Powergen nightmare....

[poppynurse]

In August I received a bill from Powergen, I have both gas and electric with them. They said I had overpaid them by £900 (by direct debit). I couldn't believe my luck so I read both meters and rang them. They took both meter readings and confirmed that I had indeed overpaid and lowered my monthly direct debit figure. I asked them to double check....they said yes you have definately overpaid. I got my £900 paid into the bank and went happily shopping.
Today I got an electric bill saying I owe £700.....
I rang them and they said yes I had overpaid on my gas but the operator had not looked at my electric account, they had a record of me phoning with both meter readings but the operator had not acted on them. They said I had not had an electric bill for over a year but they couldn't tell me why. The end result is I am now in debt due to their errors and they want to massively increase my direct debit.
I am livid as I took great care to check that I had overpaid and was assured that I had and was entitled to the refund....which I have spent....what can I do??

[Surfer01]

Advise Powergen it is in dispute and that they should hold off and get onto Energywatch and advise them what has happened. I would not be suprised if PowerGen then reduced the amount owing substantially as they can afford to do so as at the moment they are making the biggest profit they have ever made on power as the prices have dropped substantially over the past year but has never been passed onto the consumer. I think this smells of colusion r price fixing.

[poppynurse]

I wrote to Powergen directors office and recieved a letter back saying sorry our mistake but tough you owe us the money. I am about to send them this....

Thank you for your letter dated 22.10.07 following my complaint of 10.10.07.

However, I am very disappointed that, despite acknowledging that the errors were on your part, you have failed to offer anything more than an apology.

I am now, through no fault of my own, in debt to you completely unnecessarily following the refund of £880 that I questioned but was assured several times was correct. I was told repeatedly that I owed you absolutely nothing but then within a few weeks I was told that you had made an error and I owed you £614.18.

I still feel that this is completely unacceptable and ask you to consider again writing off this balance. The offer of allowing me to pay it off over two years is derisory considering that I was assured several times that I owed nothing at all.

Anything else I can add/do???

[shywazz]

I appricate and understand how you must be feeling, yes there have made a mistake, every1 does now and then, Take the opition of repaying over the next 2 years unless you have the means to pay in full. or seek a pre-pay meter to cover the moneys owed, and keep the gas on the DD

Asking them to right the debt off, for what reasons are you requesting such?
Due to them making a mistake!!!!
Yes a mistake has been made, this has now been recified and you are aware of the costs that are payable, this mistake isn't grounds to get the bill wiped clean, otherwise everyone would be doing the same. Most you could be looking at is a time scale to re-pay the moneys you owe them for services there have provided you with, which there have offered.

Food for thought .........
Evereyone thinks that just because there pay bills by DD that there don't have to keep an eye on such, even if you pay by this method, always keep an eye on your usage and whats been paid and how much is been used, look at bills sent to you, and take your own readings to ensure there match to the one the bill states. Get your DD payments rised or lowered dependant on useage every year.

[tr03bor]

Originally Posted by shywazz

I appricate and understand how you must be feeling, yes there have made a mistake, every1 does now and then, Take the opition of repaying over the next 2 years unless you have the means to pay in full. or seek a pre-pay meter to cover the moneys owed, and keep the gas on the DD

Asking them to right the debt off, for what reasons are you requesting such?
Due to them making a mistake!!!!
Yes a mistake has been made, this has now been recified and you are aware of the costs that are payable, this mistake isn't grounds to get the bill wiped clean, otherwise everyone would be doing the same. Most you could be looking at is a time scale to re-pay the moneys you owe them for services there have provided you with, which there have offered.

Food for thought .........
Evereyone thinks that just because there pay bills by DD that there don't have to keep an eye on such, even if you pay by this method, always keep an eye on your usage and whats been paid and how much is been used, look at bills sent to you, and take your own readings to ensure there match to the one the bill states. Get your DD payments rised or lowered dependant on useage every year.

I agree, most powergen will of is probaly off is 10% off the bill.

[IdaInFife]

Poppynurse......contact energywatch.

Due to their fault you are in debt and you took enough action to enure you shouldn't have been in this position.

I would send letter back asking then to reduce the bill by at least 50 % and pay the reamined off over the two years they suggest and if they fail to respond you will be talking to enerywatch.


Idax

[tr03bor]

Originally Posted by IdaInFife

Poppynurse......contact energywatch.

Due to their fault you are in debt and you took enough action to enure you shouldn't have been in this position.

I would send letter back asking then to reduce the bill by at least 50 % and pay the reamined off over the two years they suggest and if they fail to respond you will be talking to enerywatch.


Idax

This is not the right process, energywatch will refer her back to powergen.

They will not wipe 50% of the bill off.

I'd suggest calling powergen ask for a manager and try to get at least 10% knocked off.

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Oh dear, I've just switched to Powergen.

However, I was with Scottish Power and when I switched I was in credit. They then sent a bill for £43.14 with no itemised bill but just a bill saying I owe this amount.

I've refused to pay until I know how this was calculated and they won't tell me but have threatened legal action!

The blighters.

Maybe I should just drop a bill into somebody's letter box and demand £50 but not tell them why and then threaten them with the law!

[IdaInFife]

I was saying ask for 50%, Didn't say poppynurse would get that.

Most companies now dealing with complaints will send an apology letter in response unless you otherwise ask for something in your letter.

If poppynurse asks for 50% then hopefully they would reply offerring a realistic percentage off!

Idax

[Surfer01]

There seems to be some conflicting advice on this so I suggest we start right at the beginning and determine the price that you agreed to when "signing up" for the contract. I am assuming that you agreed to supply at least two or more years ago. Then check for updates from PowerGen when you should have perhaps been advised that the price was due to increase. If you are unable to find any, challenge the PowerGen stating that you never received any notification of any increases therefore any increases that they passed onto you without your knowledge are illegal. You want a new bill based on the price you were paying two or more years ago. Put the onus on PowerGen to produce proof that they had sent notification of the increase to yourself. This should significantloy reduce the bill. If they send you an updated bill with a lower price only then demand compensation for stress and misleading information otherwise you are going to take it to Energywatch. Incidentally if the amount being disputed has accummalated over a period of several or more months, then powerGen are obliged to give to give you the ssame period to repay any outstanding balance. If they state this is incorrect refer them to Energywatch. hopefully this will go someway towards helping you resolve the issue.

[tr03bor]

Price increase letters are sent out to all customer not matter what tarrif they are on, also they are not reqiured to prove you had the letters, only that they sent it, which they will have.

[poppynurse]

I'm confused - it was nothing to do with price increases, it was down to them crediting all my payments to my gas account and them forgetting that I had an electricity account despite me providing readings for both gas and electric - they admit it was their cock up on three points
1. failing to send me a electricity bill for over a year
2. system error - somehow the two accounts that were linked (gas and leccy) became unlinked (they say the electric accoutn was hidden behind the gas and the operatives should have spotted it
3. their operatives cocked up by sending me a letter saying i had overpaid and again when i phoned with meter readings by failing to notice the electric account or act on the reading