npower never notified us that we were underpaying

npowerarerubbish

Three of us lived in a student house from September 2013 - June 2014. Before we moved in, npower estimated that electricity would be £45 a month. We were then charged £45 each month. My housemate who was the lead tenant has just received an npower bill for an additional £1,082.23. Apparently we've been underpaying each month, but they never notified us about it. An npower rep admitted over the phone that this was their mistake due to a system error. Yes, we did use that much electricity, but if we'd been notified we were ever overspending then after the first month we would have been really vigilant about our electricity use, and wouldn't have any where near as much as this to pay! We are three broke recent graduates, I was supposed to be moving out of my parents' next weekend, and will now have to put that off for another month. As npower were supposed to notify us, we were wondering if there's anything we can get from them, some kind of compensation? Any help at all as this has really shaken us!

Cornucopia

How would they have known you were under-paying?

What meter readings did you give them?

Torry_Quine

Did you give them any actual readings, if not then they would have no way of knowing how much electricity you were using?

GingerBob_3

Cornucopia wrote: »

How would they have known you were under-paying?

What meter readings did you give them?

They could have come round to read THEIR meter. Why should the customer do THEIR work for nothing?

Bark01

If you used the energy stated you will need to pay for it, but it sounds like npower have admitted some form of mistake. Get them to admit this in writing and also ask them to reduce the amount as a good will gesture.

Bark01

GingerBob wrote: »

They could have come round to read THEIR meter. Why should the customer do THEIR work for nothing?

They are legally obliged to read the meter ever 2 years. If the customer wants an accurate bill they need to supply the reading.

The cost of meter reading is built into a bill. If the suppliers were to read more often they would charge more. I’d rather just spend 30 seconds every few months submitting a read rather than pay anything else.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

GingerBob wrote: »

They could have come round to read THEIR meter. Why should the customer do THEIR work for nothing?

I thought we'd been over this before? They don't have to do it more than once every 2 years, in my eyes that's fair. This little box that determines how much you pay sits inside people's houses, why shouldn't individuals take some responsibility?

In the 21st century when we can do everything online at the click of a button, why should we pay extra to have an army of blokes in vans going round reading them quarterly?

npowerarerubbish

My housemate the lead tenant just got back to me - she checked the metre in July 2013, Nov 2013, May 2014 and June 2014, and told npower each time. Does that make any difference? I've just been chatting to my Uncle who's a solicitor who says there's probably nothing we can do, except maybe get them to allow us to pay in instalments.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

npowerarerubbish wrote: »

My housemate the lead tenant just got back to me - she checked the metre in July 2013, Nov 2013, May 2014 and June 2014, and told npower each time. Does that make any difference? I've just been chatting to my Uncle who's a solicitor who says there's probably nothing we can do, except maybe get them to allow us to pay in instalments.

Well, it means the issue is now down to npower's incompetence - most other suppliers would have acted on the information you supplied them and adjusted your DDs.

However, you still have to pay for the energy you've used. If you push npower they should give you a token amount off the bill to apologise (if it makes it into 3 figures you'll have done well).

Cornucopia

Yes, you should be able to get payment by instalments.

The fact that you supplied plenty of meter readings goes in your favour - did you get interim bills every quarter?

This bodes well for some assistance from nPower - especially if they are saying they had a system problem with your account. I would draft a letter to their CEO complaining about it, especially if any of your bills never arrived or were wrong.

Nada666

Not just students - graduates. And not one of them bothered to note they were paying a fraction of what they were using. On at least four occasions. But it is not their fault, it is npower's. Who says admission standards are not falling.