calling other npower customers.

calling other npower customers.

Author
Discussion

FiF

Original Poster:

43,960 posts

250 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
Doesn't your cu ft meter actually report in units of 100 cu ft?

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

249 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all


Ooo that's a mighty fine question. That would make sense, although this is my meter, it doesn't look that way!? (the figure of £150 for a quarter assumed doesn't seem huge, so it may well be me mis understanding)

FiF

Original Poster:

43,960 posts

250 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
If you provide a customer reading on that meter the reading would be 938. Yes?

Which if you think about it and see how the dials change as you use the gas is reporting in 100s of cu ft.

At least my meter looks like a newer version of that and that is certainly how it seems to work.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

249 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
Correct - 938, and my first reading was 872, so 66 "units" used. So I considered that as 0.66

Thanks. Thinking it through further, it would be silly if it was 0.66, as the maths would mean a small cost of gas through the year. I think.

Engineer1

10,486 posts

208 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
mgtony said:
Is this one of their new style bills titled "We've made our new bills easier to understand"? rolleyes
They are easy to understand they want to keep more of the customer's money in their account.

carreauchompeur

17,830 posts

203 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
Oh no, I so regret switching to them last Oct. I'd initially switched to EDF, who were great and quickly sent out confirmations, etc but decided I wanted the longer fix.

Utterly useless. Still haven't switched both utilities over- realised in late Feb that only electricity had come over and that gas was still in limbo. I've lost half the cash back I was due as they had switched a random property to them rather than my gas meter.

Still haven't been asked for an electricity reading despite the switch happening in Jan and it now nearly being April- it's still on an estimated takeover reading which at least is the same from my old and new suppliers. I'll probably just give them that if they ever ask.

fk knows when he gas will be switched, or when they might want a reading. Last time I called customer services estimated wait time was 45 MINUTES so I now always go for the "new customer" option then ask to be put through.

NPI

1,310 posts

123 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
TonyHetherington said:
Correct - 938, and my first reading was 872, so 66 "units" used. So I considered that as 0.66

Thanks. Thinking it through further, it would be silly if it was 0.66, as the maths would mean a small cost of gas through the year. I think.
To be fair, it would be clearer if it said "hundreds of cubic feet". Some even have a moving last digit, where yours has a fixed zero.

And I wonder who thought 0.071cu/ft per rev of the dial was a good idea? And who knew that's 2 cubic decimetres!

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

249 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
Ah I seeeeeeee. So that is technically 93880 in the picture. I hadn't seen that red "0" and read it as a corresponding number. Now you've said that, it makes perfect sense.

Thanks!

FiF

Original Poster:

43,960 posts

250 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
carreauchompeur said:
Oh no, I so regret switching to them last Oct. I'd initially switched to EDF, who were great and quickly sent out confirmations, etc but decided I wanted the longer fix.

Utterly useless. Still haven't switched both utilities over- realised in late Feb that only electricity had come over and that gas was still in limbo. I've lost half the cash back I was due as they had switched a random property to them rather than my gas meter.

Still haven't been asked for an electricity reading despite the switch happening in Jan and it now nearly being April- it's still on an estimated takeover reading which at least is the same from my old and new suppliers. I'll probably just give them that if they ever ask.

fk knows when he gas will be switched, or when they might want a reading. Last time I called customer services estimated wait time was 45 MINUTES so I now always go for the "new customer" option then ask to be put through.
They do seem like an electricity supplier who also sell gas because they think they should to attract more electricity customers but haven't really got their hearts in it.

The way my Mrs describes it is the way that her Sainsburys manages the restaurant. They have a cafe because some customers like it, but they manage it and resource it in a completely half arsed fashion because they are grocers and don't understand how to run a cafe.

Sadly the way they are treating her and her colleagues in the pharmacy is going the same way with people being pulled from the counter and dispensing to operate check outs. Thus you get long queues at the counter and the poor pharmacist and anyone left behind are run ragged.

On the question of call waiting times I don't bother any more just put in a call back request and eventually they do call back. Still useless at solving the issues but at least you aren't talking to John from Kolkata.

ledger

1,056 posts

282 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
Basil Brush said:
It is ridiculous. They are sitting on about £2k of ours that they can't support with bills and one of the properties was a rental, meaning we couldn't get the £1.5k deposit return sorted. It wouldn't be so bad if someone at their end was even remotely apologetic, or the ombudsman actually had some power.
I had the same thing, they had £1500 of mine, took me 9 months to get it back

skeggysteve

5,724 posts

216 months

Thursday 20th March 2014
quotequote all
I'm not an Npower customer but I nearly was so they have my address.

For the last year they have been sending me their junk/selling mail.

But a few weeks ago they sent me a bill for gas and electric - c£900 - as I have been paying my current supplier I ignored it.

A few days later I spoke to my daughter (she pays Npower for her electric) who told me that she knew that Npower were having a billing problem so I ignored the fictitious bill.

