Add your feedback on energy supplier Extra Energy

fussypensioner

extraenergy wrote: »

Dear MSE members,

I’d like to offer a formal and personal response from myself, Jo Robertson, Head of Operations at extraenergy, in the hope that I can renew your confidence in our business.

I’d firstly like to reassure you that the majority of our customers are very happy (our supplier’s service rating is ‘70% great’ with moneysavingexpert) so I take your feedback very seriously, especially when it’s highlighting shortfalls in our levels of service.

As a business our main objective is to save customers money by being the most competitive supplier on the market. At the same time, it’s not our intention to skimp on service and I’d like to apologise if you feel we haven’t hit the mark in this area. Like any start-up business we have our challenges and things don’t always go to plan, BUT, we’re working hard to get it right and we’re almost there.

Having read through every comment on the forum I see the two biggest concerns are the online portal and billing which I’d like to address individually:

My extraenergy
I’d like to apologise for the delay to increasing the functionality on our online portal. I know this is frustrating and I’m disappointed that we’ve not been able to provide what we promised a number of months ago.

Here is a summary of our current position:

• Meter readings: Customers can currently enter reads to help ensure the accuracy of their statements.
  
• Bills and payments: Customers can download their bills and statements, and as soon as they are available we’ll send you a notification email. To date we’ve generated nearly 6000 bills / statements. We’re also testing functionality that lets you see all payments, credits and bills associated with your account, so you can track these in-between statements.
  
• Manage my Direct Debit: This is being tested and allows you the flexibility to change your Direct Debit date and control the amount you want to pay within our safe guidelines, helping you to avoid large bills.
  
• Make a payment: The ability to make an online card payment is currently being tested. In the meantime if you call us we can take payments over the phone.
  
• My details: Customers can currently update their personal details e.g contact details, password etc.

Our main objective is to ensure the portal is working correctly before making new functionality live. This has been much harder than anticipated, but we’re confident it’ll be live shortly.

Billing
Please be assured that we do have a functioning billing system (not SAP). The company developing our billing system is German (hence the reference to Germany in post #468). We’re checking every statement and bill as we believe it’s most important that each one is as accurate as possible. This has meant we’ve been slower at sending these out than intended – but we’re not far behind catching up.

Attiya has explained how our billing and metering processes work (I appreciate it’s not a simple process) and if you’ve any further questions around your specific circumstances please contact her on the blogresponse@ email. Attiya is trying very hard to help forum members and I’m sure you’ll agree she’s doing a great job.


I’d like to reassure you that we are an experienced and committed senior management team who, between us, has many years’ experience in the energy industry. I moved to head up the Operations Team at extraenergy because I wanted the opportunity to work for an energy company that is both competitive and delivers a high level of service. Whilst we haven’t been able to deliver this for some of you yet, please rest assured my team and I are 100% committed to making this happen.

I promise you that everyone at extraenergy is working hard to meet our customer’s needs – including catching up with statement delivery and improving online functionality.

Many thanks,

Jo Robertson.

I seemed to have joined the Q for a bill and have read your response to your customer's complaints. 4 months later and there are still numerous complaints about lack of bills and EE hanging onto customers credits when they have left you. You should not be a functioning Company because you are NOT functioning. emails are never answered, complaints never answered, bills not supplied and promises broken. The word is getting around via forums, blogs and social media that you are the worst company for customer service and I do not see a long term future for you.

Snowbelle

fussypensioner wrote: »

I have been looking back thro the paper work Extra Energy sent me when I switched:

"Payments will appear on your bank statement as "EXTRAENERGY". You have the right to cancel your Direct Debit at any time, however this will mean you no longer qualify for our cheapest rates."

This is all a bit vague, they do not say how else you would pay, presumably its on receipt of a bill - which of course they don't issue-and if you cancelled the DD in month 10 or 11 would the new rates apply to just those months. It might make the calculation of the bill even more complicated for them, but worth a call to them to ask the question (assuming they will be able to answer it)

From their website:


vi) If you fail to pay a Direct Debit, we will charge you a payment-failure fee. We also have the right to recover from you any other bank charges we have to pay because of cancelled or failed payments or rejected cheques. If you continue to miss payments, we will try to contact you by email, letter or phone before referring the matter to a debt collection agency, trace company or solicitor, and then by letter, before referring the matter to a debt-collection agency.

