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

exiled_taff

kay_hill wrote: »

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

My wife and I switched to Npower over 12 months ago. We still have yet to receive a bill for our electricity. The gas bill came through in July, with a demand for payment within 10 days of recent of the bill, and followed within 7 days with a threat of legal action to recover the sum owed.

Therefore Npower have not yet applied the direct debit as requested, nor have they applied the correct tariff. I have called them several times to inform them of their error. Each time I have received a verbal apology but no formal explanation. On the most recent occasions I have been promised compensation and that the correct tariff will be applied, but no indication of when this may happen. I have told them that what they are doing is uncompetitive as I am unable to compare costs with other suppliers and switch should I chose to do so. Only recently have Npower written to me directly to send £20 in high street vouchers, and also the general statement as per the main article here on MSE.

I escalated this issue to the ombudsman in the last month but last week received a reply from them to explain that they could not yet intervene as the matter had not yet been escalated with Npower. They have advised that I complain again but in writing.

Until last year I had been a a happy customer of Npower, but this year they have completely failed. When (or if) this ever gets sorted out, I'm off to the cheapest supplier on Top Cashback, or other similar comparative sites.

exiled_taff

I'm surprised how quiet this thread is. I thought it would be buzzing given Npower's argument that they have had too many customer complaints to handle.

Nofool_2

I requested moving from Scottish Power to Npower on 30 September.
This is the sixth time I have moved power supply and previously it has gone smoothly and within a week or two.
It took just under six weeks fot Npower to swich electicity on over six weeks to swich gas.
What is worse is that they failed to pass meter reading to Scottishpower, who owed me a refund.
Npower's help desk said they had put the readings inot he wrong system.
Scottishpower have been just as bad! they had the reading by the end of November and I have only recieved the refund today, 24 December.
I will move from Npower, they are rubbish!
Two of the previous moves have been back to Scottishpower but I will not go back this time.
Haave all the power companies gone bad?

zhoudiniz7

Complaint forum MSE Cheap Energy Club 25-12-13


Member of cheap Energy Club was unsure what to do about switch to long Fixed rate 23-10-13 decided to Switch from SSE bill sender (via Equipower/EBICO) this "chain" only became apparent post 14-12-13.


I received letter from NPower 14-12-13 advising switch date and Tariffs, NOT WHAT I WANTED. Phoned NPower to be told it was TOO late to stop switch which they advise as 17th or 18th December 2013 despite the fact I do not want a daily charge for both or either Gas and Electricity.


I had received a letter from SS /Ebico regarding reconsider switching and to call- Did this and the member of staff "KNEW NOTHING about situation despite quoting RICD 1 as advised in letter.


The tried phoning EBICO same type of reply. Advised that I was contracted to EQUIPOWER and could only cancel switch with NPOWER direct.


I did this on 19-12-13 only to receive letter/email from SSE-Ebico about a complaint I had made to them?


Does anyone know their job?


NPower staff not helpful and SSE/EBICO/EQUIPOWER seem to suffer from lack of knowledge.


I quoted A/c numbers and dates of communications and MPRN/MARN? numbers off bills.


NPower could not even get my address correct in letter of 16-11-13which took until 14-12-13 to be delivered!
LACKING CONFIDENCE in Utility Suppliers

sniggings

missussim wrote: »

Hi everyone, I dont expect a positive reply, but wondered whether my account with npower and the debt can be switched to a cheaper supplier who will provide me with cheaper fuel than npower and repay npower the debt separately according to my ability to pay?:)

yes if your debt is less than £500.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

sniggings wrote: »

yes if your debt is less than £500.

Rubbish.

They can block a switch if the debt is £0.01. The £500 or less only applies with PPM's. If you'd read further up the thread, the poster mentioned they paid by DD.

exiled_taff

markbernstein wrote: »

After a bit of googling I found there's an industry agreement ("Code of Practice for Accurate Bills Back Billing for Domestic Customers"), to which nPower has signed up. It "imposes limitations on the circumstances where customers can be billed for previously unbilled energy that is more than 12 months old", that is, customers should not be billed later than 12 months after the date the fuel was used unless the customer was somehow unresponsive or is in some other way to blame for the delay.

[/B].

Mark, I am going to use this when (or if) Npower get round to billing me for my electricity. It is now over 12 months since we switched, and I have endeavored to get a bill from them on numerous occasions. They have acknowledged this and sent already £20 in high street vouchers as a gesture of good will.

I will not be contacting them again until at least May, hopefully I'll have had a winter/spring's worth of free electricity.

Quids in!

kathb0110

I switched to a fixed tarrif til 2015 back in July. Electric went ok and gas failed miserably! I still haven't got my gas transferred, in spite of being told twice that my gas had gone over, the next guy told me it hadn't. I even got as far as giving them readings. I am now stuck with British Gas for my gas on a non fixed, pay quarterly deal, and my electric on a fixed dual fuel deal with Npower.

Just spoke to them today, and apparently the 28 days response from complaint doesn't apply in this case, and the ombudsmen is aware, so it won't matter if they don't reply in 56 days. When I asked when I can expect a solution, the reply was "we don't have a timescale". Looks like my 2015 fixed deal could be up, before I get transferred to it!

Apparently I will be compensated for any financial loss, when they get their problems sorted out......bet it won't include all the "your call will be answered within 40 to 50 minutes" waiting around I have had to do.....

bingoswestry

Its now 12 months since I (unfortunately) applied to move to NPower. A succession of errors. They got the wrong address, the wrong meters. Finally I thought it was sorted...wrong. I have been trying to pay by DD since Feb 2013, Complaints team contacted and despite numerous "reassuring" letters nothing!. I tried the ombudsman but they wanted more written information, and unfortunately most discussions had been by phone.

It was quiet for 6 weeks until an email tonight saying a DD would be taken this month. The amount makes no sense at all ... as agreed by the call centre operator. So back to the complaints team.

A big question is when they eventually charge , how will they know what rates? We have seen price rises during that time and I am not paying the whole lot at current rates.

Has anyone got their payment issues actually resolved??

fifivon

We are still waiting from September 2013 to get switched to them after being lured into fixing by the MSE website. So much for that!We are now on our old providers most expensive tariff - still - as N power seem incapable of switching us over. This is in spite of multiple phone calls and an official complaint. Do not go for the cheapest - it may cost you dearly.
There seems to be no way of cancelling even if the company you are switching to is incapable of keeping their side of the bargain.