I switched but NPower holding my £270 credit hostage

spiro

TheMole007 wrote: »

Well i have sent them another email if that gets me nowhere ofgem is my next port of call.

You can't go to OFGEM unless you have raised a formal complaint with your supplier and given them 8 weeks to resolve the issue.

JSR

It took fours months to get my credit refunded from nPower.

I would suggest e-mailing the nPower forum rep (look in profile for the address). He passed my problem to the complaints department. It did take them a further 2 months to finally pay out but I got a £50 compensation cheque almost immediately.

matelodave

All you can do is initiate the complaints procedure - write stating that its a complaint - they've then got 56 days (8 weeks) to sort it out or issue you with a deadlock letter - you can then take it to the ombudsman. So you need to get the complaint letter (ideally in writing by recorded delivery) in as early as possible to save these problems from dragging on. Phoning & E-Mails seem to be a waste of time
My Scottish Power refund took 10 weeks from my changeover date and arrived at the same time as a deadlock letter from SP as I'd started the complaints process about three weeks earlier.


I now reckon that the best approach is for everyone who is doing a transfer to give their previous supplier four weeks to sort it out from the transfer date and then if no refund or final bill has been issued just send in a complaint to get the clock ticking. You've nothing to lose and they know that you mean business - it could still take another eight weeks though

matty17r

I switched from npower to eon in november and npower are still holding on to my £160 credit. Kept phoning them and they came up with various excuses. Finally on friday received a letter from them recognizing my official complaint. Just hope its not too long now before I get my money back. Just think of all the customers' money they have got earning interest. Would never go with npower again - dreadful customer service.

geoffW

I'm waiting for my credit from Scottish Power, when I rang them they said they may be waiting for the final bill from Ovo but I think it's just a nice little earner for them, imagine how many £thousands they are hanging on to.

Mikeyorks

TheMole007 wrote: »

Do you think a complaint to Ofgem would help?

You can't complain to Ofgem - you complain to the Ombudsman (Energy). But you need to have formally complained to Npower at least 8 weeks prior. An email is adequate if it was a secure message or acknowledged.

But do assemble a chronological list of activity as you need it to complete the complaint form - which you can do online here :

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/energy.html

......... do not expect speed from them!

Twopints

Do you have to wait for the Ombudsman? You could raise a claim via Money claim online (as per post 3). Send a letter before action giving them 7 days to pay up, then sue them. :beer:

Mikeyorks

Twopints wrote: »

You could raise a claim via Money claim online (as per post 3).

If you do that you can purely claim the credit owing. Having waited months already for a refund - and where the utility companies are now deliberately witholding them - I think they should pay a little over the odds. Otherwise the current culture will only escalate

Whilst the Ombudsman points out they do not claim compensation - they will normally require a 'goodwill' gesture be made where they find against the utility. The norm is somewhere in the region of £75 and - with the costs charged by the Ombudsman - may, if sufficient people tread that route, start to pull back companies such as Scottish Power who now have a clear delaying policy towards customers who switch.

spiro

geoffW wrote: »

I'm waiting for my credit from Scottish Power, when I rang them they said they may be waiting for the final bill from Ovo but I think it's just a nice little earner for them, imagine how many £thousands they are hanging onto.

If you have moved to OVO from SPOW, then SPOW have to wait for OVO to provide the change of supplier reading before they can issue your final bill. So blame your new supplier if SPOW have not receive the information to issue the bill.