N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

[whataremyoptions]

Hi LegalBeagles.

I hope you can give me some advice.

I have been with N-Power for over a decade. I unfortunately ran up hefty debt with them. back around 2008 - 2011. A prepayment meter was fitted by order and on the day it was fitted a repayment plan was put in place for I believe £4 odds a week as I was on benefits. The bailiff who attended spoke to the N-Power people and it was agreed and placed on the key for the meter to set up,

I started to pay this off (being on benefits you notice where your cash is going, EVERY PENNY so I could see it was reducing on the debt screen), but as I got back on my feet I noticed it less and in, I think 2013 or 2014, I saw that the meter was no longer deducting anything and I checked the screens and it was reading £0 in debt and for payback.

I had assumed I had paid it off.

I remained a prepay customer no more deductions appeared.

It's now November 2016 and my meter miraculously starts deducting £10 per week, and a debt of £1166 has appeared on my meter.

Obviously, I contact N-Power, firstly the customer service was OK but the actions promised were not put into place and it has been me chasing them to find out what is happening.

I noticed this deduction last week and first called Friday. They would raise a complaint and an Investigation.

Tonight I got a response from the complaints team - here's what they said:

1. As far as N-Power are concerned, the debt is legitimate and I have NEVER paid anything back from the original debt.
2. They claim to have never received anything back from the meter.
3. They tried in 2011/2012/2013/2014/2015 to apply the debt but were unsuccessful, ('sorry about that' the lady said) and NOW in 2016 having sent me a new keycard (to replace the one they originally set the debt up with) the debt has now started to deduct. (even though I am sure it's been paid!!!)

Now, this is where i have made a mistake, because I have never kept any of the prepayment statements, (which I have asked for copies of from N-Power now), so there is no way I think I can prove this as all the debt is set on the meter and wholly at the hands of N-Power to administer and THEN send you a yearly statement,

They have now declared the matter in deadlock as I mentioned I wanted to go to the Ombudsman!

It looks the onus is on me to prove somehow they are in the wrong. This cant be right, can it? Does anyone have any experience of this type of thing?

Folks, whataremyoptions?

Thanks if you made it this far!!

[charitynjw]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

Hi & welcome to LB.

From the info in your post it would seem that you have not yet exhausted all avenues of the complaints procedure yet.
N-Power can escalate your complaint for further consideration, & you can even email the Customer Services Director should you wish to do so.
You never know.......
https://customerservices.npower.com/...etail/a_id/694

[whataremyoptions]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

Hi charitynjw!

Thanks for this link. Looks like I could escalate further although the lady tonight was quite implicit that as the case was now 'Deadlock' (their term, not mine), I felt the implication was to go to OFGEM.

I'll try and see what happens

Thanks agian

[Diana M]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

I saw that the meter was no longer deducting anything and I checked the screens and it was reading £0 in debt and for payback.

I had assumed I had paid it off.

I remained a prepay customer no more deductions appeared.

It's now November 2016 and my meter miraculously starts deducting £10 per week, and a debt of £1166 has appeared on my meter.

. . . . . They claim to have never received anything back from the meter. They tried in 2011/2012/2013/2014/2015 to apply the debt but were unsuccessful, ('sorry about that' the lady said) and NOW in 2016 having sent me a new keycard (to replace the one they originally set the debt up with) the debt has now started to deduct. (even though I am sure it's been paid!!!)

If it's their mistake then I wonder whether the Back Billing Code would help you. This basically says they can't charge for more than the last 12 months' supply if it's their fault. This includes pre-payment meters.

Read about it here on the ofgem website > https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/h...ng-your-rights

Why have you been sent a new keycard, was the previous one faulty?

Once you've made your formal complaint in writing you can refer it to the Ombudsman Services - Energy. You can do that online here > https://www.ombudsman-services.org/energy.html

Di

[whataremyoptions]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

Hi Diana,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply (and read!) my post. The keycard wasn't faulty, it just arrived in the post as 'your new keycard' - I'm sure it had £10 of credit it on it, but I could be wrong.

I will explore the Back Billing Code and immediately submit my complaint in writing,

Although I didn't mention it in the first post, NPower did offer to reduce the bill by £100 as a 'measure of goodwill' tonight over the phone via the complaints team. I rejected it as I felt it was paltry to the overall sum.

