First Utility - bought by Shell

cifpower

The Times business section is reporting tonight that Shell has bought a 55% controlling share of the company. Shell has been providing energy to First Utility since 2013 and First Utility already has a residential supply company in Germany under the Shell brand. It is undecided, as yet, if the UK company will be rebranded Shell too.

trickytree1963

Hopefully no one in marketing will suggest Shell Trading as First Utility as new name

[Deleted User]

Let's hope Shell sort out the dire customer experience quickly.

House_Martin

gsmlnx wrote: »

Let's hope Shell sort out the dire customer experience quickly.

I agree wholeheartedly. We used to read meters for that lot when they first started.I ve never seen such an outcry of hatred from many of their customers when I came knocking to present "the face " of First Utility " at their doorstep ( to read their meters ) where I could be taken to task for causing them so much angst.
Spark Energy are also up there at the top nowadays for similar C.S problems.
Is it working ? all these little suppliers popping up twice a week who think of a catchy name hire a call centre unit with 20 employees and start in the business of customer services and billing for gas/electric to make its founder a millionaire before, like F.U boss he bails out to a proper outfit who can run a business properly.
We have too many already. Ofgem should limit it to around 40 suppliers IMO

Alex444

I can only apologise for the abuse that I gave their meter reader when he called, after calming down he said that he was taking FU to court for dire service.

He was actually dreading going to people's doors due to the flak that was happening.

Maybe Shell will make it better?

matelodave

I had no problems at all when I was FU. I sent a meter reading once a month as requested and they adjusted my statement to reflect the new readings. They also paid back my credit within about three weeks of leaving them.

I would have stayed but they became uneconomic

House_Martin

Alex444 wrote: »

I can only apologise for the abuse that I gave their meter reader when he called, after calming down he said that he was taking FU to court for dire service.

He was actually dreading going to people's doors due to the flak that was happening.

Maybe Shell will make it better?

That was me !
I was genuinely expecting aggro every time I knocked on a FU door just to read the meter
One woman brought out a folder two inch thick with correspondence over a few years and accosted me for causing her a nervous breakdown !
Spark Energy are the same !
I m sure Shell will get a grip and spend money on at least getting customer services correctly funded..
These micro suppliers just do not employ enough people to man the phones