TXU to YOU (Combined Utilities in general)

Member Name: David A. Brett

Product:	Combined Utilities in general
Date:	11/10/01 (181 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: BAD SERVICE, Unreliable information, un-punctual

Eastern Energy – now known as TXU energi, one of the world’s leading companies with millions of customers worldwide, mainly in Europe, the USA and Australia. They are one of the UK’s biggest companies with over 5 million customers in the UK alone! They also the largest trader of energy in the UK: and the fourth largest generator of power.


They have series of sponsorships including Ipswich Town football club; and the Blackpool illuminations.

Eastern energy merged with Norweb and the company became T X U energi. So when a energy-seller knocked on my door from them (yet another one should I say?) –promising they could save me money on my energy bills- I thought why not?

Foolishly, I invited the man into my home to explain the details and sign me up. He assured me that T X U energy could save me around £40 a year on my combined gas and electricity bills. Since the ‘privatisation’ of the power industry I have seen many sales people from all sorts of companies asking me to change. All the time, I had said a firm no! I was quite happy with British Gas, and even though they might not of been the cheapest supplier they had at least proved reliable – and I had had no complaints! And besides I could change to company 1 one week and in week 2 another company would promise me even further saving – there is no end of companies out there after all.

Convinced I agreed to sign up with T X U energy. A simple form was completed in minutes. Just a case of: name and address, and who my energy supplier was currently. Bingo! I was signed up!

He told me within two weeks I would hear from the company, explaining the procedure and telling us what happens next! It was painless apparently – T X U energi took care of everything!

The next two and half weeks were spent on holiday in Scotland and the Lake District, where the sun shone and the skies were blue, (in my dreams that is- bu
t that’s another story). Convinced when I got back there would be a letter from T X U, we opened the door….and to my astonishment there was a thousand letters (999 of which were junk mail), but nothing from TXU. I left it a further three weeks or so and rung the company up and got the following response: “I don’t know why you haven’t had any contact, or indeed why the change over hasn’t happened. I will get in touch with our sales department and they WILL ring you back!”. I waited a further month or two and having NOT received the promised phone call (a real bug bear of mine), I decided that I would explode in an email. I put my point and opinion over firmly but politely, and was told that a reply could be expected within 48 hours! You’ve guessed – as the Diana Ross song goes “I’m still waiting”. Having had just about enough of ‘chasing them up’ I wrote a letter informing them of my decision to cancel my account (on 26/8/2001) and return to British Gas. I have yet to receive a response from the company.

So if you like bad service, un-kept promises, lies, for the sake of £40 a year then this is the company you should go with. Otherwise stay put. £40 a year works out to 77/78 pence a week – is it worth the hassle? I think not!

www.easternengry.co.uk
www.txuenergi.co.uk
08457 551 551

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