First utility...loyalty bonus???

Alex444

I recently had a case upheld by Ombudsman against FU, (which coincidentally has still not been complied to by FU)

Part of the complaint was that when I signed up I received a phone call from FU explaining the account procedures etc., and during the call it was mentioned that after 12 months there would be a loyalty bonus of up to £300.

The bonus I never received and on investigation by Ombudsman, First Utility stated that no such offer ever existed, this could not be pursued as FU do not record calls.

I see in some threads that there are other FU customers that were promised the same but did not get, this to me constitutes a mis-sell.

I am going back to Ombudsman regarding my case and would be interested if anyone else had the same promise, I am really at my wits end with this company and intend to go to court with them.:mad:

Consumerist

Alex444 wrote: »

. . . I am going back to OFGEM regarding my case and would be interested if anyone else had the same promise . . .

You may find an <article in the Guardian> (22 June 2012) of some interest.

If FU denies the offer ever existed then the article referred to above seems to contradict that.

Alex444

Thanks for that, worth its weight in gold!!!:beer:

Alex444

Well e-mailed Ombudsman with original case number as a header, do I get an answer? NO

Alex444

Hitting my head off the wall with Ombudsman now, do they believe everything FU tells them?????:mad:

Consumerist

You haven't given any details about what the Ombudsman has said but it seems to me that it's a question of whether the loyalty bonus was on offer at the time you switched to FU.

You seem to have taken the word of a sales person without checking the Ts&Cs before going ahead. This sort of sharp practice has more or less been banned since August 2013 but you haven't mentioned any dates.

Unfortunately, it seems to be boiling down to your word against FU so what you may need is some evidence that the bonus was generally on offer at the time you switched. That could be a problem at this point.

Sorry I couldn't be any more help than this.

Alex444

I have worked in a call centre for about 8 years, so I generally remember conversations, especially when it pertains to my financial matters.

I had been with Scottish Power for a number of years and started investigating other suppliers through the U switch website, I did this by putting in my previous 12 month consumption figures.

First Utility quoted cheapest option, but price for the year varied from week to week, I e-mailed FU to confirm figures, this would be January 2012.

I informed SP in March 2012 that I was moving, they then contacted me and offered a deal that was comparable with FU, so I then asked SP to get account back.

In March I received a welcome call from one of First Utility's operators (the only call I have ever spoken to them on) explaining their billing system the payment and the advantages of switching and low and behold the Loyalty Bonus of up to £300, the deal had now swung their way.

I informed the operator of my calculations on the U switch site and what I would expect to be paying, this was much higher than what they were looking for as they based it on an average 4 bedroom house. They do not have access to U switch data and since I lived in a 4 bed Victorian house their estimate was blown out the water, I also requested the date for the DD to be changed.

Needless to say the DD was set up for the lower amount on the wrong date, the DD was cancelled by me, FU contacted and I reiterated the amount and date of payment to them.

Then the problems started.

Since no calls are recorded by FU, they stated to Ombudsman that LOYALTY offer did not exist and was never mentioned, Ombudsman said OK, that conversation cannot be substantiated.

The newspaper link above seems to contradict that.

FIRST UTILITY are liars, end off.

Consumerist

Alex444 wrote: »

. . . they stated to Ombudsman that LOYALTY offer did not exist and was never mentioned, Ombudsman said OK, that conversation cannot be substantiated. The newspaper link above seems to contradict that.

I think the problem here is that FU might have said the bonus didn't exist at the time of your switch.

The Guardian article is dated June 2012 and referred to a claim for the bonus offered on an account at least a year earlier.

So the article suggests that the bonus was on offer at some period before June 2011 but may have been withdrawn by Jan 2012. That's what you need to investigate.

It's been an expensive lesson for you but always check the Ts&Cs against any claim made by a sales person.