This morning I opened a letter from Npower that had been misdirected to site so was a least a month old, welcoming me as a new customer and thanking me for switching suppliers.
This brought me out in a cold sweat, I had applied for gas and electricity meters about 4-5 weeks ago with Npower and had assumed all was proceeding normally. I had naively selected them because I thought I could get the last of the 'fixed deals', yeah right.
Phoning Npower is time consuming, average waiting time 10-15mins, I have spent days trying to speak to someone in vain, managed to get through on 3rd attempt today, pretty good.
Call centre explained that my application for meters had got 'stuck' in the registration process, Npower were having problems with their system and could give no timescale in resolving it 'could be weeks could be months'. I explained that I was desperate for a meter installation, why could they not advise me of the situation sooner? Letters had gone out but seems like I got a welcome pack by mistake, telling me to relax all was being taken care of and what my tariffs were etc. all totally fictional
The guy tells me there are 40,000 applications stuck in their system, but since I was not yet a customer (telling me to throw away the Wecome letter) I should perhaps go elewhere.
At this point all the horror
stories of people waiting 6months for a supply seemed closer to the truth.
I imagined all the new houses being built at the moment and the big housebuilders block booking connections. Tried the British Gas website Closed to all new applications this is beginning to look bad.
Tried e.on by phone and after a 4 minute wait and a transfer spoke to Yvonne and with baited breath asked about the all important lead times; 10 days for electric, 2 days for gas - I thought I misheard whhooopeeee back of the net!
I said your accent is familiar, I am from Leicester, I was born in Leicester, were you really and reverts to a broader Leicester accent, later during some ID checks date of birth? Same as me. I am falling in love with this woman or maybe she is some kind of hoaxer still on the line from Npower, did they put the receiver down - is this a scam.
Pantomime Season
Have had a slight problem with the disconnected electricity supply for 68 Upper Perry Hill.
The cable was severed by Western Power (who just deal with the cables) the building knocked down, the meter trashed.
Western Power did not record the fact that the supply was cut and service discontinued so OVO were continuing to bill me since June (OK I have been busy - lax I know).
To get a new meter one needs the all important IPAN no. which is a unique reference to every supply. In my case the database showed I was still supplied by OVO so I did not need a new meter! OVO quickly understood the situation that the building no longer existed, never mind the meter and closed my account based on a meter reading I took at disconnection and promised to contact Western Power to get the database updated.
It has been 2 weeks since the request so I contacted OVO.
OVO are small energy supplier (too small to install meters - this is left to the Big 6) and they have an office close to St Mary Redcliffe with telephones operated by very nice Sloane Ranger type accents, deffo no Bristolians. One has to explain the complex problem in detail every time and then this has to be referred to a supervisor for a 5 min musak interlude.
OVO report that the database shows that the supply has been dis-connected (hurrah) but OVO is still shown as the supplier, but Chloe says my account has been closed so this is OK, I protest but give up I've had too much musak for now.
Phone Western Power for the IPAN no. they are reusing the old one - OK seems fine.
Phone Yvonne at e.on in Leicester cannot fix a meter - OVO are shown as supplier.
Phone OVO and get transferred to Meter Department - not possible to reuse the old IPAN the cable was dug up and the new supply is coming from a different direction, he will contact Western Power to sort it.
Phoned back after only 4mins Western Power have booked the job as an alteration so the same IPAN number has been kept.
I think about switching suppliers so that e.on can install 2 gas and 2 electric meters but the change over would take at least 6 weeks plus 10 day lead time for the meter.
So I have to 'pretend' that OVO are still my supplier and they can 'pretend' to move the meter to the new position. If anyone notices that there is no existing meter then remember that OVO are not allowed to install a new one. All shout ; ITS BEHIND YOU
I go for an unwanted dental appointment at 2.30pm and find it relaxing, but realise i've ticked nothing off my list
No comments:
Post a Comment