Never use Npower! My warning story

totorotastic

I've been trying to sort out a dispute with Npower after leaving them a year ago and them putting a default on my credit record. Hear my tale of woe and if you're thinking of using them, run, run fast, and run far.
To sum up:
I moved into a house which had npower as supplier. I rang them and told them I was leaving them. I left them April 2016 once new supplier was set up. They estimated a final bill way over my use. They told my new company their estimate meter reading was a verified one.
They ignored my letters, didn't act on my calls to sort it out. They then put a lovely default on my credit record for not paying their inaccurate final bill.
They then sent out fake debt collection letters about the inaccurate bill, at no point sending an accurate bill, adding "admin fees" for late payment. They don't reply to letters.
Today they sent another letter (nearly a year later) saying they're going to put another default on my credit record. I rang, was on hold for 30 minutes, to be told as on so many occasions that their "system is down."
Here's my emailed complaint to them in the hope they might try and sort it out:...

Once again I have tried to ring to resolve an account in dispute. Once again I'm told after 30 minutes of holding that your systems are down and I should ring back later. You are able to put a default on my credit file, ignore my letters, and now send another letter warning of a default being added. You are not able to register a complaint over the phone or update your IVR so customers don't wait 30 minutes on hold before getting through to then find out the "systems are down."

To sum up my complaint once more as perhaps you respond better to emails than letters:

Ended relationship with you xxx. Moved to xxx. They asked you for a final meter reading.
You did not turn up to get an accurate meter reading but gave xxx an estimated final reading and told them it was a verified final reading, lying to them.
You then billed me a final bill based on the estimate.
You then ignored my call and two letters telling you this.
You then put a default on my credit file instead of putting the account in dispute.
You then sent fake debt collection letters in clear breach of FCA guidelines for TCF despite your false defence that the debt collection letters have the same address as Npower and therefore do not count as breaching guidelines.
You have now sent another letter warning of your intention to again put a default on my credit record.
I rang today to be told the system was down and you cannot do anything to resolve this.
It should not be up to the customer to disprove your incompetence regarding final meter readings and bills. It should be up to you to prove accurate readings and bills.
I put it to you that your reading ending 820 as of 31/3/16 cannot possibly be correct as I have a date stamped photo taken on the 16/6/16 showing a reading ending 742 which I offered to provide to yourself and my new supplier. They took me up on the offer. You did not.

How many more hours of my time must be wasted dealing with your sheer incompetence? I estimate my time spent on this thus far at ten hours. Given my self employed hourly rate, if I were to bill you for my time, it would far exceed the amount in dispute.

To resolve this complaint:
Put the account in dispute.
Remove the default while the account is in dispute
Stop sending fake debt collection letters and warning letters about additional defaults while the account is in dispute.
Provide me with an accurate final bill based on an accurate final meter reading which I will gladly pay.
Respond to this complaint with your suggestions for a mutually satisfactory resolution.

To sum up, don't use Npower ever. They must have incompetence built into their business model, hoping to wear people down until they just pay inaccurate bills to get things over with.

nPower

totorotastic wrote: »

I've been trying to sort out a dispute with Npower after leaving them a year ago and them putting a default on my credit record. Hear my tale of woe and if you're thinking of using them, run, run fast, and run far.
To sum up:
I moved into a house which had npower as supplier. I rang them and told them I was leaving them. I left them April 2016 once new supplier was set up. They estimated a final bill way over my use. They told my new company their estimate meter reading was a verified one.
They ignored my letters, didn't act on my calls to sort it out. They then put a lovely default on my credit record for not paying their inaccurate final bill.
They then sent out fake debt collection letters about the inaccurate bill, at no point sending an accurate bill, adding "admin fees" for late payment. They don't reply to letters.
Today they sent another letter (nearly a year later) saying they're going to put another default on my credit record. I rang, was on hold for 30 minutes, to be told as on so many occasions that their "system is down."
Here's my emailed complaint to them in the hope they might try and sort it out:...

Once again I have tried to ring to resolve an account in dispute. Once again I'm told after 30 minutes of holding that your systems are down and I should ring back later. You are able to put a default on my credit file, ignore my letters, and now send another letter warning of a default being added. You are not able to register a complaint over the phone or update your IVR so customers don't wait 30 minutes on hold before getting through to then find out the "systems are down."

To sum up my complaint once more as perhaps you respond better to emails than letters:

Ended relationship with you xxx. Moved to xxx. They asked you for a final meter reading.
You did not turn up to get an accurate meter reading but gave xxx an estimated final reading and told them it was a verified final reading, lying to them.
You then billed me a final bill based on the estimate.
You then ignored my call and two letters telling you this.
You then put a default on my credit file instead of putting the account in dispute.
You then sent fake debt collection letters in clear breach of FCA guidelines for TCF despite your false defence that the debt collection letters have the same address as Npower and therefore do not count as breaching guidelines.
You have now sent another letter warning of your intention to again put a default on my credit record.
I rang today to be told the system was down and you cannot do anything to resolve this.
It should not be up to the customer to disprove your incompetence regarding final meter readings and bills. It should be up to you to prove accurate readings and bills.
I put it to you that your reading ending 820 as of 31/3/16 cannot possibly be correct as I have a date stamped photo taken on the 16/6/16 showing a reading ending 742 which I offered to provide to yourself and my new supplier. They took me up on the offer. You did not.

