npower tries to cut statements - anyone else?

onthehill

Yes I know it might seem like an old thread, but on topic.

To the small number in this thread who seemed very inclined to defend npower (at least one I suspected of being in their pay so dismissive were they of valid concerns) it might be an idea to throw npower into googlenews. More horror stories on billing.

After not sending me a bill as agreed (and that was needed as for years they had been misreading my meter) they have now made their second attempt to tell me that my next bill will be in 6 months. They inform me of this with a standard letter assuring me that all is under control and exhorting me, in prominent print, to "just relax".

nppower is defnitetely relaxed about bills, if not collecting money.

Back to complaints.

2013yearofthehouse

My npower account would always say my next bill was due in 6 months, but I would input meter readings every so often and sometimes (granted not all the time) this would automatically generate a bill, so my last few bills were actually May, Feb and Dec (in reverse order). Unfortunately, the npower system does seem to be a bit hit'n'miss though.

Richie-from-the-Boro

onthehill wrote: »

Yes I know it might seem like an old thread, but on topic.

To the small number in this thread who seemed very inclined to defend npower (at least one I suspected of being in their pay so dismissive were they of valid concerns) it might be an idea to throw npower into googlenews. More horror stories on billing.

After not sending me a bill as agreed (and that was needed as for years they had been misreading my meter) they have now made their second attempt to tell me that my next bill will be in 6 months. They inform me of this with a standard letter assuring me that all is under control and exhorting me, in prominent print, to "just relax".

nppower is definitely relaxed about bills, if not collecting money.

Back to complaints.

nPower [in this context] is not a human but a computer, its as relaxed as you make it. If you persist in not taking responsibility for keeping your use-age up to date each month you reap what you sow. Put conversely if you keep their damn computer updated each month with the correct figures you can only ever pay what you owe. You will see your own figures correctly recorded immediately in your online account and can printout 365 different bills each year if you choose to. I would never defend any supplier, they are all as bad as each other, but the idea that you personally can do nothing to help yourself with your problem is a non starter. Get on the cheapest decent e-tariff with monthly direct debit, submit your own monthly [ish] readings and you begin to control nPower's useless billing system. Try a switch site to see how much you can save - you might be surprised.

teddysmum

I have had trouble free years with Npower, until last month.


As my new fixed tariff is an online one, I was asked for readings which I provided and this triggered the usual 6 month bill. However, they said I was over £600 in credit, which I knew was impossible and on inspection noted that they had only charged for the first month's supplies, ignoring a set of readings made by a lady meter reader (whom I had reason to remember, having complained about her very rude predecessor ).


I emailed complaints and also called, making the point that, had I not been numerate, I may have assumed I had £600 which would not be required for household cost, so could be otherwise spent, thus putting me in debt when the power bill caught up.


They saw my point, offered an immediate calculation (done while I was on the phone) and gave me a £30 credit. The correct bill was online within the stated 72 hours, followed by an update including the £30.


Whether I remain satisfied after the imminent shakeup remains to be seen.

onthehill

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

nPower [in this context] is not a human but a computer, its as relaxed as you make it..

Must admit that I find your post somewhat bizarre and it misses the point of npower persistently trying to move me to 6 month billing with standard letters despite the fact that after hours and hours amounting to days to sort a previous !!!!-up (apparently I owed them for 250,000 units of electricity) it was agreed with executive complaints that I would be on 3 month variable direct debit. I am far from relaxed with npower. Yesterday I managed to get to the executive complaints person I dealt with before (quite an achievement on my part if you know anything about npower's processes) and he says that he will send a personally written letter confirming my terms. This is isn't an efficient use of his time of course but there you go. I do find your apparent argument that it's the customers fault very curious. Others in search of enlightenment might want to, as I said, googlenews the issue. Where they will find massive massive problems, or, in your book, football stadia full of lazy somehow guilty customers.

mumonashoestring

Oh NPower are absolutely fine to deal with as long as you do their job for them

The NPower website does have a feature whereby you can login, enter an accurate meter reading, update your account and immediately see your actual usage and a projection of whether any direct debit set up will cover the amount owed. It might seem like it's important to get companies to provide a good service themselves but I much prefer to spend about 5 minutes every three months taking and entering readings to having to spend hours chasing the !!!!less little toerags when they mess it up...

bengal-stripe

onthehill wrote: »

.......npower persistently trying to move me to 6 month billing with standard letters.....

I have been on variable Direct Debits with nPower for several years and I have always received my bill (more or less) quarterly. nPower has never made an attempt to decrease the number of bills issued.

During the last year and a half, the dates of my bills were:

18/02/2013
08/05/2013
20/08/2013
04/11/2013
17/02/2014
05/05/2014
next bill due: 17/08/2014

As you can see, there seems to be a pattern that the intervals between bills are not exactly 13 weeks, but either 11 or 15 weeks. Why that is, I have no idea, but I can live with that.

To assure a conspiracy theorist like you, I am not an employee of nPower. But quarterly variable DD suit me down to the ground, and (as far as I know) nPower might be the only utility supplier offering those. I am glad, I got rid of all this bother with monthly DD, (too high, too low, refund here, debt there) without losing the financial incentive of being on DD.

Richie-from-the-Boro

mumonashoestring wrote: »

Oh NPower are absolutely fine to deal with as long as you do their job for them

The NPower website does have a feature whereby you can login, enter an accurate meter reading, update your account and immediately see your actual usage and a projection of whether any direct debit set up will cover the amount owed. It might seem like it's important to get companies to provide a good service themselves but I much prefer to spend about 5 minutes every three months taking and entering readings to having to spend hours chasing the !!!!less little toerags when they mess it up...

- couple of minutes a month doing their job for them is the best time you ever wasted / invested
- the alternative is the 'onthehill' method where a large part of your life is consumed chasing the tail of useless nPower
- the simple investment of 5 of your minutes a month avoids many many hours and days of strife
- well done mumonashoestring, - you took control of your own nPower account

teddysmum

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

- well done mumonashoestring, - you took control of your own nPower account

Surely having your own control is a good thing ?