Npower issues - what to do next?

Snakey

So I've been having trouble with Npower for the best part of a year now.

Npower used to supply me at the old place. I've used them for years and never had any problems with them. I moved in to my new flat last April, to discover pre-payment meters. Had to register with British Gas because they were the current supplier, but I couldn't pass the credit check to swap the meters to credit meters because I had only just moved in so I wasn't on the electoral register (for some reason BG carried out the credit check despite knowing I'd fail it, and then informed me that because they'd done a credit check I'd have to wait six months before they could do another one). So I moved back to Npower, because they knew me so they didn't need a check.

Supply changedto Npower in May, meters were swapped over in June.

Npower have only just - as in, last week - managed to update their records to say that I have new meters. This has been going on for months and months and we've been all around the houses and I actually had to put in a formal complaint to get things moving. In the meantime I was getting letters about not having put credit on my pre-payment meter (that I no longer had) and they even sent someone round to check that I hadn't bypassed it or something. God knows how much I owe them.

Anyhow, they've said they'll give me £25 and will close the complaint if they don't hear from me within ten days of the date of the letter. (Bit annoying, since when I was calling them they were expecting me to leave it for 90 days before chasing them up. But anyway.)

So now I need to get everything brought up to date. But today I went in to my account to find that they haven't sodding well updated it at all! It's still showing as being a pre-payment account! So I can't even do anything now - I can't input a meter reading as the meters are completely different numbers and it's the wrong tariff anyway. And since the ten-day deadline they set me was pretty much over before I even received the letter, they've, presumably, closed the complaint.

I'm really fed up with this. I have been super-understanding, I haven't had a go at anybody at any point, I've given them all the time they've ever asked me for, and they STILL haven't sorted it even when they're telling me they have! Fancy sending me that letter without even checking.

What should I do now? Their complaint phone number isn't open on Sundays or weeknights, and I'm away all next weekend. And in any case, I'm going to find it quite difficult to speak to somebody without having a go at them, and I really don't want to be "that sort of person".

I want my whole bill written off, not twenty five quid. I want to charge them for the time I've had to spend on this. I'm really annoyed. They should have taken the meter readings I gave them the first time I phoned them - as soon as they realised there was a problem with their records, or systems, or communication, or whatever it was - and set me up with a new account from that date using those readings. That would have been good customer service. But no, they had to go through some drawn-out process involving them chasing their subcontractor for information that they didn't have, even though they must have known this would take months, and as far as I can tell it still hasn't sorted it out anyway!

Any advice for me, please? How can I get what I want without it all having to get horrible? Is there a super-complaint line that I can call? Should I write a letter (presumably not, since that will take even longer for them to look at it)? Or something else?

lvf

1) You can reopen the complaint on request at any time. Just because they have closed it, it does not mean that is it gone. Call through to their complaints team and request it is reopened, explaining the circumstances that you did here about the 10 day deadline.

2) They will not write off the bill. You will still have to be billed for what you have used. However, taking it to the Ombudsman you might find a more substantial goodwill gesture than the £25 offered here. Also, if this issue runs on past June where they simply cannot get the meter details amended, there may be a back billing code applicable.

Snakey

I did get an eight-week letter a while ago saying that I could go to the Ombudsman, with all the contacts. Do you reckon I can just jump straight to doing that? It seems a bit unfair not to tell Npower and give them another chance to put it right (presumably they're blissfully unaware that they didn't in fact sort anything out at all when they thought they had), but then again it might be the most efficient way of moving things forward from my point of view and it's not as if they haven't had something like seven chances already.

macman

Yes, if the problem is unresolved after 8 weeks (or deadlocked) you can go to the Ombudsman, and should.

Snakey

I've just done the online form to the ombudsman (I can't phone them because, like Npower, the lines are only open when I'm either at work or in transit) and, if nothing else, I feel a lot better for having got it all out there!

I'm so glad that I've been keeping clear records of all the times when I called Npower, who I spoke to, and what was said. (That wasn't because I expected any of this to happen - the gas meter in this flat is the first time I've had any trouble with a utilities provider - but just because I have to do that with phone calls in my job and so it's a habit.) Not that I expect they're going to mess around denying anything, but just for my own peace of mind that I can look through it and be comfortable that there were no delays on my part and so it's not six of one and half a dozen of the other.

nPower

Snakey wrote: »

So I've been having trouble with Npower for the best part of a year now.

Npower used to supply me at the old place. I've used them for years and never had any problems with them. I moved in to my new flat last April, to discover pre-payment meters. Had to register with British Gas because they were the current supplier, but I couldn't pass the credit check to swap the meters to credit meters because I had only just moved in so I wasn't on the electoral register (for some reason BG carried out the credit check despite knowing I'd fail it, and then informed me that because they'd done a credit check I'd have to wait six months before they could do another one). So I moved back to Npower, because they knew me so they didn't need a check.

Supply changedto Npower in May, meters were swapped over in June.

Npower have only just - as in, last week - managed to update their records to say that I have new meters. This has been going on for months and months and we've been all around the houses and I actually had to put in a formal complaint to get things moving. In the meantime I was getting letters about not having put credit on my pre-payment meter (that I no longer had) and they even sent someone round to check that I hadn't bypassed it or something. God knows how much I owe them.

Anyhow, they've said they'll give me £25 and will close the complaint if they don't hear from me within ten days of the date of the letter. (Bit annoying, since when I was calling them they were expecting me to leave it for 90 days before chasing them up. But anyway.)

So now I need to get everything brought up to date. But today I went in to my account to find that they haven't sodding well updated it at all! It's still showing as being a pre-payment account! So I can't even do anything now - I can't input a meter reading as the meters are completely different numbers and it's the wrong tariff anyway. And since the ten-day deadline they set me was pretty much over before I even received the letter, they've, presumably, closed the complaint.

I'm really fed up with this. I have been super-understanding, I haven't had a go at anybody at any point, I've given them all the time they've ever asked me for, and they STILL haven't sorted it even when they're telling me they have! Fancy sending me that letter without even checking.

What should I do now? Their complaint phone number isn't open on Sundays or weeknights, and I'm away all next weekend. And in any case, I'm going to find it quite difficult to speak to somebody without having a go at them, and I really don't want to be "that sort of person".

I want my whole bill written off, not twenty five quid. I want to charge them for the time I've had to spend on this. I'm really annoyed. They should have taken the meter readings I gave them the first time I phoned them - as soon as they realised there was a problem with their records, or systems, or communication, or whatever it was - and set me up with a new account from that date using those readings. That would have been good customer service. But no, they had to go through some drawn-out process involving them chasing their subcontractor for information that they didn't have, even though they must have known this would take months, and as far as I can tell it still hasn't sorted it out anyway!

Any advice for me, please? How can I get what I want without it all having to get horrible? Is there a super-complaint line that I can call? Should I write a letter (presumably not, since that will take even longer for them to look at it)? Or something else?

Hi Snakey

Thanks for your post.

I'm sorry it's taken longer than it should have to update your meter details. If you can contact me using the details on our profile page with your account number(s), address details, a photo of the sticker on the meter (so I can check the details) and current meter readings, I'll get your account sorted for you. Mark any correspondence as MSE so we know where to refer to for your original post.

Kind regards

Jess

Snakey

Now all sorted out, and no need for me to dig out and photocopy a year's worth of phone conversation notes and bills etc to the Ombudsman which is a relief.

Thank you, Jess.