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

Sunny31

Just read your story Tommo76- similar to mine as over 12months to billing and NPower sent my bill as a 'reminder' when I had not received any previous bill. I smell a rat!

Have a look at 'the code of practice for back billing sub-Clause 9', energy UK website. I suspect this would not apply if NPower bill the customer within 12 months- are they using the reminder or final bill as a means to claim that they have previously made contact within the 12 months? (When in fact they haven't )

I had paperless bills via email yet received this random bill in the post- all a bit confusing and harder to unravel with the time lapse - NPower did not make a reasonable effort within a sensible time limit to issue the bill.

kenmeister

I joined the energy saving club 18 months ago and they switched me from EON TO NPOWER, i have just received my fist bill for £736 after 17 months of joining Npower, i have phoned and emailed lot's of times about the farce that Npower got into, my direct debit was set up in Feb 2013 but Npower still have not taken a payment. Absolute joke of a company and they employed 800 extra staff to sort there mess out !!!!

whydoudoit

You can get all of your money back from npower but i doubt i can share here, many customers will just pay and move on and this is exactly what they want. Those who fight back are pointed towards the complaints dept and from there its just a waiting game for months/years. I would like to see one of these letters if someone can upload to the forum hiding your personal details of course.

LizziL

I left Npower over a year ago after 6 years as I was fed up with their constant increases to my direct debit and over-estimations of my usage which rarely changed. Finally their un-announced increase from £75pm to £170 was the last straw - I only found out when my bank statement came in and I had gone over my overdraft limit and incurred additional bank charges, so thanks for that! Left them over a year ago and settled an outstanding gas amount of c£85. Last week they sent me a cheque for £35.94 for electricity credit which I banked. This week they sent me an email saying "my bill is available online" (even though it's been closed for over a year) and there's an amount I now owe of - you guessed it - £35.94 BUT I couldn't pay it online as the account is closed!! (not that I was going to).............. What the ?? I sent an email to Complaints telling them I have no intention of paying it and that if they start harrassing me again now that I am no longer a customer I will take legal advice. :mad:

FrenchDisko

I left npower in May 2013, £30 in credit. Then in April 2014 they billed me for £40!! No explanation about why, and I am having trouble getting an explanation about how an account in credit can go into debit when they haven't been supplying my electricity.

Their complaints department are VERY slow in responding (not had a response since my case was opened three weeks ago), meanwhile the billing department are hot on their own case sending regular demands for cash.

samthecanary

Thanks for that. Will print out and have a read of that later to see where we stand legally.

Hoppity

I've had problems with NPower twice with them getting debt collectors to call daily when they have been late sending bills or just made up amounts and started requesting. It's been resolved now because every time I call I get the persons name I speak to and log the time and date and length of call and use this when I call back to say who I spoke to when and what they did- or we're suppose to do. I've refused to pass my details or any info onto debt collectors. Even calling NPower they never want to pass you onto a manager so you have to make a complaint to get to them and again take their name and give a full history and follow up any of their actions. They did stop calling but i would recommend you document all conversations and don't throw your info away or upload everything to be able to refer back for at least 2 years.

Count_Dante

I sadly joined NPower earlier this year (my first attempt to join through this website failed, I should have taken the hint and walked away). Everything has been a failure.

My problem now is actually submitting a meter reading to them. For reasons unknown, they do not know my address when attempting to submit a reading to them even though I have logged in to their website, so I have to manually type it. It doesn't work, so I am right now expecting a call back from their complaints people to find out what the flip has gone wrong.

I recommend that people take photos of their meter readings with a newspaper from the same day in shot. In fact take multiple photos from different angles. This will be strong evidence if ever NPower are in dispute over how much energy you have used. I am going to do this from now on. I can foresee being one of the people getting nasty bills months after leaving them.

sbrom1ss

We joined Npower 18 months ago, providing them with a changeover reading and regular readings since. We pay a direct debit each month but after many months of complaints, e-mails, phone calls, they still have been unable to provide us with a bill. We would like to leave but until they can provide us with a bill, we will be staying with them. Our complaint was escalated to Executive level last July, 2013 - no further forward to date (end May 2014). If you are thinking of joining them DONT!
sbrom1ss

whydoudoit

Whatever money you have paid npower you can get it all back, it is unbelievable how no one is picking up on my post but you all are reluctant to post and complain that you been ripped off. Absolutely unbelievable.
These companies really do know what they are doing to you all as your complaints are laughed at.