Another Spark Energy Complaint

Streaky_Bacon

Jhill wrote: »

Now looking at my meter readingds in my account online is says: 21st Oct 2019 reading (estimated) 8160 then 10 days later reading 13044. Where did they get this estimate from. Surely Boost would have given them the correct reading? I have read my meter tonight and it's current reading is 14364.

When you switch you give an opening meter reading to the new supplier and it gets sent to the old supplier, not the other way around.

Do you have the opening reading? If so contact Spark and give it to them, along with a current reading and ask them to recalculate the bill. Do the same with the opening and current gas readings.

Former Spark Representative

Hi FarenKaren

Sorry to hear about this.

If you've only got pay as you go meters in your property, it sounds like there's potentially an issue with the industry data we hold, this could be something like the meter being marked as the wrong type on our Billing system or there could be a mix up on the industry database.

Hopefully you'll have had contact from one of our Customer Relations Account Managers if you're making contact through Resolver, and they'll be able to guide you through the Complaints process, hopefully bringing things to a resolution.

Kind regards

Jenny

Former Spark Representative

Hi Jhill

Sorry to hear about this.

Good advice from Streaky Bacon in this thread.

Did you give us any opening meter readings when you joined Spark Energy? We usually send out an email or letter confirming your start date and asking you to provide readings.

I recommend dropping me an email using the address given in my profile, confirming your full name and address, plus a contact phone number. Please also provide your opening meter readings, or if you don't have them, please provide us with two meter readings per supply which are at least a week apart.

Kind regards

Jenny

loulabelle45

What a fiasco Ive had with Spark Energy. After almost ten months of requests for copies bills because Im chasing my ex landlord for payments for increased energy bills due to him failing to replace my gas fire for 12 months, Ive been so messed about and mistreated. This is the only energy company ive had bad dealings with and im ready to go to the Ombudsman, Ive just spent 4 hours with all the bills ive been sent and tables and for some months ive left with 4 different amounts for November 2018, 3 amounts for other months and 2 amounts for many other months. I went to resolver after emails and letters were unanswered and difficulties. 315 pages later I was getting nowhere lied to about how they had sent this info when in reality, they had asked me to provide the figures (do they even have a copy???) I also feel im owed money too. Clearly falsified bills because they explained some bills were cancelled and some regenerated but they cannot tell me which one is which. All I want to do is to show the judge/ex landlord accurate bills and the consumption. 

After getting nowhere when they sent me a table showing monthly amounts I waited 2 months for, which again didn't correspond to the bills nor my monthly payments, and failing to send me January 2018 bill requested over 50 times (even the CAB couldn't work it out), Ive now asked them for a very simple solution because the bills are inaccurate I now need to show consumption changes:

to send me the total consumption for 2016/2017/2018/2019 and copies of the bills for 2016/2017 which show the monthly consumption so I can show the ex landlord/judge the difference. And guess what they lied again saying they had already sent it well they haven't! Because ive never even asked for it. They then threatened to send me a deadlock letter and said fine go ahead because you cannot provide me with accurate bills and they do not tally with payments...so ive given them till next week 
to provide these documents. Ive told them ive never requested them so how can I possibly have them? They are lazy customer service who cannot be bothered. So end of next week im drafting up letter to the Ofgem Ombudsman to investigate. 

In my desperation to get this sorted I wrote to the Directors of the company and guess what, I got no response. There, that just about sums them up,. I moved house last year and Spark were the energy company at my new place. After one month I moved provider. They are the pits. Ignorant, rude, liars, ive all 315 pages of it downloaded ready to print.......shambolic company. Their response is to say we've sent it when they haven't.....i'll be chasing up any reimbursements I find it most odd that a company has to ask me to provide the bill statistics....theyve fiddled with the bills too because the pay by dates are all wrong. Unbveleiveable.  Louise Barnes

