Npower

[littledotty27]

Hi

 

I'm looking for a bit of advise re npower.

I had been on a payment plan of £40pm since 2003 & was always at work when called for meter reading. Sometimes I forgot to leave card out when requested (usually due to rushing to work & kids etc), up until the last 3/4 yrs i've always cellotaped the reading on the card to the window,so majority of my electric bills have been estimated from 2003 to roughly 2008. I have never received a bill in the post either for a few years now.

 

I have just been on npowers website & signed up to check my bill online,I have managed to look at my bills from Jun 09 up to mar this year & they are all estimed apart from 2 of them between jun & oct last year.

I was put on a payment plan last year to pay £60pm as I was going to be cut off as a pre pay meter wasn't sufficient to install. I have not been able to keep up with payment plan due to lack of work.

I have now had a letter to say they are going to obtain warrant of entry and they want at least £143 a month to cover the debt.

I have told them I can't afford,I already have other debts with mortgage & council tax.

How do things lie if you can't afford what they want you to pay? Will they take into consideration an income & expenditure budget form? I'm really at a loss on what to do

Any advice

[mattlamb]

If you have left your readings on the window for when the meter-reader comes back, NPOwer should have used your reading. If they haven't, that is incompetence on their part.

 

I would check yourbills to see if the meter number quoted on them tallys up with that on the actual meter. That may well explain why the bills keep getting estimated, ie: the readings you provide you don't fall in line with those that that have been used by NPower.

 

Do you still have a copy of the old bills? Can you understand how the debt ahs arisen if you do. I ask this because some utility bills seem to be nonsensical (and these are invariably wrong!)

[MARTIN3030]

Arrears and avoiding disconnection

 

If you have electricity arrears, you risk having your electricity supply cut off. However, it is very unusual to be disconnected if you fail to pay your electricity bills.

If you have electricity arrears, you may also have other debts which need to be dealt with. You should seek the help of an experienced adviser, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.

Steps your supplier must follow before disconnecting you

 

An electricity supplier must follow standard licence conditions, one of which sets out how it deals with customers who have difficulty paying. An electricity supplier cannot issue a disconnection notice until at least 28 days after issuing a bill. You must be given at least seven days notice of disconnection. If you can't pay your bill, contact your supplier straight away. You should be offered an arrangement to pay off the arrears at a rate you can afford. If you can't afford to pay off the arrears in this way, they must offer to install a prepayment meter – see under heading Meters.

Some groups of customers may have extra protection from being disconnected. This may apply to you if you:

 

• are of pensionable age
  
• have long-term ill-health
  
• are disabled
  
• have severe financial problems.
  

[nottslad]

You mention they didn't send a bill in the post for a number of years, have they given any reason for this?

[14Steve14]

Dont forget that in most cases an arrangement total made by the utility company will include the current usage and the debt.