MSE News: Co-op faces customer backlash following bungled system upgrade

janb5

So sorry- meant Ombudsman.


www.ombudsman-services.org

ee0u4179

After a complete shambles with online system, no bills and no direct debit payments - I tried to leave cooperative.

However, I am stuck, as my new supplier says the address details on the national gas register are wrong. The only people who can change this for me are my current suppliers....


Not a chance!

modsandmockers

ee0u4179 wrote: »

After a complete shambles with online system, no bills and no direct debit payments - I tried to leave cooperative.

However, I am stuck, as my new supplier says the address details on the national gas register are wrong. The only people who can change this for me are my current suppliers....


Not a chance!

It doesn’t really surprise me that switching away from Co-opEnergy is no more straightforward than any other aspect of the Co-opEnergy experience.

If you have received no bills, and made no payments, then why don’t you just keep a record of your energy consumption, calculate the costs, put the money aside, and wait for Co-opEnergy to get their act together?

I take care of my daughter’s affairs and, like you, I have been unable to contact Co-opEnergy. But since my daughter is owed nothing by Co-opEnergy (her online account incorrectly shows a credit of nearly £400) the issue which is currently exercising my mind is ‘what will happen when her current Co-op Fair&Square tariff ends at the end of September?’

Your own experience tells me that there will be little point in trying to switch to another supplier, but it would be nice to know that she will not be charged standard variable prices from October 1st onwards. Obviously, I will request a switch to a new fixed price tariff, but how will I be certain that the switch has taken place if Co-opEnergy continues to produce no bills, takes no money, and refuses to talk to me?

miniemma

After being a customer for 4 months and after much chasing on Twitter, Co-op have managed to create my first bill.

But I can't check it because it was immediately archived!!!!!!!

I wonder how long the "request archived bill" process takes..........

wilko99

07 July 2015


ACCOUNT NUMBER: 2XXXX10000
COMPLAINT REGARDING THEFT OF MONEY VIA DIRECT DEBIT

Dear Ben Reid OBE,
My electricity account was moved to First Utility and a final reading was supplied to Co-Operative Energy on the 02/12/2014 which was 60307. From that date my electricity supply was being supplied by First Utility, to which they were charging me for.
Additionally, Co-op energy also continued to charge me for the same electricity!
I have telephoned the call centre many, many times about this matter, with promises that I would receive a final bill and refunded charges back to 02/12/2014. I have also sent e-mails, which have been unanswered. This has still not been done and I seem to be hitting my head against a brick wall.
I want to receive the correct charges back for the full amount, back dated to the 02/12/2014 as well as an additional £150.00 for telephone charges and the ridiculous amount of time spent hanging on the telephone, which at times seems impossible to get through on, and also for the stress and anxiety your company has caused me.
Since January 2015 Co-Operative Energy, have taken (stolen) £585.36 from my bank account, for a service you do not supply. I have now ceased the direct debit, as your operatives, after saying they would cancel it, failed to do so.
The most amazing fact about this, my Direct Debit in January went down to £58.00, then the next payment in April 2015 went up to £105.47?
I have made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman Services and contacted the BBC regarding this disgusting service.
I am astounded that Co-Operative energy can continue to take on new subscribers, whilst leaving others in this terrible way.
Sir, you have an OBE, I think it is ‘I’ who needs an honour and a medal for dealing with your company, and you Sir should be stripped of yours, as you are not providing any kind of service to man or dog, never mind the British Empire.
I shall expect a cheque for the amount £735.36, which is the money you have illegally robbed my bank of, and the £150.00 compensation, and a personal letter from you as an apology for the failings of you, you’re staff and you’re company, within 14 days of receipt of this letter.
I am not prepared for this matter to go on any longer without resolution.

Yours Sincerely,
Ian Wilkinson

System

wilko99 wrote: »

07 July 2015


ACCOUNT NUMBER: 2XXXX10000
COMPLAINT REGARDING THEFT OF MONEY VIA DIRECT DEBIT

Do keep us posted with the response (if any ...)
Meanwhile, you could tell your bank to reverse lots of the direct debits that Co-op Energy has taken. Under the direct debit guarantee, you do not have to give a reason. If pressed, just say the amounts were wrong. After you have done this, if Co-op Energy then thinks you owe them money, they can ask for it - if they can produce a correct bill and send it to you.

System

ee0u4179 wrote: »

After a complete shambles with online system, no bills and no direct debit payments - I tried to leave cooperative.
However, I am stuck, as my new supplier says the address details on the national gas register are wrong. The only people who can change this for me are my current suppliers....
Not a chance!

Email Co-op Energy demanding that they correct your address details within 14 days. Say that if they don't, you will demand compensation from them for the difference between their charges and the charges of the supplier you wish to move to. If they don't reply for 8 weeks, complain to the Ombudsman.

fat-pudding

I have been able to complain to the ombudsman as of around a month ago. However I found out that co-op had not returned my supply to EDF as they promised so I sent them a further email around a week ago telling them that I was going to wait for them to do this before raising a complaint to the ombudsman as I wanted to raise this further issue with the ombudsman when they screwed it up.

Today I got a phone call while at work and they wanted to speak to me, as I was in a meeting I told them to call me back and to their credit they did. The guy I spoke to was a complaint handler and to be fair to him he was good at his job and apologised to me lots while I very calmly told him all the things they had done wrong and why it wasn't good enough. Anyway, after 15 minutes of this he said they'd make a good will payment of £25 and send the supply back to EDF ASAP and not charge me any exit fees and then confirmed this via email. I'm giving them a couple more weeks to resolve this before complaining about them.

To be honest the compensation is pitiful and trying to say they are being nice by not charging exit fees is hilarious especially given all the terms in the contract they have broken but I guess the good news is that they are finally doing something about this absolute disaster.

Mehitabel9860

Good luck getting anything out of Coop - but yes, as above I have had the incorrect payments refunded by my bank under the Direct Debit Guarantee.
Coop still seem to think they have had another payment from me, which my bank assures me they haven't. How do they run a business and pay staff if they are taking imaginary money?
Still waiting for a reply to my official complaint, which is for their failure to send me a final bill up to the date I switched away; in March.

oldsempstress

How I regret leaving Eon for this shower; Eon were incredibly efficient, their website WORKED, a bill was generated immediately that a reading was entered and they were available on the phone.
Like everybody else on this forum, I can't get any sense out of them, the website account simply don't work, I appear not to exist as far as supply of gas is concerned and I don't have a bill; I joined last December/January and now would like to leave. Have written complaint to General Manager - Ramsay Dunning - but am not hopeful even of an acknowledgement. My experience mirrors everyone else's - is there anything we can all do about this appalling service?