JohnM5206

Snowbelle wrote: »

From their website:


vi) If you fail to pay a Direct Debit, we will charge you a payment-failure fee. We also have the right to recover from you any other bank charges we have to pay because of cancelled or failed payments or rejected cheques. If you continue to miss payments, we will try to contact you by email, letter or phone before referring the matter to a debt collection agency, trace company or solicitor, and then by letter, before referring the matter to a debt-collection agency.

but also from there website:
"This website is provided for information purposes only and is not, in particular, intended to confer any legal rights on you."
and under unfair terms the opposite must apply?

fussypensioner

After much thought and deliberation I have decided to cut my losses and switch from Exrta Energy after my next DD, and after only 7 months. I can not face the next 5 months of frustration and building up a credit during the summer which, in all probability, will take ages to refund. I have been looking a OVO Energy and I can not find a bad review, this is a statement from WHICH?

Ovo in the news
On 3 March 2015, Ovo Energy announced it had scraped all exit fees from its tariffs. Customers of Ovo will still get 3% interest on all credit balances.

In January 2015 Ovo announced two price decreases: the first one of 5.5% to its fixed tariffs and a second one of 5.8% for dual fuel (10.4% drop for gas) to apply to its standard (variable) tariff to reflect falling wholesale costs. The 10.4% drop on its gas prices will come into effect on 1 March 2015. This is Ovo's 11th price drop in 18 months.

On Valentine's Day 2014, Ovo launched a campaign to 'feel loved again', urging people to dump the big six and switch to its services. The same day it announced a 2.5% price cut. But three months later it raised its prices by 3%, affecting new and renewing customers.

Ovo Energy, along with Co-operative Energy, set the trend for energy companies announcing a drop in price at the beginning of 2012. It cut its dual-fuel tariff by 5%. But later in 2012, in November, it announced an increase of £33 on its fixed-rate energy tariff.

Obviously buyer beware and read everything on their website. Also wondering how they can make an increase on their fixed rate tariff and if this is normal procedure Extra Energy could do the same. They actually show complaints reports on their website and how they are tackling them, they seem a very refreshing Company to me..... Anybody out there have a different view or experience of OVO Energy please???

MABLE

My advise to all unhappy customers is speak to the company and keep pushing in a nice way until you get any problems resolved.

Working together is the best policy.

In my case no further updates regarding my final bill but will advise outcome when i know them myself. However EE are keeping fully informed of progress.

fussypensioner

MABLE wrote: »

My advise to all unhappy customers is speak to the company and keep pushing in a nice way until you get any problems resolved.

Working together is the best policy.

In my case no further updates regarding my final bill but will advise outcome when i know them myself. However EE are keeping fully informed of progress.

You seem like a nice calm person Mabel, and your advice is appreciated, I am envious that you have an ongoing agreeable relationship with EE and surprised they are keeping you informed. I would appreciate any reply from them, the call centre seem to have their hands tied by the inefficiency of their bosses.

MABLE

fussypensioner wrote: »

You seem like a nice calm person Mabel, and your advice is appreciated, I am envious that you have an ongoing agreeable relationship with EE and surprised they are keeping you informed. I would appreciate any reply from them, the call centre seem to have their hands tied by the inefficiency of their bosses.

After working 9 years in a complaints environment I have learnt many things and have always found by shouting and screaming at people will get you no where.

However I am not suggesting for one moment you do but I can only go by my experiences.

molerat

The delay in producing a final bill is totally inexcusable and in contravention of their SLCs. Why have you not moved forward to the ombudsman ? Making them aware of the failings of EE may make them at least "have a friendly chat" with senior management.

oldtim

I decided to leave ExtraEnergy in August 2014 after they would not transfer me to a cheaper tariff without charging me a penalty. Since then I have emailed and telephoned countless times, trying to extract a final gas bill from them (the electricity transfer went well). I am now on my third complaints handler, who promised me that my final gas bill would be sent to me by email on 19 March 2015. I now know that ExtraEnergy did not take into account in their billing system (which is run from their parent company in Germany) the fact that a significant proportion of UK gas consumers are/were connected by Independent Gas Transporters. This 'oversight' means that an extra 'code' has to be taken into account before their billing system will issue a final bill. This inadequacy in their billing system was identified in January 2015 but does not seem to have been given any priority. I am told by ExtraEnergy that they have a number of customers now affected by the same problem..... ExtraEnergy has held £387 of my money since September 2014. So, its easy to join them, but beware that you will be charged a penalty for moving to a better ExtraEnergy tariff and may wait six months (or more) to leave them, with your money in their account rather than in your own for as long as it takes them to fix their computer system.

MABLE

UPDATE.

Well I have heard from EE and it would appear the new bill is wrong again because the VAT is not calculated properly.

We have now gone full circle.

Reminds me of the song There,s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza.

However the person who is helping me has really done her best and is probably just as fed up as I am feeling at this moment in time.

My glass is definitely half empty at the moment. Need to go for a top up!!