MSE News: Warning: Npower's slapping ex-customers with huge bills

Loobyloo2910

I am currently trying to leave Npower! After them reducing my payments 12 month ago they failed to bill me for 9 month then expected to increase my payments to £612 per month! I complained and was told somebody would contact me, 7 week later I'm still waiting when my yearly statement came telling me I have used £22000 of gas and electric in the last 12 month and they will happily accept payments of over £2200 per month! Is this company serious? I cannot change my supplier due to their failings as a provider

callum9999

Consumerist wrote: »

That's ok for those who are able to calculate there bills but the sad truth appears to be that most people just don't understand them. If an energy suppler is unable to provide a final bill within six months of leaving them then they deserve to forfeit the debt.

A slight correction, most people can't be bothered to understand them. A primary school child should be able to figure them out - all it takes is a bit of effort.

The only people who legitimately wouldn't have been able to work them out are those who cannot read, and those who are unable to use the multiplication function on a calculator.

Saying that, I fully agree with the consensus that the onus shouldn't be on them to do so. Not that I really think it deserves large amounts of free fuel to make up for it. As others have said, this solution is unfair on the millions of nPower customers who have paid their bills in full. For those struggling to pay them off, I don't see what's wrong with a token £5 a month or something.

Consumerist

callum9999 wrote: »

. . . As others have said, this solution is unfair on the millions of nPower customers who have paid their bills in full. . .

Is it fair on those who haven't received any bills? This measure is primarily designed for those, as I understand it.

bryan.steiner

Well done Martin Lewis - keep up the pressure. I posted on the day this thread opened and on that day formally lodged a complaint with Npower having waited almost an hour on the telephone to speak with someone. That telephone discussion got me absolutely nowhere. I await a response to the formal online complaint and further developments resulting from Martin Lewis' follow-up to his radio interview.

db9_2

I read the article about Npower in yesterday's MSE news and decided to ring them today. I quoted what the Npower spokesman in the article had said. The result is that after all the numerous phone calls and complaints I have made (trying unsuccessfully to get a bill from them for over six months after leaving them in November 2013),it is finally sorted and they are going to cancel the bill.

Thanks to Martin and all at MSE towers for giving Npower a kick up the backside and giving them such bad publicity that they are now sorting peoples problems out.

Consumerist

I hope things really are sorted for you but wait until you get written confirmation before assuming it's all over. There have been a number of posts suggesting npower have apparently sorted problems, only to find they continue to chase their customers and being unaware of matters discussed by telephone.

iansl2000

Just discovered this thread and relieved that I'm not alone.
I received a bill for £800+ a few months ago caused by npower not taking direct debits as stated in the contract, but paid up.

Now received a threatening letter saying I owe for periods after I left, cant speak to anyone on the phone unless I wait for over an hour although they do say that customer service is important to them??
A Website message goes unacknowledged.

Resorted to complaining by recorded snail mail.

Ian

Squeekyclean

Hi Folks, havent been on in a while but as soon as something wrong happens this is the first place I come.

Changed energy providers over 18 months ago.

I understand that when changing providers I may still get a final bill and I accept that but 18 months after switching is a bit much to expect anyone to pay up.

As far as I understand with the code of practice and what I read is that I should have received my final bill within 6 weeks of changing,

I'm not looking to slope away from paying what I owe and I understand other saying that the costs will just be passed onto existing customers so I should pay up.

It's the priciple of the thing, I provide a service myself and have to work to strict deadlines, as a small company if I don't deliver on time I wouldn't be in business long, but these large energy companies seem to think they can charge what they want when they want.

I can assure you that I won't be paying after reading the letter they just sent me, no information on how the bill was calculated or how many units I used or even the dates I used it.

What's to stop them from sending another letter like this in a few months if I did have the stupidity to pay just because they say I owe them.

Seems I have seven days to pay up or they may pass my details on the debt collectors and it will affect my credit file.

Well here is some news for them, they can send the debt collectors, I would love to see them get passed my two dogs, and I don't have a credit file, no credit at all, no credit rating and I never will have, so what they want to put in a file is fine by me, maybe they should shove the bill in the file at the same time.

rodvolpe

Yeah people. After 6 months I get a final bill from npower. No explanation how they calculated. What can I do? Can anyone help?

Consumerist

Dispute the bill using their complaints procedure - a written complaint sent by Recorded Delivery post. Ask for an account of how the bill was calculated. Head the letter with the word Complaint in bold. It's important that you dispute the bill so that you can show a copy of your letter to any debt collectors who show up. Keep copies of all correspondence.

Good luck.