Open Letter To NPower
24th September 2015
Dear NPower
I would like to thank you so much for your superb process in chasing customers for outstanding payments...it seems that you have a slick, streamlined process set up to ensure that you get back the money owed to you. However, you have a bit of a problem in the process, if you don't mind me saying so...you don't actually listen to your customer!
I have a rental property in Cornwall and my tenants moved out and notified you of this but not me. However, they failed to hand over the keys and they also left before the tenancy agreement terminated. The agreement provides that they will be responsible for any bills during the tenancy as is normal and customary, so they were responsible until the tenancy terminates. They also left owing me rent and other costs by the way, but that is my problem and not yours, so not directly relevant...it just illustrates what they are like I suppose.
Of course, I then started to receive bills from NPower claiming sums of money for gas and electricity based on estimated usage and so on. Realising that the tenants had incorrectly advised you of the situation, so not your fault at this stage, I called to let you know - I am kind of nice like that. Having being kept waiting in a call queue for around 45 minutes, listening to some God awful music on hold on a continuous loop, I finally got through to a chap, whose name escapes me. Did I mention that I was calling from overseas by the way? No, I forgot that detail; so not exactly ideal or cheap for me but hey. The chap who answered said 'all our operators in that department are busy right now, can I take a message and get someone to call you back?'. Sure, no problem I said.
So, I explained the situation - tenant gave wrong info, I have the correct dates and meter readings, please correct the bill and we are in good shape. I appreciate you calling me back as I am overseas right now and I don't really fancy sitting in a call wait queue for 45 minutes again to be perfectly frank with you. 'OK, no problem, it will take 5 days for them to call you back but I will pass on the message.'. 5 days...OK whatever? Of course, I never did get the promised callback...
Then the automated process of chasing for payment kicks in of course - 'you bad person, you owe us money...pay up now or something bad will happen to you!' This kind of letter.
OK, so they are too busy to answer the phone quickly and clearly can't be bothered to call me back, so what now I wonder? I know, I will email them instead! Nope, no email address anywhere...
So, I use snail mail instead and drop them a line..'Dear NPower, thanks for chasing me up for payment and all that...I will owe you for about a week's worth of electricity and gas for when the property was empty between official tenancies, here is the info you need, so please can you bill the outgoing tenants for their bit, me for my trickle or two and the incoming tenants for theirs? All dates, meter readings and forwarding addresses are enclosed.' Response...nada!
More chaser letters arrive...so I send a second letter - I determine that maybe they don't open their post at the last address (taken from the back of a bill) and instead write a similar letter to the first, addressing it the one shown on the 'you're in real trouble now sunshine' version instead. That should take care of it right? Response...zilch!
A few more weeks go by and the 'you're a bad person' letters turn into, 'you're really in for it now' instead. So, I take stock...telephone...nah...email...none...letters x 2...silence...what else can I do to get it through to these people? I have it...social media...everyone has a Facebook or Twitter account these days don't they? So, I find an NPower customer service Twitter account et voila!...that will get some attention right? Err...no, it seems not...2 unanswered tweets, the first saying 'can a real human please speak to me please' and the second saying 'this could get embarrassing for you in court' and guess what? Yep, zero response there too! What do we have to do to get through to these people and get them to listen I wonder?
Not really sure what else to do now, but then I get the 'you are obviously a low life and cannot be bothered to pay your bills pal, so we are washing our hands with you' letter, as I was handed over to not one, but two separate debt collection companies...well I was daft enough to have both gas and electric from NPower wasn't I!
However, now I see my chance...surely these debt collection agencies will have their own system and then perhaps I can talk to them instead? I did in fact call and the nice lady at the first company said: 'send us the info and a copy of your tenancy agreement and we will speak to NPower to clear it all up on your behalf'. Perfect thank you very much I say; they obviously have the Batphone there. So, I duly send copies of my previous letters and the old and new tenancy agreements - never mind the admin and time involved on my part, I know that NPower are very important and need the belt and braces approach, so I will duly comply.
Guess what? Yes, now my case has been handed over to yet another company to issue court proceedings against me, as clearly I am 'a complete reprobate, have been given ample time and numerous chances to pay by several departments and external agencies and there is just no hope for me whatsoever - watch out for your credit rating kiddo!'
That's about where the story is right now...today is 24th September and this whole saga began back in March. Six months so far and besides that first chap taking a message, I have not managed to make myself heard anywhere in NPower's vicinity whatsoever.
It seems to me that NPower will not be satisfied until I am crushed under their mighty feet and cast off beyond the pale and into the abyss and all because my former tenants did a cheeky runner and they can't be sullied to talk to me about this.
Well, NPower - I may have to see you in court then and indeed I will take great delight in telling the judge, magistrate or whoever this whole saga. Will you be paying my expenses for time, travel and inconvenience for doing so? I am no legal eagle. but surely a valid defence against a bill is that you are not the person liable to pay? We are in the UK aren't we...not some variation of Orwell's 1984 Big Brother scape...?
So, mighty NPower...I am only a small cog and perhaps you don't really want to speak to me after all...which is perfectly fine and understandable I can assure you. However, could you do me just one courtesy, please? Could you actually try and listen to your little customers when they are trying to help you to operate your mega-business and collect the money so richly deserved for all of that lovely gas and electricity you provide? In the meantime, I am in the process of switching all supply away from NPower in my other properties...some of which have by my standards fairly significant bills I can tell you. I just need to find a supplier with some actual humans working for them now...any suggestions...no, not from you NPower system bots thanks!?
Meanwhile, I guess I will just have to see you in court now I guess...if you have any humans that will actually show up that is!
Yours faithfully
Richard Brown
Customer refs: 000174758409 & 000174758391