Problems with npower

rebeccaaustin

My flatmate and I moved into our flat in March 2013 and have had problems with npower right from the word go. First of all they messed about with the accounts and it took multiple phone calls and about 5 months until they finally got an account in my name. Then they messed up the bills and I wasn't receiving anything for months on end. The final straw came in April when I gave them a meter reading to set up a direct debit, they insist that we've used 4,000 units of electricity between November and April. This seems excessive to me as every approximation I've got from energy suppliers states that we should be using roughly 2,000 units A YEAR! We live in a 2 bedroom flat, and both work full time so we are rarely home to use so much electricity. I've challenged npower and spent an hour and a half on the phone today, getting pushed from pillar to post and speaking to 6 different people, none of which could give me a straight answer. I feel incredibly let down and this is stressing me out in a big way. If anyone can offer me advice on what I can do about this I would greatly appreciate it.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.


You don't say how your flat is heated and supplied with hot water.


If you have gas CH then 4,000kWh(units) is very high for 5/6 months.


If your heating and hot water is by electricity, then 4,000kWh over a winter period is extremely low.


However there is no point in saying 'we couldn't possibly have used xxxx units' as all any supplier can base bills on is the meter readings at the start and beginning of the period. Are you disputing these readings?

Also have there been any estimated meter readings on your bills?

rebeccaaustin

We have electric heaters but we don't use them as they're so expensive to run, instead we have small fan heaters but these were only used for a couple of hours a day at most as these too are expensive to run. Our water is heated by an electric boiler.
I appreciate that all they can do is base the bills on the readings, and as I've supplied the readings myself I know what they said is true, however I struggle to believe that there isn't a fault somewhere.
There haven't been any estimated meter readings as I've only received one bill and that was after I called yet again to ask them to sort out my account and I gave them a meter reading.

rebeccaaustin

My main issues of concern are that they've said that we've used so much in such a short space of time, and also that it took nearly a year to get a bill. As they've messed us around so much and took so long to do anything our bill is now in excess of £1600. That's not the kind of money I have lying around, and they're refusing to help us in anyway even though the reason we're in so much debt is that they took so long to organise anything, despite me constantly calling.

Cardew

4,000 units all winter(Nov to April) is remarkably low consumption for an all electric flat.


Electricity cannot 'disappear' so the only fault could be a faulty meter and that is more likely to be under-reading than over-reading!


Are you aware that your fan heaters use exactly the same amount of electricity, for the same heat produced, as any other electrical heater?


Electrical heating is the most expensive way of heating a property and bills in excess of £1500 pa are to be expected.


You appear to have a genuine gripe with Npower about the time taken to produce a bill, but no complaint about the amount of electricity used between Nov and April.

rebeccaaustin

Fair enough. Thank you for your reply.