Npower > Reviews (83)

Npower! The bane of my life!

When we moved from our private rental into a council home 18 months ago we were told that our electric supply was with British Gas. Who visited a few days later to connect a key preypayment meter into the property to replace the token meter already there.

On the three days that we had the original meter we used approximately a pound a day electric. Once the key meter was installed this increased to £3 a day!!!
I called British Gas and they said this was due to price increases for the last 5 years and that they had to catch it up.

We contacted Npower and switched our supply, which meant they again changed our meter to a token meter. Our cost increased again to £5 per day!!!
So again I called Npower who told us that they didn't have our supply and that we were with British Gas. Who said we were with Npower. It took a year of constant calls and electric costs that increased to £10 per day throughout winter to find out that we have been with Npower all along!

We foung that out around 8 weeks ago and were told that they owed us almost £400 credit that we had overpaid. On a prepayment meter!
They reassured us that we would recieve that within 28 days and I gave them an up to date reading.
So 28 days later I called them to ask why it had not arrived to be told that they hadn't began to look into the refund yet, but they would and we should receive the cheque within 14 days. I again gave them a reading.

Fourteen days later I called back and was told again that they hadn't looked at it yet, so I requested to speak to a manager.
This manager told me that she would look into it and call me back the next day.
Two days later I called her and was told that they had rebilled my account with the readings that I had given and that we now owed them £300.

On Saturday, I received a bill from them for £747.72. Which was for 3 months usage. Also the readings were 25000 above what I had given. I have contacted Energywatch, who are the consumer ombudsman, who told me they will ask Npower to look at my account again. Npower say it will take another 28 days for it to be looked at!!! They also offered us a paltry £50 compensation!

Update (03/09/07)
I contacted npower regarding the new bill again and was told is has been disregarded and that their readings have been wrong since April 2006. They will call back later today, or will they???

Update (03/09/07) later
They didn't call back, but did I really expect them too?
So I called them back.
This time I was told what they had recorded as correct readings and what I had been billed and paid them since my account was opened.
I then spent 10 minutes doing some simple maths that told me that they owe me near to £500. I emailed them these calculations and told them that I am not happy to be doing the job that they are paid to do. They are still offering £50 compensation and again I told them that I want more than that. They then go on to tell me that they are going to change my meter to a key meter! and that I will get a large price increase.

So they can give me a decrease in the debit balance if I don't take the refund! HOW DARE THEY! I told them that there will be no debit balance as I will not be with them much longer since I am changing my supplier as soon as I get the account sorted. The advisor wasn't very happy and told me that I could only change if they allowed it !!! I told them that I wasn't aware that they could do this since I don't have a contract with them that states that I cannot change and that if they try to stop me moving to another supplier I would see them in court. She hung up!!!
They better release my refund and a decent amount of compensation or I will be speaking to trading standards again as well as a solicitor!!!