NPower gas 'sculpting'

DirectDebacle

Now its Direct Debits and electricity as well. Looks like they are going for the full set.

Read all about it.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article6487652.ece

meggsy

DirectDebacle wrote: »

Now its Direct Debits and electricity as well. Looks like they are going for the full set.

Read all about it.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article6487652.ece

Just read this article in Times Money DD. Thanks to you and Sterling for continuing with the gas sculpting and now we need to check our bills for Direct Debit overcharging on electricity as well ! :mad: Well done 'The Times' for the coverage given today.

From The Times

June 13, 2009

Npower’s excuses are wearing thin
Andrew Ellson, Personal Finance Editor


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/article6487684.ece

meggsy

I can confirm that my electricity bill (7th September 2007) showed that the direct debit was calculated on the following "Total estimated charges over the next 18 months" I noticed this at the time but being a new customer I thought nothing of it. This is as quoted in The Times article, so included two winters and one summer :rolleyes:

hvaghela

Hi everyone (DirectDebacle, Sterling, Meggsy)

Another update on my claim and previous post (#1151, p58).
I received a letter from npower this week from Paul Williamson - Head of Retail Pricing & Controls. Its a long winded letter essentially apologising for the delay in replying (initail claim sent in march) and describing the pricing structure.

I claimed £321.02 (stage 2 - 59.43, stage 4 - 211.59, costs 50). They have offered a goodwill gesture of £150. Do I take it or battle on? I know the final decision is mine, but your exeperience would be valuble in deciding which way to go.

I'm happy to PM you the letter (i've saved it as a PDF). Can I attach a PDF file to a PM? If not I could email it.

Thanks for the help.

Hvaghela

Sterling

Hi hvaghela

Sorry for the delay in responding, I have been without an internet connection for several days due to maintenance work at our local exchange.

I will send you a PM on this matter shortly.

Grumpy4u

Success indeed! With only one of the fourteen days to go, yesterday I received a two-page letter from npower explaining how they were right and I was wrong BUT they included a cheque for £100 which seems to me to be an admission of guilt. Their "good will" gesture "without any admission of liability" is in full and final settlement of my claim, they say.

So I am happy. They have paid me my original claim, not being able to "justify" my larger claim for £160. I think the use of the word "justify" is laughable - if this whole affair was not so serious.

So my advice to everone who reads this forum is - gird up your loins and join the battle. All it takes is a letter to show them you mean business on the lines laid out by DD, Sterling, Mick and co.

Before receiving the letter, I had spent an evening reading the very helpful and "user-friendly" links posted by DD on how to go about claiming through the County Courts. It all seems very simple and I would certainly have done it had not the cheque arrived in the nick of time. But that's how npower works isn't it.

I will be looking for a new supplier in the next few days!

Finally, my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me both on this forum and through PMs. :T

DirectDebacle

Grumpy4u wrote: »

Success indeed! .........

I have been away for a few days and it is good to come back to some positive news. Well done Grumpy and thanks for the post which I hope will encourage others to make a claim. A few hundred thousand 'goodwill' gestures such as yours would be nice.

meggsy

Good news indeed Grumpy4u

Also today Audrey Gallagher of Consumer Focus has been on the BBC news channel at breakfast time this morning regarding energy suppliers not fully passing on reductions in wholesale costs ....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8117962.stm

meggsy

npower Google news alert just in .....

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Npower-tells-MP-hush-payback/article-1130112-detail/article.html

:T

Also noticed that Ed Mayo of Consumer Focus made a visit to MSE towers

http://edmayo.wordpress.com/

DirectDebacle

meggsy wrote: »

npower Google news alert just in .....

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Npower-tells-MP-hush-payback/article-1130112-detail/article.html


Also noticed that Ed Mayo of Consumer Focus made a visit to MSE towers

http://edmayo.wordpress.com/

Thanks for that Meggsy. I saw Mark Todd raise this on the Parliament channel yesterday afternoon (it didn't clash with Andy Murrays match) and he was fairly scathing re the regulation of the energy suppliers with respect to consumer protection. npower and the sculpting issue were singled out as examples of how poorly customers are treated. Shame there were only about 5 other MPs in the House, being Friday afternoon and all.

I submitted my complaint to Ofgem about their unprofessional investigation into npower. I post the first page below, the remaining 10 pages are a dissection of the 'tariff year' and show it as nothing more than an invention attempting to show there was no overcharging. The 'lowering our prices and raising discounts' defence is given similar treatment.

I fully expect Ofgem to exonerate themselves.


My complaint is,
That Ofgem failed to properly investigate the complaint submitted by Energywatch.

1. Did Ofgem investigate the complaint made by Energywatch with reference to the ‘tariff year’?

2. If they did, on what basis did Ofgem consider the ‘tariff year’ to be acceptable?

3. Why are there no documents relating to the investigation of this issue contained in the papers released under my Freedom of Information Act request?

4. Did Ofgem investigate npowers claim that the changes they made were unavoidable because of a billing system migration?

5. Did Ofgem investigate the advertised price reduction announced by npower on 19th February, 2007 and weigh this against their findings as in point 4 above?

6. If Ofgem did investigate points 4 and 5 above, what conclusion did they draw? What were the reasons for reaching them?

7. Why are there no documents relating to the investigation of the reasons npower gave for making the above changes contained in the Freedom of Information Act papers?

8. If there were no enquires made as at point 5, why were these enquiries not made?

9. Did Ofgem make any enquiries and/or contact any complainants, witnesses or other parties, in order to corroborate or rebut the evidence given by npower?

10. If Ofgem did, what was this evidence and what weight did Ofgem attach to it?

11. Why was this evidence not released under the Freedom of Information Act request?

12. If Ofgem did not take the action in point 9, then why did they not make these enquiries?

13. That Ofgem failed in its’ statutory and moral duty to protect consumers.

14. Did Ofgem consider if any offences had been committed under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations, 1999 and/or the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations, 2008?