Npower are harassing us

[Jalil]

Dear Forum, hope you are all well.

For many years, npower have been harrasing my mother and I, with billing that is being based on estimates. They have took meter readings yet have never based their bills on them. The bills are totalling into £7000+ for dual fuel. I have written to then, emailed them, talked over the phone, even went through Citizen's Advice and the Ombudsman (to no avail), yet I am fed up and ill thanks to their ignorant behaviour, false promises and threatening letters. Their admin, as we all know, is horrendous.

They have promised many times to send a payment plan and reduce the billing, but they have failed, ignored my ongoing payments and increased my bills for both gas and electricity. They are on the verge of taking legal action and I am very scared. The add insult to injury, they have started taking £19 from my mother's benefits every week, WITHOUT HER CONSENT!!!

I have asked for help from many agencies such as the CAB, but to no avail. Every so-called agency favours the rich these days. Please can you advise me if there a means to stop npower and change supplier, as my mother's health has been severely affected by this. If the legal route is the only option, is there a possibility of legal aid? I implore you for help. Thank you.

[ostell]

So what excuse have they given for taking the £19?

So these bills are for a period of years where Npower got it wrong and there was no blocking their attempts to read the meter?

There is an "agreement" with the power companies that they can't claim for more than 12 months worth of bills if the error was made by them.

[ostell]

But there is already that facility on OFGEM for disputes with power companies

[islandgirl]

I assume you would have to pay for Romanov and Pitt...arbitration is possibly not the way forward and as Ostell says there is the free Ofgem service. I have had a dispute with a different power company re a huge bill when closing an account on a property I sold. I did a SAR and discovered that they had changed the rates I was being charged numerous times up and down and not given any notification. I worked the bill out at one of the rates and paid it in full and final settlement. This is ongoing but they did ring recently and say that they would settle for that though nothing in writing yet so not holding my breath.
As for Npower - wIthout a court order how are they taking money - the £19 - from benefits. Usually £5 would be the max though it can be higher on UC. Has it been to court??? There must be more to the story.

[ostell]

No, in this case it is a dispute that is not going anywhere a dispute that has reached deadlock and hence the FREE submission to Ofgem to arbitrate on the matter

[ostell]

So it would seem that he did not follow the correct procedure and get a deadlock letter first before going to the ombudsman

however this site does not approve of commercialism.