Few weeks later I get a 'red reminder', obviously I ignored this.

Last week I get a letter from a debt collection company.

I await their next letter!

carreauchompeur

17,830 posts

203 months

Thursday 14th August 2014
quotequote all
Jesus Christ, wish I had never switched to them.

October 2013- switch allegedly started.
Dec 2013- gas supply switched to wrong property. Switch restarted.
Feb 2014: some rumblings, electricity supply seems to have started. Gas has apparently started to be supplied.
May 2014: still apparently not being billed for gas. Receive comedy bill tripling my direct debit. Ring up and put then straight. Gas switch passed for 'resolution' with target of 14 days. Ring back 20 days later and they say target is actually 40 days, so it hasn't happened yet.

Today: ring up to be told gas billing still not sorted. Complaints department go home at 6 but she will raise complaint and they will be in touch within 10 days.

How do they keep getting away with it? The only reason I went to their 2017 fixed tarriff was so I wouldn't have the switching merry go round every year. This is so much WORSE. I dread to think how much I will end up paying....

Vent over, ta.

GP335i

466 posts

163 months

Thursday 14th August 2014
quotequote all
This thread reminded me how crap they are... Ditched them tonight!

skeggysteve

5,724 posts

216 months

Thursday 14th August 2014
quotequote all
I spoke to the debt collection people and told them what I said in my post.
They said sorry they know all about they N Power billing problems and apologised for sending me the letter.
Never heard another thing.

I've moved house now and looking around for the best supplier to go for. Obviously I want the best price but this thread has made me realise that good customer service can be worth paying a bit more!

iamrcb

607 posts

195 months

Thursday 14th August 2014
quotequote all
I'm £2500 in credit because the NP idiots have failed every time to solve a silly gas meter mis-read by a meter reading person. Last bill was in 2012. Still trying to sort it out.

Blue Oval84

5,276 posts

160 months

Thursday 14th August 2014
quotequote all
iamrcb said:
I'm £2500 in credit because the NP idiots have failed every time to solve a silly gas meter mis-read by a meter reading person. Last bill was in 2012. Still trying to sort it out.
You'll no doubt be asking them to apply the Billing Code when they finally sort it then, looks like you're onto at least a year's free gas by now wink

carreauchompeur

17,830 posts

203 months

Friday 15th August 2014
quotequote all
You couldn't make it up.

Because my flat is under 10 years old, apparently they class it as 'new' therefore they have registered the switch against the original plot number, thereby cocking it up.

This has now been passed to another shadowy back office department. There is no timescale for this to be resolved. Nothing was said about the department with the 40 day target having failed to do so since may.

On the bright side, in 56 days I can raise the complaint to the ombudsman!

Ug_lee

2,223 posts

210 months

Friday 15th August 2014
quotequote all
This is the situation I'm in:




I had an electricity account with them all running okay, switched to dual fuel and since them I've never had a bill that makes sense. I've given multiple meter reads but none show on the history.

I've been paying in £300 a month which has been building up in credit where it has reached over £4000 before I finally gave in and switched to another provider. Now they say the account is settled with a final payment of £128 and the account is closed. (except looking now it has been credited back)

Now I know it's an old house and I was paying in for gas and electric for 14 months without them taking any money out. The crux of the matter is I have no figures, no way for me to check that my final bill of £4178 is correct for the gas and electric I used. I'm inclined to believe I used £300 a month in gas in the depths of winter, but for 4 of those 14 months the heating wasn't even on!

I've called 20 times+ over the year to try and sort it, nothing changes and it's obvious it's in a real mess. Which is why I do not believe my final bill. Is there someone else/agency I can go to try and sort this as it's obvious I'm going nowhere dealing with Npower!



Edited by Ug_lee on Friday 15th August 11:45

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Friday 15th August 2014
quotequote all
Without meter readings you are stuffed. Lets say you knew your meter reading for January and obviously you can check it now, workout the cost per unit, deduct monies paid and see whats left.

If you can access the bills there will be an estimated meter reading for each one that won't tally with usage.

Whilst British Gas are more than a bit dopey and have a poor way of calculating payments/estimating blls its nothing like that and the customer service people do what you ask if you contact them (at least for the most part).


Pugmitch

82 posts

172 months

Friday 15th August 2014
quotequote all
I was with npower and it's predecessors for over 30 years. Never had a problem until the last ten years when the 'bean counters' took over and their desire to put more of my money into their coffers than was truly reflected in Bill readings. Their estimates of my annual consumption never seemed to have any bearing on reality, I put up with it on the basis of inertia until I realised they were ripping me off on their unit price too..

I switched to OVO energy three months ago......a breath of fresh air.....logical website, monthly readings posted on line, and they pay interest if you are in credit. NPOWER deserve the fact that customers are leaving in droves,; their customer service is abysmal and you are putting your finances at risk staying with them.

LEAVE NOW BEFORE IT'S too late!!