How many more hours of my time must be wasted dealing with your sheer incompetence? I estimate my time spent on this thus far at ten hours. Given my self employed hourly rate, if I were to bill you for my time, it would far exceed the amount in dispute.

To resolve this complaint:
Put the account in dispute.
Remove the default while the account is in dispute
Stop sending fake debt collection letters and warning letters about additional defaults while the account is in dispute.
Provide me with an accurate final bill based on an accurate final meter reading which I will gladly pay.
Respond to this complaint with your suggestions for a mutually satisfactory resolution.

To sum up, don't use Npower ever. They must have incompetence built into their business model, hoping to wear people down until they just pay inaccurate bills to get things over with.

Hi totorotastic

Sorry to hear of the service received.

I'd like the opportunity to look into this for you; please email me at the address showing on my profile.

Thanks

Jade

totorotastic

So NPower get so many online complaints, they have hired staff to man consumer forums rather than have enough call centre staff or systems that don't regularly fail? That sums up the business model right there. Presumably hoping most people give up before reaching this stage? I have emailed, though I'm not sure what you can achieve when your "systems are down."

Bogalot

Every utility provider has a social media presence these days.

Good on Jade for getting back to you so quickly, I'm sure she'll do her best to help.

Why did you not submit the final reading yourself?

totorotastic

I did. To both companies. Npower said they needed new supplier to confirm. New supplier said it was up to npower. In the end the new supplier accepted my final reading, npower said they'd accept it, then ignored it and sent a final bill with their estimate instead.

totorotastic

Promised a callback by the complaints department this afternoon, hasn't happened. Emailed "Jade," no reply 3 and a half hours later. No more comments from her added on here. Atrocious. Seriously, don't use Npower or this could be you, trying to deal with a bill and erroneous default nearly a year after leaving them. 100+ people seen this thread, hopefully helps some of them see what kind of shambles the company is.

totorotastic

No call back by the time lines closed at 11 after "guaranteeing" me one from the complaints department. No call back from billing department. No reply to email. No response on here. Well done Npower, you've outdone yourself in ignoring me yet again. Worst customer service since the dinosaurs tried ringing the asteroid complaints division.

leslieknope

i understand your frustration completely! my parents had nothing but pain with npower. my parents unknowingly overpaid for almost 2 years and when they finally took the time to query it, npower admitted that yes, they were almost £300 in credit and they would log an investigation to get their bills reduced and the credit refunded to them. this took 18 months. my dad called every 3 weeks, as they would say that it would take 21 days to action. and at the end of the 21 days, he would call only to be told they had no record and would need to log a new incident.

again i repeat: this went on for 18 months. they were promised emails and letters that never appeared and it caused my parents so much stress. they weren't offered any compensation for this fyi, they were just given the refund and that was only after my dad actually wrote to the ombudsman. unfortunately (or fortunately for npower) my parents are not the type to continue to push an issue, even though i urged them to continue for compensation, but they just wanted to be done with npower at that point.

even if they were the cheapest i wouldn't touch them. i would rather pay a little extra each month to get decent customer service.

AndyPix

They cant put 2 defaults on your credit file for the same bill !!


It either defaulted, or it didnt

totorotastic

Andypix - That's good to know. The letter very much suggested otherwise, it states very clearly they are going to default me if the bill isn't paid asap. A default was applied a few months into this saga so at least I won't get a second? If they've already defaulted me, presumably there's not much more they can do?

Leslieknope (Parks and Rec fan?) I couldn't agree more. My current company is cheaper but even if Npower were the cheapest on the market, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole. "Jade" their rep on here seems to have vanished (not surprising) after her initial comment. She never did reply to my email.

I think their business model is based on badgering people into just deciding it's not worth the stress to pursue their mistakes. I rang again today (after still no call back) to be told simultaneously that they hadn't called me back as they had a backlog of callbacks and in a brilliant Trumpian doublethink, they had no record that I had requested a callback yesterday.

They recalculated my bill on the phone today based on yet another estimated reading made up whilst I was on the phone, then blamed my current company for not giving them an accurate end reading (despite having had one from me) Knocking 400 units off the bill made it a fiver cheaper, try and work out the per unit cost with that one. Not only that but they can't send me an accurate bill as it was "too long ago" nor can they put the account in dispute for the same reason. So now I await the next letter and the saga continues.

Seriously, to the 300+ people reading this, never go with Npower. All their money goes into marketing, not customer service.

AndyPix

totorotastic wrote: »

Andypix - That's good to know. The letter very much suggested otherwise, it states very clearly they are going to default me if the bill isn't paid asap. A default was applied a few months into this saga so at least I won't get a second? If they've already defaulted me, presumably there's not much more they can do?
.

That's correct.
Even if another company buys the debt, and you dont pay it, they cant default against it, as it has already been defaulted


No, there isnt much more they can do apart from CCJ'ing you , which i think is unlikely.


However a default stays on your credit file for 6 years so I would be fuming to get this sorted out and the default removed.