NPower battle, help?

sophieH

Hi everyone,

Sorry - new to the forums, I do look on here for advice every so often but this is my first post! Hopefully it's not too long. I'm having a battle with NPower and I wanted to know if anyone has any advice, or if in fact I have a leg to stand on here or if I just need to pay up.

Basically, I recently discovered whilst calling NPower to give a meter reading that they (or, at least, the company they hire to do their meter readings) has been reading my meter incorrectly for who knows how long. Essentially, my meter is "upside down" when compared to the norm (according to NPower, anyway) - where meters normally have the 'normal' reading positioned above the 'low' one, mine is the opposite - the 'low' reading is positioned above the 'normal' one. This is clearly labelled on the meter but somehow, they've consistently read it wrong anyway.

I've lived in the house for 2 years now, with three different housemates - and with each, there's been a separate NPower account set up (gas and electric), and then paid up and closed when that person moved out.

When I lived with the first housemate, power bills were her area, so I'm not sure what happened with readings then. We never seemed to have a problem.

When she moved out and housemate 2 (HM2) moved in, I took over the bill management. I gave a start reading when I first set it up, then for the 6 months that HM2 lived there, NPower sent meter readers to do meter checks themselves - maybe two. All seemed fine. When HM2 moved out in July this year, I rang up, with a reading, and gave a final bill (which we paid, obviously) and that was that.

I set up a new account with Housemate 3, and a couple of meter readers have been round since. The last one missed us - we weren't in - so I decided to take a reading myself to save them sending another person out and called up NPower to give the reading. I was then told that my reading "couldn't possibly be right" as it was pretty much the opposite of the last few which had been taken by the official meter readers. I went and checked it, and sure enough, it was correct.

Following on NPower's instructions I ran a test on the meter whereby I took a reading in the morning, went about my daily business (I was on a day off and thus at home rather than at work), and then took another later on to see if the 'normal' rate was the one ticking along - and it was. All normal. So I called up NPower, told them this, and gave them the new readings. They apologised and said that indeed it looked like the meter reader had been taking the readings reversed and as such I'd be issued with a new, correct, bill. I enquired as to whether this bill would be huge - the rates are reversed after all and whilst I'm at work during the days this still worried me - and they said that we'd find out once it was issued (which incidentally they still haven't bothered to do).

Well fast forward to today (two weeks on) and I receive a message from HM2 to say that she's been issued a bill by NPower (for the closed account), saying that we are both £114.23 in credit AND that our final bill is £83.60 which must be paid by 24th December. First of all I don't see how we can be both in credit and owing, but that's another matter.

I called up NPower and enquired as to what it was all about but apparently my name is no longer on that account (who knows why) and thus I cannot discuss it - only HM2 can - who now lives half way across the country. They then suggested that I send her a letter with my signature, which she can then forward to NPower by post (!) to give me 12 months access over the phone. I pointed out that seeing as the account closed in July I have no need for 12 months access, so I need to ring back tonight apparently as they will allow me to discuss the account for one day.

I assume that the new bill relates to the fact that the readings at the time were probably recorded wrongly too - however, I gave correct readings at the start and end of the account (I'm very careful when I take my own readings to avoid this exact kind of mistake), so I feel like if they have recorded them wrong somehow AND then backed this up with their own incorrect "official" readings in between it's tough luck - the account was paid for and closed according to the bill they issued at the time and I don't want to/can't afford to pay any more. I'm already going to have to pay some massive mystery amount on my current account let alone the old one which was dealt with 5 months ago.

So my point is - do I have to pay the bill on the old, closed account? As far as I'm concerned it's their fault if they billed me wrongly and they should have spotted it at the time, especially as the readings I gave them then would have been correct (one explanation is that the person taking my over-the-phone readings reversed them to make them "make sense" with the rest of the official readings, perhaps?).

Sorry for the massive post - I hope I'm not just being stupid here!

Thanks,

Sophie

angelsmomma

You need to escalate this to an official complaint. I have no idea how they can get the readings wrong in this was if they are clearly marked on the meter which is the high and low readings.

It also makes little sense that the bill would be more. If you are out at work during the day rate and they have been charging you day rate at night surely the bills you have been paying would have been overpaid by you not underpaid.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

This is complicated.

Write a letter (don't call), headed Complaint. Outline your grievances, and that you have never requested to be removed from the account.

If npower aren't taking any money towards the bill (Lord only knows what's happening with their billing system at the moment), put some aside each month to deal with any catch up bill.

And maybe think about leaving, they really are struggling to do even the basics these days.

undercover_peon

If thereis a closed account in someone elses name it isnt your problem. It sounds like there is an open account but they have screwed the names up.

I do love when npower quote data protection despite the fact they have lost of muddled up data.

I would complain if you are going to be stuck with the live account in the wrong name.

Sadly this means joining a long queue even if you go to the ombudsmen.
As a ould be aware of this. I have seen accounts where there was no record of power of attorney or appointedpersons despite customers assuring they had sent in proper documents.

They cant all have been lying.

venetianlagoon

I left Npower due to their incompetence, good luck.