Energy Companies Scams

Rob_Wills

Since deregulation the supply of energy has become a lottery win every day for many companies.

The energy Ombudsman is a fop to the industry, overly bureaucratic and incapable of safeguarding consumer interests.

WARNING

Spark Energy overcharge and try to claim for services not supplied; they use B W Legal as their ultimate enforcers with threats of legal action to try and recover their fraudulent claims. They claim for supply of fuel even when they have NEVER been the supplier!

Don't be scared by these criminals into paying, in the unlikely event they issue legal proceedings YOU will win.

Beware the high direct debit, First Utility try to set it FIVE times higher than it need be and will not change it when you instruct them to do so.

When starting with a new company ensure the direct debit is set up with the correct payment, you have control and your bank will recall a wrongly paid amount.

Please add your experiences here.

Former Spark Representative

Hi Rob Wills


I just wanted to get in touch and let you know that I'm happy to help if you're having a problem with a Spark Energy account.


We never bill someone if the energy hasn't been used, and we only instruct BW Legal to work on our behalf if all other attempts to seek payment for usage have failed.


You can contact me using the email address on my profile. I'd just need the supply address and confirmation of your user name in the email.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

maghater

Spark energy owe me £600 after I switched supplier, switch took place on 02/06/15, and they are now saying I will not get my money back untill 3rd August. Reasoning is that I didn't actually ask for a refund untill 23rd of June (perhaps Spark thought I was going to leave it for the shareholders to divi out), and once I had asked for it back they are entitled to hand onto it for 28 working days. They claim they are just following agreed industry procedures, I have my own words for it.

Former Spark Representative

Hi Maghater


Thanks for your post.


I'm sorry to hear you're still waiting for your refund.


Can you drop me a line to the email address in my profile? I'm happy to get this sorted out for you.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

naedanger

Spark_Energy wrote: »

Hi Maghater


Thanks for your post.


I'm sorry to hear you're still waiting for your refund.


Can you drop me a line to the email address in my profile? I'm happy to get this sorted out for you.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

Is it normal practice for your company to only refund money to previous customers after they ask?

Also is it normal practice to wait as long as permitted before processing a requested refund?

Former Spark Representative

Hi naedanger


it's not right at all to say we only refund on request, once a final credit has been generated by our system then checked and verified by our Billing and Finance team, the payment takes up to 28 working days from that point. I would like to hear from the OP so I can double check what they were advised and make sure any remedial action is taken, if it turns out an agent did advise that.


It's worth noting that there's also a timescale involved with receiving readings from the new supplier. Generally they're received within a few weeks, but if we don't get the information quickly we can't final bill, and that can also cause a delay but that's out of our hands. If there's a considerable delay receiving the final readings we do have procedures in place to get the readings from the new supplier.


It's incorrect to say we wait as long as possible before refunding customers, as above, we do have to verify the balance but there's a set procedure in place for it and as above, payment should always made within 28 working days. If it turns out that's not the case here, then I can make sure the issue is picked up at Director level.


OP, if you contact me I'd be happy to get this all sorted out for you.


Kind regards


Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

modsandmockers

Hi SparkEnergy

“once a final credit has been generated by our system then checked and verified by our Billing and Finance team, the payment takes up to 28 working days from that point” - Why? As soon as a credit has been checked and verified, then a modern computer system is capable of making an immediate refund.

“there's a set procedure in place” - and it’s more than your jobsworth to wonder why your industry’s set procedures have hardly changed in the 30 years or so since privatisation?

“following agreed industry procedures” is a euphemism for “we do not operate in a competitive market place”

There is hardly any perceptible difference between the customer service levels of the privatised energy industry and the customer service levels of the nationalised organisations which they replaced. Everything takes forever, mistakes are common, and reliable information is very hard to find.

Zagros

I have had so much issues with erroneous meter readings and demand for payments from BW Legal that has forced me to make a complaint to Ombudsman. Despite providing photographic evidence they claim to have conducted an internal investigation and still don't provide the right bill nor the right meter readings. Unfortunately Spark was forced on us by Foxton's estate agent and since then have provided us with 3 different meter readings but none that looks like the photographic evidence that I have provided. BW Legal keep asking for over 2400 pounds of inflated bill and not interested in evidence. WARNING ...DO NOT SWITCH OR BE FORCED TO SWITCH OVER TO SPARK ENERGY.
I am also engaging a solicitor to deal with this case as I am sure my evidence will stand up in the court of law.

davidgmmafan

It might be useful to start your own thread. If we are bumping it though I'd like to ask the Spark rep if they still adopt the practice of proactively objecting to the supply leaving to force customers to contact them with a meter reading. They then produce a bill which they expect to be paid before the customer leaves.


This is the reverse of how this industry process is supposed to work.

jontyoliver

When we moved in to out rented flat in Aug 2013 the letting agents tried their little scam of getting us to switch to Spark, making out that we had no choice. Obviously, we knew differently and immediately switched to EON. We set up an account with EON the day we moved in and as far as I'm aware we have had our energy with EON the full time we have been in this flat.

Skip forward 2 and a half years and I have just received a final notice from BW Legal advising I owe them £99.80 as they have taken on this debt from Spark Energy. This is the first I have heard that I owe Spark a penny, they have NEVER corresponded with me in any way.

I was bullied into paying the outstanding amount as BW Legal said it's nothing to do with them and threatened that if it is not paid within 14 days a CCJ will be put in place and legal fees will have to be paid. They also said Spark will most likely not talk to me now as the debt no longer belongs to them.

A very dodgy company using underhand tactics if you ask me ...

Londoner_1

I was a Spark customer for 1 year, never had any problems, DD were collected on time, never increased, i used to phone up to update meter readings as well. Only issue was it took 6 weeks to get back my money after i left (was over £250 in credit) which was normal practice with spark.

Other than that I was always in control and had no issues.

PS : I was not renting, i'm a owner/occupier.