| Product: |
NPower |
| Date: |
18/02/05 (1489 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: non whatsoever
Disadvantages: inefficient, rude staff, robbers
We had two meters in our house. 1 ordinary and 1 white meter. The white meter was used by the previous occupants for storage heaters. We had the storage heaters removed but left the white meter because it had the immersion heater attached to it. After 18 years we decided that as we had never used the immersion heater it would be a good idea to have it removed. During the whole of these 18 years the white meter had never had a unit of electricity through it. We just continued to pay the meter charge.
Three years ago Npower removed the meter. They continued to charge for it.
After dozens of phone calls we decided enough was enough and demanded they repay the charges.
That's when the nightmare began!!!
We received a bill from npower for £460 for electicity through a meter that didn't even exist.
Again dozens of phone calls later we received a letter stating they were sending someone to read the meter. When informed the meter didn't exist and that for the past 18 years had had no electicity through it they still insisted that 'their man had to read it'
Their man arrived and looked bemused when I asked which meter he was going to read. I showed him the gap on the wall and encouraged him to read the paint. He was not particularly amused - but I was!
To satisfy his bosses he read the ordinary meter - which was not in dispute! His job depended on him reading ANY meter we presumed.
I rang npower and said how glad I was that their man had been as perhaps we could now resolve our problem but asked how this would happen when he had read the wrong meter because they didn't believe that the other meter didn't exist! They had no answer but said a bill would arrive.
It did and was exactly the same as the first one! Again I refused to pay and said I would go to the regulator.
On contacting the regulator I was told that whenever there were problems they were always with npower. They gave me some advice and told me to reurn to them if the matter wasn't resolved.
Now npower have a resolutions department but presumably because they are inefficient they also have a department that resolves the resolutions - confusing eh?
Anyway to cut a long story (really) short we eventually after much shouting threatening and and cursing agreed an amount. They said they would send a revised bill which of course did not appear.
We decided that we wanted rid of npower and contracted to another provider - we then found out that npower had objected - because we owed them money. Bloody cheek.
Dozens of phone calls later - Jeromino today I have finally paid them the final bill and we should be rid of them forever!!!! Can I sleep tonight or will they re-appear - God knows!!
Moral of story - ditch npower as soon as possible - it is the most inefficient company I have ever dealt with - except perhaps Carcrap but that's another story.
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 20/02/05 Ha! Like the idea of you asking the meter man to read the paint! It's also useful to know that the people who come round to read the meters probably don't work for the company who supply you - they are likely to work for an outside company such as Siemens or Accuread. This can sometimes make communicating the information from visits slower. If possible try and deal with one person at your suppliers who should see the whole account through to its resolution. Difficult when you have to call a call centre but ask for direct dial numbers and names - it saves you having to explain your problem 18 times over. Glad you got it sorted and hope you have better luck with your new suppliers.
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- 18/02/05 Great review, have heard namy bad things about npower. Am with scottishpower now, seem very good, very efficient and much cheaper than british gas! J.
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