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

canterswest

MSE's promotion of switching, which it has a commercial interest in and makes millions in commission, is out of step with what actually happens to consumers that take its advice. Consumer detriment seems to far outweigh the savings that MSE advertises to persuade consumers to take out its money making offers.

Time for MSE to start paying its customers compensation if they have lost money taking its deals.

Icelady

Luckily was quick to notice yesterday that the Co-op had taken £94.23 from my bank account via DD. Main issue is I'd switched from them in May 2014 and had cancelled the DD. Their new system had somehow decided to reinstall the DD and had set itself up to carry on charging every month. Encourage all EX Co-op users to check their bank statements.

Optymystic

At the moment, as I write, the login back end is simply down, so you can't login!

Never mind that detail. When I did login earlier, what I found in my account was the same garbage as yesterday and it is real garbage featuring two different sets of figures for my account, one displaying on screen, the other in a pdf download. There are also fictitious payments imputed to my bank account. Coop enery purports to owe me £ 700 and £ 300 at the same time. I mean either not both and I suspect both are in fact false.

I haven't switched, I have been with coop Energy for years.

Optymystic

My account shows spurious DD transfers. Were they taken from someone else's bank account?

robby2k9

I registered via CEC on March 4th & have heard absolutely nothing, emailed co-op customer services last week but no reply so far. I'm now stuck as I have no idea what's happening with my application. The helpline is a joke, I just gave up after being on hold for ages no less than 3 times, even when I rang as soon as lines opened.

Lifeboat88

Co-op Energy IT Disaster

Managed to re-register without too much trouble. Logged into new website, everything went downhill from there!

99% of the information on my account is wrong!

Called the helpline 2 weeks ago to be told "Ah yes I see the problem, your account data has not been migrated yet, give it a week and call us back if it is still incorrect".

Could not get an answer on helpline 1 week later, emailed and received a reply 5/6 days later giving the SAME incorrect data that was available on the website. The second email has not been answered.

You may expect this sort of incompetence for the BIG 6, but they charge less (for the most part).

What to do now - change supplier? Will this be jumping from the pan in to the fire?

alchemyal

The level of customer service from the Coop at present is non existent.I applied for a dual fuel switch in Feb. Electricity appears to have been switched but not Gas.Cannot register or access account on line and no-one has answered my phone calls nor e-mails. No idea of current position.Even if the Coop were supplying energy free, my advice would be to avoid them like a plague at present.

kingstreet

I must be the only Co-op customer unaffected by all this.

Been with them since 2011.

Had my switch to "F&S" dealt-with accurately, even when I asked to be moved to "F&S 2", as it was better.

Got an email warning me about the website changes.

Went in the website and re-registered/enrolled when I could, post-change.

Entered meter readings last week with no problems.

Finding the bracketed figures for being in credit a little strange, but not completely overwhelming.

dori2o

considering the issues I‘ve been having with them for the past 4 months I‘m really not suprised.

Phoned them in November to set up my DD for £130 with the first payment due 5 December. 5 December comes and no payment taken. I phone them and see whats happening and the DD hasn‘t been set up at all, so I set it up again at £130.

Get a letter 3 days later that they are increasing DD to £156 following a Direct Debit review. How exactly can they review something they‘ve never had?

I call again to make sure the payment will be £130 and I‘m assured that it will be. They have changed it back from the £156 to £130 and the next payment is 5 January 2015.

5 January comes and they have taken £156. I phone and ask whats gone on and they try and say I asked them to change it to £156.

After 45 minutes they finally agree they are in the wrong, they say they have updated the DD to £130 and the next payment date is 5 February, but they won‘t repay the £26 overpayment as I have a debit balance on the account. So I contact my bank and do a DD chargeback. I then pay £130 to Co-op using the payment card at the post office.

5 February comes along and they have taken £156 again. Another phone call, another snotty individual on the phone, another promise that the DD has been changed to £130, confirm the next payment is on 5 March and another phone call to the bank to do another DD chargeback. Again I go to the post office and pay £130 on the pyment card once I receive the money back from the DD.

5 March comes along and guess what, yep they‘ve taken £156 again. So again I call bank and do a DD recall and when money received back go to post office again and pay £130 via the payment card.

This time I email with a complaint demanding to be allowed to pay via standing order but without penalty of a higher standing charge. Also request £250 compensation due to stress, lost time, phone calls etc.

Told in no uncertain terms that if I want to change to standing order I have to pay the debit balance immediately and the standing charge will be increased which would cost approx another £50 a year.

I call, back down and set up the DD again for £130, threaten to take the issue to Ofgen etc and they give me £90 compensation as a good will gesture and have it in writing that the DD has been changed and will not change again, record updated so thatno DD reviews can take plce.

We shall see what 5 April brings, but if it still isn‘t right I‘m going to take this to another level.

CharlieBilly

They also haven't credited me for warm home discount despite getting a quarterly bill last week and a letter dated 3rd march saying my bill may be late (which it wasn't) due to warm home rebate. No reply to my email 3 days ago asking when it will be applied.