Cheap Energy Club failed to submit my application to switch suppliers ?

Stormvr

Hello forum members

Last week (mon or tues) I signed up with the Cheap Energy Club ("CEC") and after reviewing the various deals, decided to opt for the Npower fixed tariff 2014. I received a confirmation email from CEC advising that the switch is in progress. When I log on to my CEC account , it states that I have one pending application.

I haven't received any correspondence from Npower so I contacted them today and was disappointed to hear that they have not received my application. I don't want to miss out on the cash back/ free hotel stay deal so I signed up with CEC again with a new account and have once again submitted my application today. Same details/supply address , just a different email address.

The email confirmation sent to me by CEC does not have a reply path so I am unable to contact them to discuss the matter. Is there anything I can do to ensure that my application is received this time ? And will I still receive the cashback/hotel stay incentive if my application is successful ?

Some help/advise on the above would be much appreciated....

KR's

keith1950

Hi, npower are notoriously bad at sending out paperwork and the couple of times I have switched to them I haven't received any contact from them for around 5 weeks although the switches did eventually happen.

Their admin seems at the best chaotic and at worst diabolical.

Their website states that you will receive a welcome pack within 6/7 days.
A couple of months ago I decided to switch to them because of a particularly good tariff/cash back, however when I had heard nothing after 3 weeks , I contacted them to ask them to cancel the switch, to which they said , that's ok, their has been a delay sending out the welcome packs and we haven't contacted your old supplier yet.

From this experience I would not trust their claim that they have not received your application.

I then decided to switch to M&S, I received a welcome pack within 5 days and they have regularly updated me with emails about the progress of the switch.

Wywth

Stormvr wrote: »

Hello forum members

Last week (mon or tues) I signed up with the Cheap Energy Club ("CEC") and after reviewing the various deals, decided to opt for the Npower fixed tariff 2014. I received a confirmation email from CEC advising that the switch is in progress. When I log on to my CEC account , it states that I have one pending application.

I haven't received any correspondence from Npower so I contacted them today and was disappointed to hear that they have not received my application. I don't want to miss out on the cash back/ free hotel stay deal so I signed up with CEC again with a new account and have once again submitted my application today. Same details/supply address , just a different email address.

The email confirmation sent to me by CEC does not have a reply path so I am unable to contact them to discuss the matter. Is there anything I can do to ensure that my application is received this time ? And will I still receive the cashback/hotel stay incentive if my application is successful ?

Some help/advise on the above would be much appreciated....

KR's

https://cheapenergyclub.moneysavingexpert.com/faq

Td-eye

I had a similar experience, I am actually with Npower & my GOFIX12 tariff finished on 31st August. On 1st September I decided to switch to the Price Protector September 2016 tariff & switched through the energy club & received an email confirmation "switch in progress".

After hearing nothing further I emailed Adam the Npower rep on here and received an almost instant response from Npower advising me they have no trace of my request to switch. :-(

I have to say, I have little faith now in this energy saving club as a means of switching having seen at least one other thread on here where suppliers had not received switch requests initiated through the club & yes, I have read the FAQ's.

keith1950

I am actually with Npower & my GOFIX12 tariff finished on 31st August. On 1st September I decided to switch to the Price Protector September 2016 tariff & switched through the energy club & received an email confirmation "switch in progress".

Surely the " CHEAP ENERGY CLUB" is for switching between different suppliers not for changing tariff with the same supplier ?

You just ring up npower and ask to switch supplier....cashbacks don't apply to existing customers.

Td-eye

keith1950 wrote: »

Surely the " CHEAP ENERGY CLUB" is for switching between different suppliers not for changing tariff with the same supplier ?

You just ring up npower and ask to switch supplier....cashbacks don't apply to existing customers.

I thought the point was to make sure you stayed on the cheapest tariff regardless of the supplier? As it happened of all the options I was given the tariff that suited me best was coincidentally with my existing supplier but a different tariff to the one I was on.

Have you ever tried ringing up Npower ?

I used the link in the club switch to try to avoid the queues, I'm not too bothered about any cash back although that would be a bonus, like others though, it didn't work.

Stormvr

Thank you for all the replies ...

I'm now extremely concerned as I've still not received any communications from Npower ..... If the deals change anytime soon, I'm gonna miss out on the opportunity to fix my tariff..it seems I have no option but to contact Npower direct and sign up.. So much for cashback/hotel stay deal !!!

To avoid the above issues, the cheap energy club should provide a reference/application number which Npower are able to recognise. Furthermore, there should be a means of contacting the CEC to request re-submission of the application.

keith1950

Their website states that you will receive a welcome pack within 6/7 days.
A couple of months ago I decided to switch to them because of a particularly good tariff/cash back, however when I had heard nothing after 3 weeks , I contacted them to ask them to cancel the switch, to which they said , that's ok, their has been a delay sending out the welcome packs and we haven't contacted your old supplier yet.

As a follow up to my recent post above, as I explained I had not received any communication after 3 weeks so rang and cancelled the switch and was lucky that their admin was so slow that they had not even contacted the old supplier so they agreed to cancel.

Yesterday, 6 weeks later I received the paperwork I should have received within 6/7 days. This is quite normal for npower and has convinced me never to attempt to switch to them again no matter how good a tariff they may be offering.

keith1950

existing customers.I thought the point was to make sure you stayed on the cheapest tariff regardless of the supplier? As it happened of all the options I was given the tariff that suited me best was coincidentally with my existing supplier but a different tariff to the one I was on.

Have you ever tried ringing up Npower ?

As previously stated you would not get any cashback as an existing customer.

I agree but if not bothered about the cashback why risk things going wrong by linking through the CEC website.

Yes I have tried ringing them and got straight through....it all depends on the time of day you ring. 7-8 pm seems best time.

Td-eye

keith1950 wrote: »

As previously stated you would not get any cashback as an existing customer.

I know that.

keith1950 wrote: »

I agree but if not bothered about the cashback why risk things going wrong by linking through the CEC website.

For the reason previously stated.

keith1950 wrote: »

Yes I have tried ringing them and got straight through....it all depends on the time of day you ring. 7-8 pm seems best time.

You are obviously very lucky then, your experience doesn't seem to match others including mine, see the "Which" report dated 16th July 2013 which places Npower as the worst provider with an average waiting time of 17 minutes as an example.

The full average waiting times list was:

1. Ebico - 21 secs
2. The Co-operative Energy - 39 secs
3. Ecotricity - 53 secs
4. Sainsbury's Energy - 56 secs
5. Good Energy - 1 min 3 secs
6. EDF Energy - 1 min 41 secs
7. M&S Energy - 2 mins 41 secs
8. Ovo Energy - 2 mins 44 secs
9. SSE - 3 mins 36 secs


10. Eon - 4 mins 4 secs
11. Scottish Power - 4 mins 26 secs
12. British Gas - 4 mins 34 secs
13. Utility Warehouse - 4 mins 42 secs
14. First Utility - 6 mins 13 secs
15. Spark Energy - 6 mins 30 secs
16. Npower - 17 mins 5 secs


I would link to it but I don't have sufficient posts here to use links so I can't.

Anyway, my point is really that the energy club "switch" links (albeit through a third party) don't seem to be reaching the supplier in a lot of cases, true for Npower at least.

keith1950

Anyway, my point is really that the energy club "switch" links (albeit through a third party) don't seem to be reaching the supplier in a lot of cases, true for Npower at least.

Exactly my point....why not just ring npower ( when answering times are at a minimum ) and cut out the middle man.

Remember the CEC is getting commission for these referalls which is why you generally only get £30 ish because the rest is going to CEC.

By going through Quidco/Topcashback you get the full referall cashback ( when being offered ).