Get powered elsewhere! (NPower)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	NPower
Date:	23/05/08 (326 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

Like many people I like to get the best possible deal for my gas and electricity. Every few months I do a price check using the simply switch site. Briefly for those who don't know how this works you simply type in your post code, annual electricity and gas usage and the site calculates who the cheapest supplier is. Last year I was with British gas. My price check however, showed that Npower would be cheaper so I decided to switch.

The process of changing to Npower was smooth enough. Npower came and read my meter and I set up a direct debit for duel fuel. I was told that I would receive an extra £80 every November for buying both my gas and electricity from them so this was an added incentive. However in November I noticed there was no £80 credit on my bill so phoned Npower to see what had happened. I was kept waiting for over 20 minutes. When the phone was eventually answered the operator could give me no explanation about my promised £80. She tried to tell me it would be paid I year in arrears! Not what I had been led to believe! It was no use trying to argue either as she clearly was not interested and told me if I didn't like it I would have to write a letter of complaint.

With fuel costs soaring I was expecting Npower to want my direct debit increased. However I was not prepared for them to request 3 times the amount I had been paying! When I phoned the help line to see what compromise we could reach I was told there was nothing they could do and I would just have to pay. I pointed out that my latest bill was for the cold winter months and that we would use gas in the summer. The operator was not only disinterested but also rude. He actually told me that people had to pay for the services they had!

Having checked the statistics for customer satisfaction I see that Npower fares very badly and I'm not surprised! I am now in the process of switching to Scottish power and so far my experience of their customer service has been positive.

Summary: power suppliers