MSE News: Npower to pay £1m after customer complaints soar

Yve17

I too have been waiting over 2 months for my final bill from moving house - funny how they can take my new direct debits out but they can't work out how much they owe me from my last property!

Dmitrii

In Sept. we moved in with a flat where previous tenants got an nPower prepaying gas meter. I am trying to get them to replace it with a credit meter since then. Still getting senseless replies like "you don't have an account for gas with nPower, please contact Customer Support". The latter is not really possible, unless one is willing to spend half a day on the phone. (The online system is basically broken, I am never able to file an query). Probably I should mail them...

I wonder if this is a form of tax avoidance on nPower's side - they sell me gas, but it's nowhere accounted for, right?

scaredofdebt

MillicentBystander wrote: »

At least there would be the potential for only one c*ck up as opposed to 6 at the moment (I do remember BG's THREE HUNDRED MILLION POUND computer system being so bad that they ended up sueing the suppliers.). Perhaps because these suppliers are free to up their prices by any amount they require each year so that they can cream off that £50 per household profit they really aren't that interested in getting value for money when they buy their equipment/improving efficiency etc.

Yeah nPowers IT system is a bargain at only £250M.

So far..........

The problem is expectations are unrealistic, can you really believe that a private utility sector will lead to much competition when they are all selling the same product?

It's like petrol prices, plenty of "competition" but very little to choose between them in price and service etc.

undercover_peon

I have to say even for ofgem this is low. They proceed with the softly softly approach. How bad to things have to get before they intervene?

All they have really said is they expect npower to put it right. Shouldn't they be doing that anyway?

Truly pitiful.

sbradnam

MSE - STOP recommending them.......

kay_hill_2

I joined them in January and despite calling almost every week it took them until July to send me a bill and set up a standing order, leaving me massively in arrears (fortunately being a good moneysaver I had put the money aside, but I don't plan on giving it to them just yet!). Utterly incompetent

yorkieorchid

I've honestly never known a more incompetent company, they are actually so bad its laughable! I joined in October with so many mess ups, they still have not managed to put me on dual fuel as i requested. I gave my meter reads last week via telephone, i actually spoke to someone, so i definateley know they got my readings. YESTERDAY i got an email asking for my meter reads, and to make sure i give them between 9th November 2000 and 16th November 2000. I give up!!!!! My 7 year old grandson could do a better job!

smala01

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

25 years later, it, privatisation has failed - and I'll tell you why, the big 6 domination of the market have a 98% domestic and an 82% business market share. Its based on, and virtually unchanged from the old regional monopolies. The very fact that not one single new entrant has managed to make a challenge to the big 6 dominance speaks very loudly for itself, the distribution of share has not changed since the early move from regional leccy boards. The fact that [Which] 75% cent of customers are still on the 'standard', most expensive tariff offered by suppliers is yet more evidence that the retail market is not working in the way that a competitive market should. If the market was working as it should moving market share would force energy companies to drive down on costs with lower prices and cheaper tariffs.

I blame privatisation - and I'll tell you why. Market share has not changed at all and until it does there is no incentive to make changes, a well-functioning wholesale market would make a start on prices but only retail competition will redistribute market share. Worrying about investment levels and the extortionate windy mills of low carbon credentials is pointless until we fix a 25 year old broken market.

Your argument does not stand up. npower make £60 per dual fuel customer in profit each year. There is not enough fat left in operating margins for competition to work much better...

Competition HAS eroded most of the waste, the point that you convieniently miss is that wholesale energy continues to increase because of the emergence of BRICC countries. On top of that are huge amounts of green/social taxes, and VAT. We have a world market and we are just one buyer in a large globe.

Competition can only erode what energy costs companies are in control of. Thats not much these days.

The fact that people do not switch is a sign that people are actually not that concerned about their bills relative to other life events.
How difficult is it to log onto uswitch and do a comparison?

Governments and the media make a great deal of hot air about this, but we live in a world of globalisation - energy prices will continue to rise until we return India and China to the dark ages or the energy price intersects with renewables.

colprimus

£1million is pocket change to Npower, the 300 extra staff must've been recruited from First Utility I've been trying to get through via phone and email for weeks... gave up after 59mins on hold today...took a screen snap of time on hold and emailed them that..
If you are considering leaving NPower foe First Utility think on that cheap may not be better and customer service should be considered when switching.

undercover_peon

"Competition can only erode what energy costs companies are in control of. Thats not much these days."

I used to think that, but then people started to mention 20% profit margins on generation. I know they are run as seperate entities, but I don't know much about the generation side.

If true this is a pretty damning figure...