Ahhhh, LEAVE ME ALONE (NPower)

Member Name: KingHerrod

Product:	NPower
Date:	10/02/01 (278 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Persistent buggers

Disadvantages: Persistent, twist the truth

Now this is a review that is not going to be struck with objectivity. Ok so no whinging in the comments section about that, you are warned. This is a biased and annoyed opinion at this company’s selling tactics. In fact very annoyed.

Npower are a service supply company, they offer Gas and Electricity and even if you do not take Npower as your supply company, they claim that just by having your bills computed through them you can save money. Now I have seen lots of their literature (got off my own back through curiosity) and nothing has convinced me that this company's claims are true.

Why am I so fed up, you may wonder, well, in the past four months I have had seven people call at my door and three phone calls, trying get me to transfer my electricity and gas bills to Npower, of course at huge personal savings. Just the bills mind, not the supply, how does that work I wonder each time, so I ask as a curious person may, and I get no coherent response from sales person. So, each time I have said to the sales person that I do not want to sign anything then I want proper information, send me some information please that explains the situation properly, I ask politely.

Has any information arrived, no it has not, well not as a result of the sales force anyway, I have collected info from their website. So you must assume that these sales people are either deaf or stupid. Not a pleasant choice to have to make. But a few weeks ago was the final straw, the sales person came round and said that if you fill out this form, you will get some information. There was no mention of any agreement being entered into the express statement was made to me that by signing the form I would get some proper information. (Hmm I thought is this true? I have info, but I wonder if I am being told a porky.) So, I took the form back to my desk and read it, carefully, as I am a lawyer and my job is to read things very very carefully (boo, I hear you
all cry). So I read this form very carefully, including the very small print.

Now in order to get some time with the form, without a sales person breathing down my neck, I had said that I could not fill it in on the doorstep as my meter numbers (a requirement on the form) where filed away. I persuaded the rep to come back latter, it took persuasion, I can tell you.

The result, well this form was most certainly an agreement to use Npower, not a request for information. Oh lies and cheats and scoundrels you cry. It gets worse, when the sales rep returned for the form, not wishing for any fisticuffs, I told a porky, “I cannot find my meter numbers, or customer numbers” I said. “That was not our agreement the Npower” rep said. He went on and said that I had agreed to use Npower and just needed my meter numbers. (This was another twist of the truth by Npower as I had never agreed to use the company. Now, I did not blow my top, I simply said “tough the form is in the bin!” At this stage the rep, looked like they were about to burst into tears and said that his manager would charge him for the form.

Now the purpose of this long ditty, is to illustrate that perhaps the media reports that this company is encouraging aggressive selling are correct. They will lie to you to get you to sign up and the poor reps on the door seem to be under huge pressure form the powers at the top of the company to sell. Now, Npower may have a good product, and if they just sent me information I may have signed up. But the sales policy is too pushy and makes me wonder about the whole organisation. Let this be a lesson to those who want to sell through trickery, do not push the consumer to far!

Since telling seven power reps to go away and that I am not interested, I have since had another two come to the door being pushy and not taking no for an answer. I have said no 7 times before why would I have changed my
mind? So now, when I hear a knock at the door, I think, that better not be Npower, do they not get the message yet. Is this a war of attrition, well I can tell you this I will not be worn down.

I know I have not used their service, but frankly, if it is anything like their sales policy, I AM NOT INTERESTED!! It is also impossible to see how it works so if anyone is actually using Npower, please tell me the results? I have a sneaky feeling that you are unlikely to be satisfied.

Summary: