Npower are ABSOLUTELY Cheesing me off!

gazfocus

When I moved into my current house, I was unfortunate enough to inherit gas and electricity services provided by nPower, however, for the first 6 months or so I had no idea who the supplier was and was never contacted by nPower (the first contact from them was a doorstep collections guy telling my wife that we were 'stealing gas and electricity').

Since then, we have had nothing but problems with nPower and I'm getting sick of it now. It got to the point where we were paying £148 per month for gas/electric combined, but only using £160 per quarter, so I cancelled the direct debit and opted to pay the bills as they arrived. However, after losing my job, and after somehow using £600 in one quarter (goodness knows how), my nPower account is now overdue (and has been for a while).

I contacted nPower previously and told them I wanted to set up a payment arrangement for the overdue balance, but didn't want to pay the ongoing usage by direct debit. They agreed to take £56.02 per month towards the outstanding amount, and I could continue paying the ongoing usage as the bills get issued.

Since making this agreement, I have had letter after letter from a debt collection agency stating they want to come and help me work out my finances to see where they can help (do they bull). I have continued to ignore these letters as I have an agreement in place with nPower. However, I have now received a letter from nPower to say that I need to contact them to agree a repayment plan with them, and have also been charged £10.50 for a 'third party telephony charge'.

Furthermore, nPower NEVER reply to the complaints I send through their website, so if anyone from nPower are reading this, please get in touch before I file a complaint with ofgem!

Sorry for the rant everyone

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

OFGEM won't be interested - you are expected to go through your supplier's complaints procedure, and if things aren't resolved after 8 weeks, you may go to the Energy Ombudsman (not OFGEM).

Although, I'm finding it hard to understand what npower have done wrong - if you'd contacted them when you moved in with up to date meter readings, I'd imagine none of this would have happened. For all we know you're paying for the previous occupants usage.

Cardew

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

Although, I'm finding it hard to understand what npower have done wrong - if you'd contacted them when you moved in with up to date meter readings, I'd imagine none of this would have happened. For all we know you're paying for the previous occupants usage.

Agreed!


Indeed as the OP ' had no idea who the supplier was and was never contacted by nPower', and never contacted them himself with meter readings,it is probable he is paying for the previous occupant's usage.

backfoot

gazfocus wrote: »

When I moved into my current house, I was unfortunate enough to inherit gas and electricity services provided by nPower, however, for the first 6 months or so I had no idea who the supplier was and was never contacted by nPower (the first contact from them was a doorstep collections guy telling my wife that we were 'stealing gas and electricity').

You must have realised that taking a start meter reading is needed when you take over a property. In the event that you don't you have opened yourself to the current difficulties.what did you do about water supply,council tax and so on?

I doubt whether the 'collections guy' said you were stealing in such blunt terms but I can imagine that he questioned who was responsible and paying for the energy charges.

Since then, we have had nothing but problems with nPower and I'm getting sick of it now. It got to the point where we were paying £148 per month for gas/electric combined, but only using £160 per quarter, so I cancelled the direct debit and opted to pay the bills as they arrived.

The difference would probably have related to the previous arrears and the lack of opening reading, which as others have said could mean that you are paying previous occupants consumption.By ceasing to pay to by Direct Debit ,you have increased the charges to yourself by going onto an expensive tariff.

However, after losing my job, and after somehow using £600 in one quarter (goodness knows how), my nPower account is now overdue (and has been for a while).

There is no complaint here against your Energy Supplier.

My suggestion is to phone them up and ask about any readings near to the time you moved in. Did the previous occupant provide a closing reading? What was the last firm actual reading and when? Try and establish a fair and reasonable opening reading based on your consumption and that of the previous occupant.

Get clarification on the payment arrangement and ask why a third party collection agency is involved?

Get them to confirm the payment arrangement in writing.Ask for the name of the Customer Services agent you are dealing with.

Get them to change your tariff to an online cheaper one and start paying again by DD.This will reduce your ongoing costs.

Be calm and go through these points.

I honestly don't think you have a complaint but you can set about getting these matters in order. Just delaying it will make matters worse and more distressing.

[Deleted User]

Excellent advice from Backfoot , I would add that I think Npower are probably absolutely cheesed off with you for your misuse of their energy and failing to register an account with them or of submitting start readings or even being bothered to make a note of them when moving in. I m not accepting ignorance of the procedure when Mr Google is there in seconds to tell you what to do and to find out who supplies you. They must be very close to washing their hands of you and fitting prepayment meters which they can easily do with a warrant . These prepay meters are fixed at standard tariffs which will cost you dearly so you need to get sorted with what you owe and stick with any repayment plan.

gazfocus

Thanks for the replies - However, where did I say in my starting post that I did not take any meter readings when I moved in? I'm not a complete moron you know!

When the doorstep collection guy turned up at the house (while I was at work), they said to my wife that we could be stealing electricity as we hadn't registered an account with nPower. That evening when I got home from work, I phoned nPower, gave them the meter readings I had already taken photo's of on my phone, and all was good.

I set up a direct debit to pay for our usage monthly, and as I said, this was around £148 per month (which was presumably set based on the previous occupants usage). After receiving a couple of bills that were only in the region of £160 per quarter, I didn't see the need to be paying £148 per month, so contacted nPower and cancelled the direct debit arrangement.

Anyway, last year, I received a bill for £600, which they have justified in fairness, however, as I said, having lost my job, I could not afford this in one go, so contacted nPower and set up a repayment plan of £56.02 per month. I have already moved to a cheaper tariff but have refused to go back to a direct debit arrangement as they still insist on £98 per month, plus the £56.02 per month towards the outstanding balance, so have been paying the £56.02 by card every month. (I fail to see how direct debit will reduce my ongoing cost, if they are taking £296 per quarter and my bills are only £160 per quarter). I am still on the cheaper tariff but just being penalised a small amount for not paying by Direct Debit.

I already have the repayment agreement in writing as it was all agreed via email.

backfoot

I took the time to offer advice to help you. If some of the advice is not relevant because you have revealed further information then so be it.

It therefore now sounds that all the energy charges are correct and fair and the only question that remains is clearing the arrears and paying for future charges.

There are arrears due to not paying for energy for at least six months and a 'runaway' bill perhaps because you were at home more for that period.

Essentially, both are simple matters of arithmetic. The remaining arrears divided by a reasonable period to clear.

The ongoing charges based on your estimated annual consumption divided by twelve.Estimating your consumption may be difficult because of your self admitted blip of £600 and NPower will want to protect themselves from it occurring again.

What tariff are you on exactly? If you aren't paying by DD, then it will not be the cheapest tariff. I would still recommend getting onto an online tariff.

Looking at your posting history, you have a small business and are also a landlord. It would seem you should have the skill set to manage this through.

As I said before, I am struggling to see the complaint you have with Npower. The focus on what some doorstep guy said or didn't say is really deflecting from the key issues of managing the debt and ongoing charges.

If I am missing something, let us know in simple terms, what you want Npower to do? That may help the posters to give you more advice or help focus you on any remaining issues to discuss with Npower or take forward eventually to the Energy Ombudsman.

Best of luck.:)

Cardew

gazfocus wrote: »

Thanks for the replies - However, where did I say in my starting post that I did not take any meter readings when I moved in? I'm not a complete moron you know!

When the doorstep collection guy turned up at the house (while I was at work), they said to my wife that we could be stealing electricity as we hadn't registered an account with nPower. That evening when I got home from work, I phoned nPower, gave them the meter readings I had already taken photo's of on my phone, and all was good.

I set up a direct debit to pay for our usage monthly, and as I said, this was around £148 per month (which was presumably set based on the previous occupants usage). After receiving a couple of bills that were only in the region of £160 per quarter, I didn't see the need to be paying £148 per month, so contacted nPower and cancelled the direct debit arrangement.

Anyway, last year, I received a bill for £600, which they have justified in fairness, however, as I said, having lost my job, I could not afford this in one go, so contacted nPower and set up a repayment plan of £56.02 per month. I have already moved to a cheaper tariff but have refused to go back to a direct debit arrangement as they still insist on £98 per month, plus the £56.02 per month towards the outstanding balance, so have been paying the £56.02 by card every month. (I fail to see how direct debit will reduce my ongoing cost, if they are taking £296 per quarter and my bills are only £160 per quarter). I am still on the cheaper tariff but just being penalised a small amount for not paying by Direct Debit.

I already have the repayment agreement in writing as it was all agreed via email.

Are NPower using the meter readings you gave them 6 months after moving in, as 'Start' meter readings for your account?


If so that would mean the previous occupants would have given Npower the same readings for closing their account. That would have meant Npower knew they were leaving and normally would have generated a letter to 'The Occupier' or your name(if known.)


In any case by not contacting them until six months after you moved in, you will obviously be six months in arrears with payments and thus it is not surprising you account was heavily in debt, which was initially the root cause of your debt issue.


However if you have in writing a repayment plan, with those unusual terms, and you have stuck religiously to that agreed plan, you have a complaint to take to the Ombudsman. However you should be aware that any deviation from that agreed plan, even a slightly late payment, renders the agreement null and void.


Write a formal letter to Npower, 'headed complaint' and ask for a deadlock letter if they don't call off the bloodhounds(DCA) and waive the £10.50 charge


Edit.
It is also pertinent to point out that during the initial 6 months you would have been on a 'deemed contract' on their most expensive Standard Tariff.

gazfocus

Thanks for the comments.

I didn't mean to come across rude in my last reply, so please accept my apologies if I did, however, I have not come on here asking about the £600 bill I've had, or the fact that I was unaware of who the energy provider was for the first 6 months of living here (I've now been here over 2 years so that issue has long gone), or to discuss how/why I am in arrears with my energy provider. For the record, the house was empty for some time before I moved in, so I'm unsure what the previous occupants did/did not do.

I came on here because despite having an agreement in place to repay the arrears at a fixed monthly amount, nPower are still asking their debt collectors to chase me,.and charging me for the privilege, which is what I needed advice on.

backfoot

If you have kept to the original plan, I can't see that there is any basis for the collection charge. Indeed any such charge would need to be covered and explained in any terms and conditions.

It sounds pretty speculative to me and such charges are not usually recoverable.

As advised previously get in touch with them and ask why there is a third party involved? If they can't explain it, get them to put that part of the debt in dispute and escalate it through their complaint process.

Get a reference number and if not resolved after 8 weeks,refer the issue to the Energy Ombudsman.

Also change your tariff.

Also try and clear these debts ASAP and start afresh with a new supplier on an online DD account. You will see a big difference and make future management of your finances easier.

Cardew

gazfocus wrote: »

I came on here because despite having an agreement in place to repay the arrears at a fixed monthly amount, nPower are still asking their debt collectors to chase me,.and charging me for the privilege, which is what I needed advice on.

In that case the last two paragraphs of my post#8 apply - and the advice of Backfoot.

However if you have in writing a repayment plan, with those unusual terms, and you have stuck religiously to that agreed plan, you have a complaint to take to the Ombudsman. However you should be aware that any deviation from that agreed plan, even a slightly late payment, renders the agreement null and void.


Write a formal letter to Npower, 'headed complaint' and ask for a deadlock letter if they don't call off the bloodhounds(DCA) and waive the £10.50 charge

There is no need to wait 8 weeks before submitting a complaint to the Ombudsman if you can get a deadlock letter.

Also you need to check that this matter is removed from your credit record.