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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To just take npower to Small Claims?

15 replies

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 13/03/2014 08:55

Checked our current balance recently. In September it was about £200 in credit. Fair enough, winter is coming. Then the debit went up MASSIVELY, around 60%.

Current credit balance is just short of £1000 on current reading, actual usage vs. projected for the winter just gone is 15% under. Being fobbed off online and on phone.

Fuckers.

OP posts:

TarkaTheOtter · 13/03/2014 08:58

Can you switch?
I'd be interested to know what their excuse for making you keep such a huge balance is now that Winter is over.

GrendelsMum · 13/03/2014 08:59

Just switch - I'm with a small company called iSupply and they seem fine, whereas NPower cocked up my transfer and still insist on sending me bumf despite no longer being a customer.

Eatriskier · 13/03/2014 09:01

We've had this issue with npower before. We have made it clear to them that we won't accept them increasing our direct debit again. Every time we get notice we call them and tell them to put it back down, which they have to do as part of the direct debit guarantee. They can't use that as a method to keep money from you.

Take your meter readings, give them to npower and demand they assess your account now. Do not take no for an answer. If they still refuse to talk threaten them with ombudsman and talk to your bank about not wanting the debit to be that high.

Though they may pander to us slightly more as we are known trouble makers to them. Well, in the sense that we've had several successful compensation claims out of them for their screw ups.

specialsubject · 13/03/2014 10:23

raise it as a formal complaint. That seems to do something.

seaweedhead · 13/03/2014 10:25

Could you not put in an indemnity claim at your bank stating that you didn't authorise that amount?

Ciske · 13/03/2014 10:31

You can change the dd amount via your online account. Or just switch to another company, loyalty doesn't pay off in these occasions.

PrimalLass · 13/03/2014 10:32

npower are awful. If you switch they will have to give you it back.

GotMyGoat · 13/03/2014 10:33

They put up a national apology over winter - I moved out of a house in September and have only just had my credit refunded - so they are about half a year behind in working out stuff apparently.

ParsingFancy · 13/03/2014 10:36

Follow formal complaints procedure, in writing.
If no satisfactory resolution after n days (I think 60, complaints procedure will say), complain to Ofgem.
If no joy there, small claims awaits but you won't need to.

In my experience, stating you intend to do (2) in your letter for (1) focusses their tiny minds amazingly...

ThornOfCamorr · 13/03/2014 10:37

Yes do leave them, I had to do this for exactly the same reason. Really annoyed me. We are with Scottish power now and pay as we go putting our own meter readings in every three months. Had absolutely no problems at all and received a refund this winter! My bills have dropped for the first time in years.

ChubbyKitty · 13/03/2014 10:40

Oh god yanbu. If I wasn't renting I would switch(but I can't be arsed with the palaver of sorting it with LL)

Bloody npower.

GotMyGoat · 13/03/2014 10:42

ChubbyKitty - if you pay the bills it is your right to choose your own provider, you must inform the landlord who you are with on leaving.

ChubbyKitty · 13/03/2014 11:26

Really? I thought I had to ask her if we could switch!

We'll look into it then oops.

vj32 · 13/03/2014 12:01

We are just switching to OVO. They pay 3% for any money you are in credit, which is more than you get in a bank account at the moment.

If you are switching, don't go with Scottish Power. Genuinely the worst service I have ever had from a company ever, by miles.

frogslegs35 · 13/03/2014 12:34

It's simple enough to sort out so don't understand why they aren't doing so.
It's normal for them not to refund a smaller figure if there's a winter bill coming.
They've got actual reads from you so there's no issue there.
if you wanted them to, the billing dept can find all of your previous actual usage from the same quarters to compare etc...
You can't really do anything with regard to the dd guarantee as the bill was calculated, the current dd wouldn't cover the repayments to clear it before the next one, so they ARE allowed to amend it. However, under the dd guarantee - they MUST inform you a minimum of 10 working days before it's going to happen.
If you don't think you were, get them to check (they have a system for this reason, every letter they've ever sent you is on there) request a copy to make sure the dates correlate.
Be careful if your dd is tied to the dual fuel yearly bonus - if you cancel it you'll lose that bonus.

I'm not sure if it's still procedure (I haven't worked there for a while now)
but while on the phone if someone mentions Ofgem/Ombudsman (obviously within reason, usually if the company could be in the wrong) then they're put through to complaints team who (again, previously) would find a resolution pretty damn quick.

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