Robin Hood Energy Taken almost £2K!!! from Bank A/C

modsandmockers

RHE are a brand new outfit, and clearly don't know what they are doing. You are now in a position where you have paid them nothing, and have initiated a switch away from them. So long as you know the start and finish meter readings, and the tariff prices which they quoted you, then you will be in a position to check the accuracy of their final bill (if and when it arrives). One or two unknown factors may come into play! 1 - there may be an exit fee for the tariff which you were on, 2 - by cancelling the direct debit, RHE may say you have broken the terms of the contract, and charge you their standard rates, 3 - RHE's computer system may block your switch on the grounds that you owe them £1723.23.

Also - you are making the mistake of accepting a quoted monthly DD amount as a realistic figure for your actual energy costs. This is a misperception which is very widespread and leads many people into serious difficulties. You need to know your recent annual energy consumption (expressed in kWh's) in order to get anywhere near a realistic estimate of your upcoming annual energy costs. Monthly payment plans are no better than a guess, and frequently include previous years' shortfalls and/or overpayments.

RHE's cack-up is typical of most energy suppliers, the only difference is its magnitude.

macman

I would suggest that, given your experience, a loss of £6 to be rid of these clowns is an absolute bargain.

MaCl14

You have a good point macman

I received a call last night from someone called Jade who is also apparently the customer service manager.

She was phoning "To check it had all been resolved"!!! Robin Hood Energy have done absolutely nothing! -I got the money they took from me refunded (thanks to the advice on here).

Apparently it's still all my fault they took the huge amount from me. She was babbling on about the form, e.g. 'Do you remember on page 2 where it asked for your direct debit details you were currently paying, did you fill in the 1st box or second'!!! (Funnily enough, over a month later, not having memorised the form, I don't recall).

She also "Wasn't sure, I don't think so" in response to myself asking if my compliant had been closed as I'd had stated to me in the earlier call.

Regarding the bank charge I incurred because of them taking this huge amount from me, she stated it's unlikely it'd be refunded to me and that I have to supply proof of it. (Seriously, towards the end of the month, there's not that many people that has a couple of grand sitting in their current account! Surely most people would go into an unauthorised overdraft with an unexpected £1700+ taken from their account)

I ended the box-ticking exercise call, as she had nothing to say, called during my children's bedtime and my child was crying!

Completely clueless company! Sub-standard!

(I'm pursing this with the Ombudsman though!)

naedanger

MaCl14 wrote: »

Regarding the bank charge I incurred because of them taking this huge amount from me, she stated it's unlikely it'd be refunded to me and that I have to supply proof of it.

Staggeringly clueless response. (I have selected the worst bit, but the whole response is laughable.) It is hard to credit someone in a managerial customer service position could be so bad.

I presume you know you need the supplier to provide a written response saying that the dispute is in deadlock before you can go to the Ombudsman (or wait 8 weeks if sooner).

If you have not done so already I suggest you reiterate your complaint in writing so you have evidence of it.

I would also be seeking more than a refund of incurred bank charges to drop my complaint.

edgex

Are you a resident of Nottingham City Council?
If so, contact your councillor/s

A city council has launched what it says is the first local authority energy company in the UK.
Officials of Nottingham City Council said they hoped Robin Hood Energy would take on mainstream suppliers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-34171736

ColG

I sympathise, they've taken £961 from account twice - have been assured my bank charges will be refunded, I emailed Jade Kirk directly to complain, be interesting to see how she/RHE responds.

I'm a resident of Nottingham so will complain to the council if I get no joy.

molerat

edgex wrote: »

Are you a resident of Nottingham City Council?
If so, contact your councillor/s

A city council has launched what it says is the first local authority energy company in the UK.
Officials of Nottingham City Council said they hoped Robin Hood Energy would take on mainstream suppliers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-34171736

It looks like they are successfully taking on NPower, Scottish Power and Extra Energy ............. with their levels of incompetence at least :eek:

lstar337

molerat wrote: »

It looks like they are successfully taking on NPower, Scottish Power and Extra Energy ............. with their levels of incompetence at least :eek:

:rotfl: Good one!:D

timbstoke

I'd also have a word with your bank. Be polite, but point out that the charge was incurred as a result of an unauthorised DD which has since been refunded under the DD Guarantee. Point out that it is unfair of them to penalise you for a transaction which you didn't authorise in the first place. Make sure you use the word "unfair" - the Financial Conduct Authority expects banks to be able to demonstrate that their behaviour is fair.

MaCl14

Thanks all, just to update, pasted below is the copied text from their pointless letter. Giving the 'outcome of my complaint'.
To summarise, it states they took the large amount from my bank account, I got the money returned by my bank. It was due to entering X or Y or even X or Y!!! (Obviously nothing wrong with their system to give a projected annual forecast of £400+ usage a year and £1700+ taken every month! by direct debit!) They believe it's my fault, even though you can't enter the DD amount, they generate this!
As a 'goodwill gesture'! They will refund the £6 unauthorised overdraft fee I incurred by them taking this huge amount of money! But only once I have sent them proof!!! And they won't actually refund the money it'll be offset against my energy bill!!!
Also nothing about systems they've put in place to ensure they don't take this amount again! Or anything useful at all!
(To the other person who's also had a large amount taken twice from their bank account, don't hold your breath with Jade Kirk -this pointless letter is from her!)


You contacted us on 21st October 2015 to discuss a complaint you had with the value of thedirect debit takenfrom your account. We are writing to let youknow we’ve now finished investigating this – the outcome is below.
The outcome of your complaint
When the account with Robin Hood Energy was registered we understand that the figures entered on the projected annual spend or usage and the time period month or annual was not completed accurately causing a high personal projection.
Before committing to switching to Robin Hood Energy, the direct debit monthly amount is displayed beneath the direct debit details for our customers to check they are happy before switching. The direct details including the monthly amount is also displayed on the last page of the Welcome Pack that you would have received shortly after making the commitment to switch to Robin Hood Energy.
We understand that you are unhappy that this amount of money was deducted from your account. When you contacted us on 21st October 2015, we made arrangements for this amount to be paid back into your account by the 22nd October 2015, but understood from you that your bank had stopped the payment reaching us and put the monies back into your account.
As I have stated if you can supply Robin Hood Energy with copies of your£6 bank charges we would credit your account with this value as a good will gesture. You can send this either via email to customerservice@robinhoodenergy.co.uk or to Robin Hood Energy, PO Box 10461, Nottingham, NG1 9JS marked for my attention.
If we do not hear from you within the next 14 days, we will close your complaint and accept you are happy with this outcome.
If you’re not happy with the outcome
Please contact us so we can discuss this matter with you in more detail. If you are not satisfied with our investigation, you can also ask us to undertake an internal review of how we’ve handled your complaint, again, please contact us for further details.