Npower's debt goons have sent me a court letter! Fake?

shammyjack

ultimatefighter wrote: »

Thank you for this....

Someone said £51 is low. I don't have anything fancy in my place. It's just a one bed flat.
£700 a year seams incredibly reasonable to use:
1. Fridge on all year
2. Computer hard drive on a lot that doesn't use much power. I bought an efficient one and sleep mode.
3. Occasional oven useage (very occasional).
4. Occasional microwave useage
5. Heating water for 30 mins before shower most days.
6. TV useage most days also.

It has been £48 from 2012-2013
It has been £50 per month from 2013-2014 on fixed capped tarrif
£198 is a little extreme and would indicate that my units went up four fold or that the price per unit went up four fold. I haven;'t heard a 400% increase in peoples bills one year later...

I've seen a lot of peoples utility bills and ive seen detached places with £3000 per annum
and semi detached properties with £1700 per year with kids using a lot of stuff or heavy TV/3 bedroom useage of lights etc.

2 bed mid terrace on my own and never use more than £30 a month all in .

Cardew

ultimatefighter wrote: »

Th



It has been £48 from 2012-2013
It has been £50 per month from 2013-2014 on fixed capped tarrif
£198 is a little extreme and would indicate that my units went up four fold or that the price per unit went up four fold.I haven;'t heard a 400% increase in peoples bills one year later...

To repeat nobody disputes that NPower might have messed up your account.


However a huge rise in your monthly DD does NOT indicate that your units went up four fold, and the price of units won't have increased on a fixed tariff.


The scenario you describe - an increase in DD from £51 to £198 - is very common with all companies and is invariably caused by a large debit balance build up by the company using under estimated meter readings over a long period. There are scores of similar cases reported on MSE.


The increased DD is to cover future actual usage and pay off the debit balance.


There is no point in stating that you couldn't have such a high bill because you only use xxx appliances(you haven't mentioned heating). You need to check your meter readings from the start of your time with Npower and current meter reading to see how the claimed £1,800 debt built up.


Obviously submit a complaint as suggested above, but you must have firm grounds to dispute the debt, not simply say I couldn't have used that much because

---

chanz4

I suspect economy seven with storage heaters and immersion heater left on all day this will make your bill huge.


they may not of got it wrong, I would ask for an energy efficiency visit to ensure your heaters are set correct. People are very quick togo to the ombudsman, even when the fault is down to how the usage is been used.


BUT DO do 1 of the 2 options I stated, I have done thousands of their warrants

ultimatefighter

I don't understand as meter readings were provided and collected by the same company over 2 years. Now all of a sudden a jump.

Npower have come to my porperty and installed a prepayment meter and I have been left without gas now for 6 days.... not able to heat anything, or the flat or wash anything with hot water...

What can i do now? I tried to caculate standing daily charges and unit useage over the meter readings i had and it isnt adding up to anywhere near the £1800 they are claiming they are owed. This is a nightmare.

WHat can i do? I wrote an email to complaints but they said that now the account is being taken over by their collections department. WHat are my options to get this resolved? I don't want a prepayment meter and go and buy gas as I am a hard working guy who earns respectably (not rich and not middle class by any standards), but I don't want to be treated like this by a company I have paid on time all the time for 2 years and now this.

Do i go to the small claims court to get this resolved? Or is this for a different section? Help would be so appreciated. Really would

[Deleted User]

The gas prepay will have the total debt and the weekly repayment on screens 26 and 27. To check the amount insert card and press red button and hold till it beeps , then scroll thro the screens pressing the red button.
Utilities can go back 6 years for rebilling if its not their fault. You can work out roughly what you have paid by getting a reading from a couple of years ago and then the last one from the old meter and getting the calculator out. The new meter should have a yellow sticker on it with old meter details. work out how many units used then multiply by 33 for Imperial meter and 11 for Metric meter and multiply by the kwhr tariff in pence /divide by 100 for pounds. then add standing charge of approx £80 a year and 5% vat. If you ve still got a big difference its time to escalate the complaint to the Ombudsman
I might add that if Npower had to employ a locksmith and obtain a warrant , approx £250 , then this would be added as debt on the meters..If electric is also a new prepay the debt/weekly repay is on screen "S " and "T " , key needs to be inserted to see these screens..scroll thro on blue button

ampersand

.....and/or Guardian Money/Consumer Champions:
http://www.theguardian.com/help/contact-us

from which, I suggest -

Consumer desk [EMAIL="money@theguardian.com"]money@theguardian.com[/EMAIL]

Consumer investigative column in weekly Money section
[EMAIL="consumer.champions@theguardian.com"]consumer.champions@theguardian.com[/EMAIL]

#
op - just googled 'guardian money+n-power'. Quick first line glances should give you some heart.

Sample: 'The billing woes began in 2012 when npower, which is owned by the German firm RWE, introduced a new billing system. By November 2013 it was receiving more than three times as many complaints as its nearest rival, and in December of that year it set out a recovery plan to the regulator. By the time Ofgem launched an investigation six months later, late billing was affecting 280,000 npower customers holding more than 400,000 accounts.'
#
Log and retain copies of every communication, to and fro: screen shots, reading dates, free Certificates of Posting for anything sent.

Don't give up.

ultimatefighter

I've now followed the advice and written the following letter as Stage 1 of the complaints process: What do you think?

I am writing to you to complain about the treatment of my accounts in terms of not only meter readings but billing. I have also at this stage been placed on a prepayment meter and been left without gas now for 4 days in the coldest month of the year.
Until June 2014, my monthly bills since moving into the property in 2012, had always been approximately £50 per month. I live by myself in a one bedroom flat and work 6 days per week. I am not at home much and mainly use the shower once a day and the heating at times if cold. I don’t use my gas cooker much or leave things on overnight either. I try to be as efficient as possible.
Had I not logged into my internet banking and seen a due payment for the next day at £198, I would have been none the wiser until it was too late. Upon calling one of your colleagues in billing he admitted that it was a “slight” over estimation and that the underpayment monthly had been £3. This would have totaled only to £36 or thereabouts at most back dated. Your colleague was not able to correct the issue so I stopped the payment from coming out as I could not afford to pay 4 times the amount from my bank. I would not have been able to survive until month end.
Since June 2014, I have had little help despite providing meter readings for my gas and electricity and subsequently was passed onto your collection departments where I provided THEM with my readings. I was supplied with another bill with less of an amount on there. In my line of work, at times we require peoples utility bills and some of my clients have detached houses in my area and even their annual expenditure is not like the expenditure that your billings department claim I owe on my account. I just want to settle my balance as it should be and continue on my tariff or a more efficient one.
The account is now at the warrant stage and passed that point despite trying to correct this. I have been passed from pillar to post even to the point at times of being passed onto a dead end and being kept on hold for half an hour or more towards 8pm. I work until late.
I would like someone to give me a call to advise me how payment can be settled at the amount it should be which is monthly back dates of £60 per month to clear the balance, and how a new direct debit can be set up and the prepayment meter removed so I can continue as was previously. Should my complaint not be handled in a timely manner or otherwise a mutually agreeable solution provided, I may be forced to complain to the Ombudsman Service and seek compensation for the conduct of your company.
Amongst my complaint were approximately 120,000 more billing complaints in July 2014. Ofgem has also issued ultimatums and I am now in a position where I have been severely mistreated. I am incredibly disappointed by the lack of help.
I look forward to hearing from you within 10 days.
Yours Sincerely