Powergen and other spawn of the devil...

[bupster]

I know this is nothing to do with gardening or allotments, but I thought I'd ask anyway  :). I have a wonderful bank, First Direct, and lovely credit card people, the Co-op, who both provide great service. They've refunded charges imposed because I've made a mistake, and because I was out of the country, and I always end up laughing on the phone and glad I rang them.

Powergen on the other hand... My quarterly bill has just shot up from £63 to £430 because of their mistakes - apparently our local meter readers are one-eyed chimpanzees who just pick a number, any number  :D. I've given up protesting or expecting an apology and will just pay the bill (slowly... hee hee), but I would now like to change my provider. I don't mind about saving money on my bill; I just want good service. Have other people on the board tried other electricity providers? Who are the most helpful?

[bupster]

[katynewbie]

I know just how you feel Bupster!! Have had similar things happen myself and have come to the conclusion that they are much of a muchness!

Best company does not exist IMHO, but I changed to NPower last year and they have not messed up yet!!

Also best deal depends on what you have..dual fuel deals are good if you have both gas and electricity. I am all electric and have economy 7 and they are more or less the same on that.

Pay them 1p per month and walk off whistling!!

[Svea]

interesting. i have found powergen much more helpful than NPower who we were with before.
i have the energy online account where i can take my own meter readings and they supply the bills. it's obviously in my own interest to read the meter correctly, isnt it? we had a DD for £50 a month but that proved too much, it's now been reduced to £35 and i asked for the £200ish pounds overpayment back which they credited the next day.

so i can only say good things about powergen thus far.

sorry to hear your experience was anything but

[lottief]

We are with Green Energy UK who so far have been very helpful and efficient.

Re: Powergen - I was recently made angry by their door to door marketing. We were vistied by a very pushy salesman who did not want to take no for an answer.

[Heldi]

I've been with Npower for 4 years. Have had no reason to have any contact with them what so ever. Pay by DD. Scan the bills when they come in and forget about it until the next time. I like it that way.
Having said that, I've had nothing to querie so don't know how they would respond.

British Gas have very persistant sales people. They won't take no for an answer either. One even stopped me in the street on my way to pick up my son from school. I told him I wasn't interested. Thought "Well atleast I'll not get a knock on the door now."  They came back later that evening. Grrrrrrr!

[bupster]

I did think Powergen were wonderful when they too told me I'd been overpaying on my direct debit and should have £200 quid back. But apparently the meter reader got it wrong. Twice. Possibly went to wrong house. Possibly read gas meter by accident, or filled in his lottery numbers. Grrr.

So the jury's out on NPower? Haven't heard of Green Energy UK, are they expensive?

[CotswoldLass]

There have been quite a few complaints about Powergen recently....can't recall which paper it was but sure a Google search would bring up some results.

I stuck with ol' British Gas and whatever out electric provider is (Southern?). Mainly as I hate filling out forms and hate sales talk!

CLx

[lottief]

Green Energy does cost a little bit more but when we switched we also changed the lightbulbs to low energy ones so the actual difference has worked out at less than £2.00 per month and the energy is from renewable sources.

This is their website
http://www.greenenergy.uk.com/

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've been with Npower for several years, I'm not thrilled with them, but I'm not changing because I hate companies which send out pushy salesmen, and they all do it round here. One once came from Eastern Electric, or some such name, and pushed my wife into changing. I pay the bills, and insisted on changing back because I was peed off with their tactics already, and won't be bullied. So I phoned them up and cancelled it. They changed us over illegally anyway, which was a common ploy at the time. So I left it over a year, until they were on the point of cutting us off, then wrote to the regulator and forced them to change us back. I refused to pay them a penny; I hadn't asked for their electric, so I had no legal obligation to pay for it.

[mc55]

I've been with NPower for 3 years or so ... don't really have any quibbles.  Estimated bill arrives, I check meter and call or e the real reading, revised bill arrives a couple of days later.  They owed me around £300 in over payments one time and when I called to see about reducing the DD they offered a refund, which arrived extremely quickly - only slight problem the dippy rep managed to cancel the DD and it took me two goes to set it up again - which means that my £50 yearly discount (dual fuel & DD payment) was disrupted ... grr ... but has just risen to £60 (although of course so have their charges !).

Find their staff extremely polite and helpful unlike the MORONS AT NTL  ... grr, don't get me started .. [mc stomps off to lower blood pressure]

[Roy Bham UK]

I change my duel supplier about every 18months if I spot a decent saving after putting my details through "simply switch". The last time I checked London Energy, plus a couple of others were cheaper than "Powergen" whom I am with at the moment. :)

http://www.simplyswitch.com/index.html

[Paulines7]

There is a price comparison site at:  http://www.ukpower.co.uk/default.asp
We changed to Scottish Power as it worked out cheaper for us.  They have been very good.  I just have to remember to put the meter reading details into their site periodically.  We pay a monthly amount by Direct Debit.

[Roy Bham UK]

;D Thank you Pauline :) I have added that link to my favourrites so I can double check "Simply Switch" ;D

Dan if you are looking in the Spell checker can't rectify 'Favorites' ::)

[froglets]

Sitting here grinning,

NPower were using seriously dodgy tactics round here to convert people - I have to deal with contracts for work & it took me a while to spot what they were up to so what chance have the trusting amongst us?

I'm with PowerGen but had a surreal conversation with one of their call centre people last year.  I checked my bills & realised they had undercharged me as we'd been doing serious DIY ( power tools, arc lights, kettle for tea).  The vary nice operator apologised & said they'd ignored their meter readers reading because it didn't seem right, but if I put the figure in myself, they'd use thay - so even they don't think the people they pay to read the meters are any good.

I sometimes borrow a desk in a room where they take Post Office counters calls for the bank accounts people get benefits paid into - those operators have the patience of saints and try to stay cheery even though they get the same calls again and again.  Respect.

[bupster]

Powergen has outsourced its helplines to India and its meter readers as well (not to India - possibly to Regents Park zoo).

[bupster]

OK, Powergen have just given me a 60 quid rebate for no reason that I can fathom and British Gas have crashed my computer. I give up.  :)