Once again. many thanks!

[seduraed]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

I think it would be worth sending a sar (subject access request) to npower with the statutory fee of £10.

[whataremyoptions]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

HI All,

Just a quick update for you:

Since first contacting NPower about this, I have received a flurry of letters over 7-10 days ranging from a SAR form; where they want the £10 fee for all my previous payments in statement form, (I know this is the legal requirement to gain such documents), to a letter confirming that the case has been escalated to an executive Customer Relations team to the latest letter which is simply a print out of every payment made on my prepayment card deducting from the original total, (which you'd think is good, right?). I thought so too, but there is another column on the spreadsheet where a bill has been produced every quarter throughout the period and ADDED to the deducting total. (This where they are getting the debt from). Obviously as a prepayment customer, bills are not produced and electricity is payed for in advance with the debt deducted from the meter as programmed. I'm happy to post a few snaps from this spreadsheet, it isn't on NPower headed paper and has no KWh usage stats to back up the quarterly bill totals.

Today, I have had a call back from the Executive Customer team on behalf of the head of Customer Services, advising of the deadlock situation and that they would be willing to raise the compensation of £100 to £150. I have declined this as I am adamant that I have repaid this debt. I was then asked if I would be willing to negotiate any further amount off the debt!?! I stated unless NPower could categorically prove to me that I had not repaid this debt then I would be taking the complaint to OFGEM.

Interestingly I mentioned the Back Billing Code toward the end of the call, and did it apply? I was informed this had been looked into already in my complaint, (I haven't mentioned it AT ALL since being in contact with them), and was then informed my position would be relayed back to the CS Director and if she was willing to negotiate more then they would contact me again, if not I would receive NPower's decision in writing in 7-10 days from then I would be able to take this to OFGEM.

Still unsure as to how this is going to pan out but I still believe they are in error, and I have repaid this debt.

Thanks again to you all for taking the time to read and reply

[whataremyoptions]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

Hi All,

Like Star Wars...the Saga Continues

I've had NPower back on the phone tonight to up the offer of compensation to £300. Although they are still adamant that the issue is in deadlock and that I still owe them this money.

According to the chap on the phone (Manager of Executive Complaints Team) although I agreed to payback of £4.20 per week (on the meter it deducts this money from the credit balance on the meter from money I've topped up, so £4.20 debt + 10p apprx for the standing order per diem is about £4.90/£5 per week + around £5 per week usage - goes with the multiples of £10 I've added in the payment sheet they have provided, however, they are claiming that that whole ten pounds is being deducted from the original debt and then a quarterly bill is being produced for the electricity I have consumed - a completely different payback scheme to the one I was under the impression I was in - I queried the chap 'How can you produce a quarterly bill to a pre-payment customer' and 'how would that bill have manifested itself on a prepayment meter?' Both he couldnt answer and I had to stop the chap as he 'errrmed' and 'ummed' through some kind of, that's just the way it is type reply - I pointed out to him that agreeing terms and conditions of payback to only have another bill being produced 'on-the-fly' and with no informing of the customer, could be seen at best as professional incompetence and at worst, theft. He couldn't really comment on any of it and the call was left with him promising to send me every bill (without a SAR surcharge) - which will be interesting as I ONLY ever got an annual statement (God knows I WISH I had kept those now) and that 'there was no way we were ever going to agree' - He also stated again that the Back Billing code did not apply to me, but could not tell me why, just that it had been investigated and come back as non-applicable in my case - I told him that I would rather hear that from the Ombudsman over the supplier.

I suspect they are doing this in order to have me fold when they get to a level of, as they see it, acceptable compensation - again I told him without absolute proof then there is no way they will get a penny from me. This is now the 3rd time I have been called and I cannot proceed without the deadlock letter from NPower to take to OFGEM.

Can anyone give me anymore advice?

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[whataremyoptions]

Re: N-Power - Added £1170 debt to my prepayment meter

Hi Folks!

Happy to announce a result. After standing my ground, I have had a 4th call from the Executive Customer Services team and NPower have agreed to remove the debt rather than it be challenged by OFGEM - I havent had it in writing as yet and my prepayment meter is yet to remove the debt, however, I will let you all know when I receive it! Many many thanks to you for helping out - big relief and weight off my mind!! Thanks again x

[CraigJ]

Canny result!