First Utility - complained to Ombudsman but no resolution!

Sophelia

Hi all,

This is my first post to this forum so not sure how it works, but I would like to share my story and see if anybody has any ideas on my next moves.

I'm currently living in a rented flat with my partner that is set up with First Utility, and our gas and electric metres are locked away, the landlord having the only key.

We originally began with a problem where one department had one bank account number, and another had a different one (that doesn't, and has never belonged to me), so they sent us a letter a month for six months insisting that the bank was rejecting the direct debit. Whilst trying to sort that out, I noticed that they had in fact been estimating our gas bills for the last 8 months, despite sending us a letter when we first moved in saying they would be installing a smart metre to send the reads automatically.

When I brought this up with First Utility, I received at least 3 different answers depending on who I spoke to. Eventually it transpired that they never intended to put that metre in and wouldn't do it now.

I was advised to provide a metre read as soon as I could (I was worried that we may owe them more money than we had disposable at the time). My landlord eventually provided us with a read, which I provided to First Utility, and was told it would be taken into account for the next bill. Surprise surprise, it wasn't, so when I rang again, they told me they had ignored it because it was wrong (so high it was extremely unlikely to be right). So I insisted that the metre must be faulty in that case and would they come and read it. To this they explained that they use a third party for that and they come round every quarter (which has never happened). They couldn't provide me with a solution and so I made another complaint. (Please bear in mind that every time I had emailed through their website I had been ignored, or received an automated email a month later saying they are "receiving higher numbers of correspondence" and still never getting a response, and every time I called I waited at least 40 minutes on hold just to speak to someone).

My complaint was completely ignored, so I went to Ofgem. They eventually came up with a remedy which was to provide £50 compensation and to organise a metre read once a quarter. This was in April, and none of this has happened. We never received the compensation, and haven't had our metres read. I called Ofgem again in July to tell them, but was told that the matter was closed and to take it up with First Utility.

When I rang them, they said the complaint was "still in mediation", so I would have to wait.

It's now November and I still haven't heard a thing. I called the other day as we are now due to move out next month, and explained the situation and the Customer Service rep advised me to leave it with her to look into and organise our "final" (first) metre reading. This morning I received a call from their third party to ask me for a metre reading as they "don't actually come out, customers have to provide the readings over the phone"!!! All they could do was go back to First Utility and tell them that we can't give them a reading!

I really don't know what to do now, I'm in a stalemate and the Ombudsman is useless and won't help me. I'm worried that when we move out, if we owe them money, they will start setting collections companies on us and ruining our credit scores. All this for a year and a half's worth of fighting to pay our own bills!!!

Can anybody help?

Sophie

cklass

I'm guessing it was actually the Ombudsman Service that dealt with your complaint and not Ofgem? Ofgem itself doesn't get involved in disputes.

It is the Ombudsman Service's duty to ensure that their resolution is enforced, they should not have closed the case until everything had been resolved. They made the following statement to the Guardian just last month:

If a complainant accepts our decision it becomes final and the company has 28 days to put the remedy in place. Occasionally remedies are not implemented on time and we will always follow up with the company and the complainant to keep them informed. While this is disappointing, it’s important that complainants know that we never close a case until the remedy is enforced and that we will always continue to work with the company involved to enforce the agreed resolution.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/oct/11/scottish-power-ombudsman-bills-compensation

Clearly, they have been closing cases despite the remedy not being implemented. You should call them again and remind that it was their responsibility to enforce their remedy. If they refuse to re-open the case and deal with this matter, you can complain: http://www.ombudsman-services.org/service-standards.html

Sophelia

Yes, sorry - Energy Ombudsman, not Ofgem. Great, thanks for your response - I thought that should be the case but wasn't entirely sure. My main worry is what will happen when we leave our rented flat without ever having been able to provide an Actual gas metre reading....

chanz4

If its locked how do you expect them to get the reads........

MegaMiniMouse

Sophelia - is the account in your name or the landlord's? Have you ever paid First Utility any money? How do you know that the third party has not taken any meter readings?

quaybab

cklass wrote: »

If a complainant accepts our decision it becomes final and the company has 28 days to put

What the Ombudsman say and do are 2 different things. I can give you real experience that the Ombudsman does not enforce either financial or non-financial remedies.
The binding Ombudsman final decision is existence the energy company owes you money if the resolution contained a money award.
This is what you need to initiate a civil court money claim as it is the evidence needed in court to show the existence of a debt owed. A court won't enforce a final decision because these Ombudsman's ADR facilities were created by the powers that be for this type of work is beneath the judiciary.

If you haven't got the £50 and you still want it, I would advise other energy customers in your position to put in a court money claim in.

If a court claim is put in, what will probably happen is the energy company will pay up but you need to pursue the claim till the end in order to get back your court claim fee.
The companies don't bother because they know its not worth the hassle, time and expense to pursue a court claim.

You are very welcome to follow the advise of cklass about putting in a service complaint. But, Ombudsmen don't like service users colluding because it exposes inconsistencies in their provisioning.
Watch this video as its public record of the level of customer service you should get and the facilities they offer.
http://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=298871040314741

Sophelia

Hi all - thanks for your replies. The contract was originally set up by my landlord who advised that if we stay with First Utility it makes it easier for him as they have his contact details to read the metres. We have been paying a fixed direct debit every month of more than the bill because they have been estimating that we are using 2p more than the standing charge, despite having actual electricity readings so being aware that the flat is occupied!

Sophelia

PS I know they haven't taken any readings because we have been here for 18 months and every single bill is estimated. When they rang me today they said they don't actually come out - they only ask the tenant to provide their reading over the phone.

MegaMiniMouse

Sophelia wrote: »

Hi all - thanks for your replies. The contract was originally set up by my landlord who advised that if we stay with First Utility it makes it easier for him as they have his contact details to read the metres. We have been paying a fixed direct debit every month of more than the bill because they have been estimating that we are using 2p more than the standing charge, despite having actual electricity readings so being aware that the flat is occupied!

This sounds highly suspicious - your direct debit payments have possibly been paying your landlord's energy bills, and any overpayment will be his to reclaim. I don't understand your final comment that there have been actual electricity readings. Do you receive bills which are addressed to you, or does your landlord pass on the bills which he receives, in his own name, in respect of your occupancy?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Would you pay a mobile phone contract on behalf of your LL? No. If the bills are in his name, let him pay, or transfer the account into your name.

Sophelia

Hi all,



The bills are all in mine and my partners' names - I would never overpay bills on behalf of someone else.

Thanks everyone for your help - I think this may be finally getting sorted. Took a letter to the CEO to jumpstart it, though.