_content/@wcms/@busi/documents/business/complaint_handling_procedure.pdf

Council are her landlord they are responsible for ensuring the house is safe and habitable, this very much includes heating and hot water. TBH it's a poor show that they let her sign a tenancy agreement (and presumably pay rent!) on a property that could not be lived in. Generally landlords are supposed to supply emergency heating or alternative accommodation: Environmental Health can advise and enforce if housing officer is being useless.

IMO don't write the letter unless you can calm down, a good letter of complaint sticks to the facts, is not overly emotional and doesn't use words like disgusting. I can see why you might feel like that when it is your niece, but you might be best linking her to some websites, letting her write her own letter or referring her to CAB or similar.

chanz4

Npower wouldnt arrange for a purge and relight, this is your councils responsabilty when you take up the tennancy. It would be the council that would of capped it off for safety, if the meter was there then Im afraid your supplier is inocent

Also yes under 5 are, however if you are a new tennant this wouldnt be the case in the eyes of the transporter national grid.

C_Mababejive

What Chantz says- Did she sit there and freeze or did she procure some other form of heating for eg

fan heater
hot water bottle
warm clothing