First Utility Customer Service

rayhool

First Utility customer service is shocking! You can't get through on the phone, I've wasted an hour of my life and phone costs at times then given up and submitted online forms that they don't respond to.

Be warned you may get a cheaper tariff but you lose any sort of customer service!

macman

This is not exactly new, do a forum search and you'll find many similar complaints about CS and billing.

*Jane*

Having problems myself. First they doubled the dd they said in quote cant get through on the phone emails take 2 weeks to be replied to and they dont answer query. Cant submit meter readings online and had no monthly bills and they have stopped taking dd payment. Nightmare.

rayhool

At what stage can you get the ombudsman involved?

Dave_save

rayhool wrote: »

At what stage can you get the ombudsman involved?

There's some guidance on the account website for contacting them via their Consumer Affairs Team. The site gives an email address, mail address and a 0800 telephone number.



If you complain, they say you can contact the Ombudsman if the matter hasn't been resolved within 8 weeks.






If you write to them, heading the letter 'Complaint', the clock starts ticking at that point, I presume.

matelodave

I'm with them and as you say, e-mails, phone calls and the rest disappear into a black hole. I haven't been able to send them my meter readings either by phone, e-mail, web server or text. My account is showing the three direct debits I've already paid but not my initial reading or any others. I am keeping an eye on my DDs to make sure that they don't change and keeping my own monthly readings (and sending them an e-mail as well - their server must be overflowing). If anything strange happens then the dd gets cancelled and we go into recorded letter writing mode.
It's a shame that they can't get themselves sorted out as I'm sure a lot of us would like the big six to get a bit of competition to shake them out of their comfort zone but sadly they all seem to be useless & incompetent at the moment

ollski

'At the moment'?, they were totally useless when I first went with them about 5 years ago and it sounds like nothing has improved.
If you want cheap you get cheap.

matelodave

I like cheap, its the frustration I don't like

matelodave

There is actually a real person somewhere at First Utility:T - I finally got a reply from my series of e-mails agreeing that my info wasn't appearing in my account and that they were going to do something about it.


I'm still not holding my breath but it's given me just a little hope that they will eventually get my account sorted out.:wall:

macman

rayhool wrote: »

At what stage can you get the ombudsman involved?

After you've either exhausted the supplier's own complaints procedure and are deadlocked, or 8 weeks after you've sent a formal complaint (in writing, headed 'complaint'-not a phone call, not an email).

Alex444

matelodave wrote: »

There is actually a real person somewhere at First Utility:T - I finally got a reply from my series of e-mails agreeing that my info wasn't appearing in my account and that they were going to do something about it.


I'm still not holding my breath but it's given me just a little hope that they will eventually get my account sorted out.:wall:

They have been trying to sort my account for the past 20 month, Ombudsman became involved told FU what to do, still not done. FU mobilise debt collectors (HYDRON) threatening to cut off supply, told them to ram it. Now back in ombudsman's hands though they aren't responding either, obviously same standard of service as FU.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place just now.:mad: