Standing Charge

beebearshouse

bendipa wrote: »

Npower used to be ok, but have become one of the worst energy companies for customer service..

I totally agree, this is the second time I've used them, the first time I left because of poor customer service and the terrible state of the information on their bills. I only went back because of the huge saving I was making on my bills but I went back expecting customer service to be bad (and they lived up to expectations lol) glad they've priced themselves out of the running giving me an excuse to leave :rotfl:

bendipa

Nada666 wrote: »

For ninety-nine percent of people ninety-nine percent of the time customer service is irrelevant. You read your meter, you look at the prices, and you make your choice.

There is no need to engage with customer services. The one percent of one percent of cases that require more than cursory remedy will be equally involved regardless of supplier.

Really? Like when they put you on the wrong rate, in my case. Or when they don't bother to tell you on their tarriff sheet whether the quoted prices for their plans include annual discount or otherwise.If 99% of customers are happy, then why is it taking an hour or more to get through by phone You are being obtuse!

bendipa

beebearshouse wrote: »

I totally agree, this is the second time I've used them, the first time I left because of poor customer service and the terrible state of the information on their bills. I only went back because of the huge saving I was making on my bills but I went back expecting customer service to be bad (and they lived up to expectations lol) glad they've priced themselves out of the running giving me an excuse to leave :rotfl:

Yeah, I have just switched to Ebico. I told Npower yesterday that they had 24 hoiurs to to give me an answer to a simple question which they refused to do at the time after over an hour's wait on the phone to get through. 24 hours later, still no response, so I've switched to Ebico. Nothing would ever tempt me back

Domus_Clamantium

I have also had one of these letters, and like the OP, I'm a low user - and, just like the OP, Npower told me that all energy companies have been ordered by Ofgem to add Standing Charges....

...having checked Ofgems website, this is not true - all they have been told to do is to bring in a standard tariff, that can be compared easily with other providers - they are still free to offer other tariffs, with, or without, standing charges...

Nada666

bendipa wrote: »

If 99% of customers are happy

I did not say they were happy. I just said there is no need for them to unduly engage with customer services.

As to rejoining npower, if they want to sell me £275 worth of Ebico energy for only £50 then I admit I am vulgar enough to happily pocket the extra £225 rather than stick to making daisy chains with Ebico.

amcg100

nPower are well known liars, they'll tell you anything if they think it will make you but their gas - the unit rate for their on line deal is as good as you'll get, but the standing charge kills it except for very high consumers.

yelowee

Been with npower for ages they were always cheapest for me and with the winter fix tarif coming to an end this month I was checking comparisons a couple of weeks ago, checking again today the npower tarif that I was going to is now about £100 a year more expensive, on a £330 a year account that is outrageous! I only use 1800kwh of both gas and electricity a year. why should I be punished for watching my energy use?

I also have to ask how in anyone's book can charging a standing charge simplify the bill, a single price per unit would be simplifying it, but swapping a two tier price per unit for another two tier pricing scheme i.e. price per unit (tier 1) + standing charge (tier 2) is not simplifying it. Not happy at all.

First utility, according to one of the comparison sites, did not put up prices in the last round of increases so I may be worth going for the fixed until 2014 option which for me was only a little more than the cheapest variable one, however looking a little further down the list I found one by southern electric fixed for 24 months from transfer date at only £14 a year more than first utility.

beebearshouse

Domus_Clamantium wrote: »

...having checked Ofgems website, this is not true - all they have been told to do is to bring in a standard tariff, that can be compared easily with other providers - they are still free to offer other tariffs, with, or without, standing charges...

TYPICAL they find an excuse to up their charges and grab it with both hands!!! Well I'm off to EBICO so BYE BYE NPOWER :j

And then there will be the laughable moment when they send me the "sorry your're leaving is there anything we can do to make you stay" letter to which I will say "PAH!!!!":rotfl:

Richie-from-the-Boro

Par for the course .. standing charges for low / very low users

Energy companies know that GOV want them to put us the consumer on 'the cheapest tariff'. Energy companies have therefore just spent the last 18 months before the change raising their 'cheapest tariffs' by incorporating an extra price increase into the standing charge.

Here's an example for you, between Sept'11 and Oct'12 Ofgem allowed SSE/Swalec, to double its standing charge for leccy. If people are daft enough to also get their gas from SSE/Swalec then there's a 100% increase on the standing charge for that too.

Its effectively a £100 per utility charge for just being connected.

bendipa

Domus_Clamantium wrote: »

I have also had one of these letters, and like the OP, I'm a low user - and, just like the OP, Npower told me that all energy companies have been ordered by Ofgem to add Standing Charges....

...having checked Ofgems website, this is not true - all they have been told to do is to bring in a standard tariff, that can be compared easily with other providers - they are still free to offer other tariffs, with, or without, standing charges...

I've spoken to 3 energy companies and they've all said the same thing - that Ofgem advised them to impose standing charges. My understanding is that it isn't compulsory...yet Even Ebico confirmed this but said if they are authorised to impose standing charges they'll just charge £0.01