Another Spark Energy Complaint

neocorps

I've recently moved to a new property where the letting agency was YourMove. YourMove have a deal with "spark energy" where, by default, "spark energy" takes control of the utilities. More interestingly, they stick in the tenancy agreement that you must remain with them, which I know not to be enforceable anyway.

So within the second month, spark generates a bill for £451.73 despite not being given the meter readings. To correct the problem, I provide the numbers on the day of the statement via phone. As you can guess, they have not rectified the bill and continue to demand the original amount. I've now attempted to move providers, to which they have blocked, and I've raised a complaint, to which they have ignored. All I get from them are demands for this original amount and the assurance from phone calls that a new bill will be given despite this not happening.

I've hit a stone wall. I can't change providers because they want the bill paid before they authorise the moreover, yet I've read that if you do pay them, they continue to block the transfer anyway. I'm still within my eight weeks period before I can go to the ombudsman so I guess my question is what I can do? And what can they do?

Can spark turn off the utilities? Can I refuse to pay this amount? I'm keeping logs of all communications, but I'm still about six weeks away before I can raise a complaint. Finally, I had no idea that spark was this predatory, I highly recommend to stay away from them at all costs.

Thanks

Former Spark Representative

Hi neocorps

Sorry to hear you're not happy.

I just want to reassure you that you're not tied into a contract with Spark, and as long as your balance is paid up to date, you can change supplier. If your tenancy agreement states otherwise then I'd really like to see it, as that's not right at all.

Did you give us meter readings when you moved in? If you didn't give us move in readings or up to date readings we would have estimated your bill, and the amount we've billed you for sounds rather steep.

Can you please contact me via the email address in my profile with your move in meter readings, your up to date meter readings, and confirming your full name and address.

I can also raise this as a formal complaint if you need me to.

Kind regards

Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

lisaxcath

A very similar experience here but now they're saying I've consumed £2,200 of electric in 9 months when I live in a small 2 bed terrace alone and not in during day. They are charging day rates for night usage and vice versa. I can't access an up to date bill and despite sending meter readings when asked they estimate last 5-10 days of bill to end of month anyway. Absolute sharks who need to be shut down. I didn't instruct them as letting agent did and despite every effort to change they block the request every time.

Former Spark Representative

Hi lisaxcath

Sorry to hear about this.

Can you please contact me via the email address in my profile so I can get this sorted out for you?

I'll need your MSE screen name, your full real name, your supply address and photographs that clearly show the readings on your meter and the rates they relate to.

If your readings are given before the end of the month then your bills will be estimated for a small number of days, if your bills must be based on actual readings up to the end of the month then you'll need to provide them on the last date of the month.

I'm sorry if you weren't aware that we'd be your supplier. There's generally a clause in your tenancy agreement to state that we'll either already be supplying your property or in the process of taking the supply, and your letting agent should have made you aware of the clause.

If there's an overdue balance on the account, we would reject any transfer requests, but that's something I can look at if you contact me.

More than happy to help if I hear from you.

Kind regards

Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

fazacks

I have had nothing but problems with Spark Energy in connection with my Girlfriend's Energy account. Despite her being charged 17 times the national average for a house of her size. Despite sending a usage log back to them which highlighted this issue. Despite being told verbally to pay an amount to clear the account and resolve the issue- which we did, and despite us having to go to the Ombudsman dept, we find ourselves with a new bill 3 months after having left the house for nearly £700 which apparently includes late payment fees. This is even more extraordinary bearing in mind my girlfriend switched off her boiler (the only gas appliance in the house) after one month of being with Spark and also switched off her electric storage heaters because she was too afraid of the charges. She lived alone with her 10yo child and has poor English and relied on myself and others to assist. Spark staff have been rude, unresponsive and show no compassion or remorse. A pitiless company that I just want to see the back of...HORRIBLE!

Former Spark Representative

Hi fazacks

Sorry to hear about this.

Feel free to drop me a line to the email address given in my profile.

I'll need your full name, the supply address and your MSE name.

Kind regards

Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

yasminz

I moved into a new flat in August and on receiving a bill from Spark Energy I called them to make myself known as the bill payer. I received 2 bills both with different information and with 'admin fees' Currently I have 4 £35 admin fees totalling £140 against my name.

2 of which I have in a letter but the other 2 have not been told to me and only found out when I contacted them. The first bill I ever received had a late payment fee against it... quite funny.

The fee's still continue even though the letters instruct me to do something else and no one has an answer my only option it seems is to pay them so then finance can see about wavering them afterwards...

I was on the phone for a total of 3 hours (1.5 on hold) the customer service adviser could not help me or offer any solution to my issue and agreed to get a supervisor to call me back. This did not happen. I have lodged a complaint email with legal advice and called the helpline a total of 5 times. All with at least an hour wait and with someone who could not help me with the complaint itself. I am still waiting to speak to someone with the authority to solve my problem. As the time goes by charges rack up against my name and also strangely my energy bill has become double the price since I started contact with them.

This is the worst customer service I have ever experienced.

Former Spark Representative

Hi yasminz

Sorry to hear you're not happy.

Feel free to drop me a line to the email address in my profile. I'd need your name, your address, and any other information e.g. meter readings which might be useful.

Kind regards

Jenny
Customer Relations Team

neocorps

Just thought I'd give an update on what happened. Spark never rectified the bill even after giving multiple meter readings months on end. I moved house, and I kid you not, the final statement was based off an estimate also.


In the end, I kept all pictures of the meter readings and documents they sent me. I'll let it go to court for collections where I will show all this information. A crazy company, probably shut up shop before being investigated for their shady practices.

WhoIsThat

neocorps wrote: »

Just thought I'd give an update on what happened. Spark never rectified the bill even after giving multiple meter readings months on end. I moved house, and I kid you not, the final statement was based off an estimate also.


In the end, I kept all pictures of the meter readings and documents they sent me. I'll let it go to court for collections where I will show all this information. A crazy company, probably shut up shop before being investigated for their shady practices.

" I'll let it go to court for collections"

You'll owe an awful lot more if you let matters progress to that state, and will probably suffer from a trashed credit status too.

I would urge you to follow the advice given to you last February in post#2 if you wish to avoid these eventualities.

[Deleted User]

WhoIsThat wrote: »

" I'll let it go to court for collections"

You'll owe an awful lot more if you let matters progress to that state, and will probably suffer from a trashed credit status too.

I would urge you to follow the advice given to you last February in post#2 if you wish to avoid these eventualities.

It won t go to a court for collections. Spark will not throw good money after bad getting involved with court cases.
The first "court " occupiers can turn to is the Energy Ombudsman to make a complaint . The The normal method, which all suppliers do to recover debts is to force fit a prepayment meter and load the debt onto that to be collected every week. The weekly repayment rate is between £3.50 and £16 a week depending on the size.. £500 debt, I d guess would be around £8 a week.
They will charge an extra £150 to fit the meter plus another £150 if it has to be force fitted with a court warrant cost, so avoid all this.
It sounds like two people have messed up here. The outgoing tenant can t have put an end reading in ( or a believable one ) and the new tenant did nt submit an accurate start reading from the exact date the tenancy started.. Spark Energy are looking to cover the costs of the outgoing tenant as well by the sound of it. A copy of the tenancy agreement showing the dates can allow them to work out a fairly accurate estimate using historical data for the property..