MSE News: Co-op faces customer backlash following bungled system upgrade 25 March 2015 at 3:18PM in Energy 315 replies 56.1K views

Former_MSE_Helen

An upgrade to Co-op Energy's computer system has left some unable to login to their account ...

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Co-op faces customer backlash following bungled system upgrade




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PeterM54

I had horrendous problems because npower changed to a German SAP computer system. I eventually got some compensation from them and quit (going to Sainsbury's Energy).
My girlfriend started getting identical problems with SSE who have just implemented a SAP system. She NEARLY went to the Coop, but when she realised their customer service was appalling, she pulled out of the deal and is now swopping to M&S Energy. Hopefully that might be OK.
I read that SSE have been banned from advertising for new customers until they sort out their problems. Personally, I think the government needs to step in and impose SERIOUS personal fines on the directors of these companies for their incompetence.

Nada666

PeterM54 wrote: »

My girlfriend started getting identical problems with SSE who have just implemented a SAP system. She NEARLY went to the Coop, but when she realised their customer service was appalling, she pulled out of the deal and is now swopping to M&S Energy. Hopefully that might be OK.

We better not alert you or her to that thread about them.

ACG

It wasnt that difficult to re-register. Its not straight forward but if you follow the steps and apply a little common sense I managed to get there... and im not the sharpest tool in the box. It took me less than 10 minutes.

People do not like change so you will always get some people who moan.

gavrc

I was able to re-register, but not all steps were successful first time around. It worked properly the following day.
To be fair to users, the change should have been transparent and data migrated at the back end. I don't know how much testing they did before hand with live users, but it wasn't enough. Not the end of the world though, it's worth it for the low rates.

gav

dggar

I have been with CooP energy for a few years.


When submitting my meter reading this month I had to re register and found it a very long winded process. I had to go through it three times before it worked.


when submitting readings before the change a message would come up saying:-
"using this reading the energy usage since the previous reading has been X kWhrs per day. The average use is Y kWhrs per day, do you wish to submit this reading."


I found this very useful but this feature seems to have been removed during the improvements.


The layout of the financial figures on the screen seems to have been designed to hide whether you are in credit.


It used to be very clear.

vm2pensioner

Have now, eventually, been able to re-register, but no account details, payments, etc. visible. Cannot give meter readings either.

"To expedite this, since the implementation of the new system we have had a dedicated UK-based team of people whose only role has been to help those customers experiencing problems."

Not much point in Coop statement quoted, if no one answers the dedicated help line!

priorslee

"Those who requested to switch to Co-op Energy between 5-12 March, have been emailed directly and explained the situation."

What about those who started the process in January?? :mad:

Co-op Energy have started the DD, but haven't told me that the switch is complete. The old supplier has told me that the they have something saying that the switch happened on 22 Feb, but they haven't yet received closing readings, so I don't see how they think it can have switched.

Next two steps for me are cancelling the switch as per the MSE article and escalating the complaint that I've already made to the Ombudsman.

Their response to my complaint included this gem:
"I am sorry to say that the report what was issued in June 2014 stating that switching suppliers should complete in 17 days? This has not happened in the industry due ti the complex nature of switching supplies from one supplier to another. The industry had aimed for 17 days, but this hasn’t been met by a number of suppliers so the industry have delayed this."

bubieyehyeh

The omni-shambles at co-op seems to be continuing.

Even though I left them about a month ago and they haven't yet produced a final bill, today they decided to take money via the existing direct debit without any notice which was more than twice my previous regular payment and more than I owed.

When I rang up it turn out this was a system error, however they couldn't initially see the payment taken on their system. So it look like another issue with the new computer system.

goldenwonder1970

I've given up with Coop after this shambles. I could not register after (11 so far) multiple attempts, they have simply failed to listen to what I have been telling them and are just continually sending me the same login information that doesn't work. Their system is a complete mess of bugs/errors and inconsistencies (even the password fields on the websites don't work!) and really hasn't been tested at any sort of level.

Ringing this 'dedicated' team is a waste of time, 25 minutes before they even answer and you get a disinterested person telling you that they will get someone to ring you back - which of course they don't.

So after being with them for 3 years, this last two weeks has shown how poor their customer service now is, and how bad their it testing procedures are! I'm off to a new supplier so don't really care whether they fix my account now or not.

vickssinex

We had no contact from the Co-op after getting our welcome pack in early February. Yesterday I rang them to ask why no one had been in touch to get our first meter readings, and was told that they couldn't contact us because our details were locked in their old IT system!