SofaSoBad

My grandson, who is a student in Bristol where he shares a small flat with a fellow student has electricty only supplied by Spark or OVO, or whoever they feel like calling themselves. He is completely staggered by the amounts of cash Spark/OVO have been extracting from him since taking up the tenancy in late 2018. I personally moved them in and know exactly what electrical devices there are in the property. The standard bits of kit include: I x fridge freezer, 1 x shower, 1 x oven (rarely used), 1 x microwave, zero televisions, 1 or 2 laptops, possibly a modem for broadband, plug holes, lights and probably not much else to speak of.
My grandson has sent me all the information regarding payments to "SPARKOVO" (an apt name for them don't you think?).
Payments via direct debit for tenancy in 2018: £78.15/£30.00/£53.68
Payments via direct debit for tenancy in 2019: £101.89/£166.72/£124.97/£61.19/£65.90/
£68.59/£212.48/£101.89/£91.00
Payments via direct debit for tenancy in 2020: ELEVEN payments to date of £91.00 each.
He has recently received advisory e-mails that state the following:
27 July Energy bill balance due £398.46
28 July Energy bill balance due £454.07
29 July Energy bill balance due £545.40 (swiftly followed by)
(Exact date not known at this time)
Another Energy bill balance due  £480.19 (and then......)
Another Energy bill balance due £581.41
SPARKOVO have extracted a grand total of £2157.46 for electricity supplied to his humble abode, presumably based on:
(a) A tarrif that is equal to, if not greater than tarrifs imposed by the Sheriff of Nottingham in the days of Robin Hood.
(b) Random number selection at team meetings
(c) Sheer incompetence and a couldn't care less attitude.

Be advised SPARKOVO - this abysmal state of affairs WILL continue to be chased up, investigated and rectified. There is (to my mind) absolutely no way a two bedroom student flat could possibly generate such levels of payment for an electrical supply.
Please standby for phone calls and many,many questions.
E.W.M.

Gerry1

I'm no friend of Spark, but if he doesn't have the gumption to switch to a cheaper supplier then he has only himself to blame.  He'll have the same problem if he goes first class on the train, showers with bottled water or goes for tea at the Ritz rather than McDonalds.

SofaSoBad

Ref: The above.
As Mrs Brown would say, "That's nice"
We are talking students here. First time away from home, living in a world that most of them have been unaware of (i.e. actually paying bills for the services us wiser people deal with every day/month/year). It is hard enough for us adults to do, let alone the next generation. Spark have made his life stressful to say the least and not only his, if you choose to believe the many reviews about this supplier that are posted on TrustPilot forums as well as MSE.  

Talldave

Some advice from a knowledgeable relative back in 2018, pointing out that the rates were extortionate, would have been handy.  Switch urgently is the only option, but that might not be easy whilst random extortionate bills are flying around.

SofaSoBad

"Live" as it happens.
I have now been on the phone for approx 3 hours. Having given Spark a final meter reading, the outstanding balance was quoted as £38.36p.
Then put on hold. Ten minutes later was informed that there was a debit of £802.3p.
Lost the plot and asked why?
Put on hold again.
Five minutes went by and THEN informed that the debit was £594.36p
Asked why?
Burbled at for a further few minutes, asked to be connected with the first person I talked to. Waited for a callback. Gave up. Called again.
Still on the phone (on hold) waiting for explanations.
Time now is 11:51. Still waiting. Isn't this fun?

Gerry1

Why can't your grandson subtract the opening reading from the current reading, work out the cost of the kWh and the daily charges and compare it to what has been collected by the direct debits?  It's not exactly difficult !

He should then make a one-off payment if he owes any money, and then start a switch to the cheapest provider he can find.  Start with Citizens Advice and 'Switch with Which?'

If Spark block the transfer without having given an accurate final bill, he should ask for a deadlock letter and go to the Ombudsman upon receipt or after eight weeks if they fail to provide one.

Considering Spark's expensive rates, the bills to date are quite likely correct.  It seems the flat is all electric but you haven't mentioned the heating and hot water, and it will be these that will have caused the majority of the usage.  As no-one has considered whether the supplier is appropriate, it's also quite possible that matters are being made worse by storage heaters being used on a single rate tariff, or on-demand heating being used on E7.