MSE News: First Utility faces customer backlash as complaints double

modsandmockers

Over the years, I have had multiple problems with call centres of all kinds, including energy suppliers. In recent times, the banks seem to have made massive improvements. Late last year, I starting helping my daughter to sort out her horrendous problems with Npower and, on my advice, she switched to Co-op Energy. Doh!

I have come to the conclusion that every energy user's highest priority should be to avoid getting into the situation where they are owed money by the supplier. The best way to do this is to avoid monthly payment plans and to pay on receipt of bill (having first submitted accurate meter readings). Unfortunately, payment on receipt of bill is frequently more expensive than a monthly payment plan.

But First Utility (and there may be others) actively require monthly meter readings from their customers, and are happy to produce a monthly itemised bill so that you pay exactly what you owe - no more, no less. All at no extra cost. And, in my daughter's case, they are currently the cheapest.

We've just applied for the switch - fingers crossed...

sara_grrr

Moved house in august, informed first utility both before the move and afterwards, provided all meter readings and asked for a final bill - not once but 7 times!!


I have now asked for a manager to contact me, to increase the complaint to a formal complaint and asked for the procedure to contact the complaints department, all now ignored.


I have tried several avenues (emails, calls, telepathy...) and now all contact is being ignored... I'm not even receiving automated responses anymore(?!)


I want to pay my bill, but it appears that the vague "it's roundabout £80 odd" is sufficient!!!


Does anyone have any advice on how to resolve this?


thanks
Sara

matelodave

You should have a fair idea of what you owe them - FU produce monthly statements against monthly readings so put some money aside ready for the bill when it eventually arrives
Make it you think it might be plus a bit extra and preferably in an savings account so you'll get some interest whilst waiting until the bill comes in.

Hopefully you've saved or printed off the statements (or at least the last one) and still have a record of your final reading (it should be the same as your initial reading with your new supplier. Can you still access your FU account?

I've got a paranoid mistrust of any energy company and always check the statements against the meter readings and save a PDF copy on my computer just for this sort of situation. I'd suggest you do this with your existing supplier if you haven't done so previously - they all seem to have degrees in incompetency when it comes to billing, especially for the final one.

Five minutes a month to check can save months of aggro in the future

2010

sara_grrr wrote: »

I have tried several avenues (emails, calls, telepathy...) thanks
Sara

You`re the second person to use telepathy as a way of communication recently. (see post # 128)
Could you explain how this works or doesn`t as the case may be.:rotfl:

Email and stick to the facts and state exactly what you require them to do.

[EMAIL="ian.mccaig@first-utility.com"]ian.mccaig@first-utility.com[/EMAIL]

sara_grrr

Have a copy of the bill, made a payment of £135 (direct debit) with a statement of £58, so in theory they owe me money??


Have kept all the emails. I'm stating I want to speak to a manager, receive confirmation of receipt of complaint, asking for procedure - nada.

lunarjan

For over a year now I have been hounded by FU for the final bill payment when I switched from them to another company. I have had phone calls, letters, texts all quoting different amounts and nonsensical data. After at least ten phone calls with them-many hours and a different person each time-they told me that the final bill was £49. This seemed about right, I paid it there and then on the phone and got them to verify that there was nothing else to pay. They sent me a letter saying the case was closed. Then earlier this year they started again!! Texts, letters, phone calls, still asking for the £49. Again I spent several phone calls attempting to convince them that they were wrong, not me. They suggested that I pay £20 for now and the rest as soon as possible. They couldn't find details of my case from last year. I suggested that they paid me £20 for my trouble! Eventually I had to scan the letter saying the case was closed, as they had no copy of it. This I did, and I was sent £20 as I'd suggested. Just recently, here we go again, my so called debt has been passed to a debt collecting company called Zinc, who are now hounding me with texts, phone calls and letters. I answered the phone to them once to explain what has happened, and they wanted me to go through it all with them as they have no details from FU. I'm feeling absolutely incandescent. It's not my problem, so I suggested that they contact FU themselves. I'm not answering the phone to them again, so we'll see how far they go to chase this non existent debt! I'm just wondering how many people have been taken in by similar demands and felt intimidated enough to pay their so called debts.

2010

Lunarjan,
See post # 135

Khan_Family

This is by far the worst utility supplier on the planet ever. They must hold the WORLD RECORD at losing customers TRUST in the supply industry!
After 1 year and 3 months without no Gas or Electric bills being produced by them and with Ombudsman intervention and a £70.00 fine, nill exit fees to leave tariff yada yada...... Even the Ombudsman is unable to push this rouge utility supplier.

We were looking at (CHARGEABLE) solicitors that can take FU to court with regards to the unjust way (we) as customers are treated :mad:

We have now GIVEN UP with them :wall: Impossible to deal with and a law onto themselves. With regards to the Ombudsman service helping sort this case, apart from finding in our favour against FU was just RED TAPE and a "Chocolate Teapot" advisory service concerning FU.

GOD help anyone who are still with them or joins them!!!!! Never again and we still don't know if were finally rid of them until a few years pass by after this switch away.

Anyway, on a positive note, Merry XMAS to all. :xmassign:

2010

Khan_Family wrote: »

We were looking at (CHARGEABLE) solicitors that can take FU to court with regards to the unjust way (we) as customers are treated :mad:
We have now GIVEN UP with them :wall: Impossible to deal with and a law onto themselves. With regards to the Ombudsman service helping sort this case, apart from finding in our favour against FU was just RED TAPE and a "Chocolate Teapot" advisory service concerning FU.
Anyway, on a positive note, Merry XMAS to all. :xmassign: =/QUOTE]

Bit of a rant really, you don`t say if they owe you money or if you`re still with FU.
If you`re not with them you must have received a final bill to leave.

If they owe you money and obviously you`ve exhausted trying to resolve the matter then you don`t need to pay a solicitor.

Read post # 131

bry54

We switched from FU in December 2014 after moving to our current address two months before , I sent them the final readings for gas and electricity . They sent me the final bills ,the Electricity was correct ,but the gas bill was for 313 units more than the reading I'd sent them.
I phoned them and said they would investigate and get back to me .
I never heard anything from them until November 2015 when they sent me an email threatening legal action unless payment was made in 7 days.
I contacted them and even emailed a copy of the Npower bill showing the opening reading , they said Npower had sent them the wrong reading? so I contacted Npower and requested they send FU the reading again.
The customer service person agreed to put a hold on the threatening emails until the matter is sorted but I received another email last week.

AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE!