npower most complained about supplier in 2013

More complaints were made about npower than any other large energy supplier last year, finds Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland.

Annual figures reveal npower was firmly at the bottom of the energy complaints league table every quarter in 2013 and has been since the end of 2012.

The consumer bodies are concerned that despite acknowledging over a year ago that its new billing system is causing problems for consumers there has not been any improvement in complaint numbers.

Bills arriving late, payments being stopped and new accounts not being set up are just some of the problems npower customers are experiencing with the new billing system.

The latest energy complaints league table, published today by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, based on complaints made in October to December 2013 finds:

• npower received 306 complaints for every 100,000 customers meaning one in every 326 customers made a complaint to npower.

• Ten times as many complaints were made about npower compared to SSE, who topped the table with 31 complaints per 100,000 customers.   

• Three times as many complaints were made about npower than the second worst performing supplier, Scottish Power.

• Scottish Power slipped from being the second best performing supplier in June to September 2013 to the second worst in the following three months.  

• There were twice as many complaints about npower by the end of 2013 compared to the start of last year.

Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said:

“Things are getting worse not better for npower customers.  It is unacceptable that npower has not yet sorted out the serious failings in its billing systems and customer service which are causing so many complaints and serious problems for its customers.  

“For well over a year now some npower customers have been finding their finances thrown into chaos.  Some are not receiving bills and others are ending up in debt because their direct debit was cancelled.  Citizens Advice has asked npower to make sure people affected get any appropriate compensation.

“Time and time again energy suppliers are letting customers down.  People will not feel able to trust energy suppliers again if firms cannot get their house in order and deliver decent customer service.”

Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Scotland Margaret Lynch said:

"Fuel poverty is a particular issue in Scotland, due to the colder climate and the poor quality of housing stock in many rural areas. The CAB service sees so many people now who are simply unable to pay their bills. Many have to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table.  All of the fuel companies need to do more to put consumers first."

Citizens Advice has released new advice tips today specifically for npower customers urging them to make a complaint and highlighting that energy suppliers cannot back-bill for energy used more than 12 months ago.

Consumer Futures, who previously released the energy complaints league table, became part of Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland in April 2014.

The graph below shows a consistently high level of complaints about npower.

The table below is the league table with best performing big six supplier at the top, and worse at the bottom.

Tips for energy customers

• Complain to your energy supplier as soon as you experience a problem.

• If you have not received a bill but are expecting one, try to put money aside to you are able to pay when you do eventually get the bill.

• Energy companies are only allowed to back bill for energy you used in the last 12 months, anything older than that should be written-off where the supplier is at fault.  

• Ask for some sort of compensation for the time you spent on trying to sort out problems and the financial impact of late billing for example reduce the balance of the bill and cover the cost of phone calls.  

• Suppliers must take into account ability to pay when setting debt repayment levels.  

• You can get advice from the Citizens Advice energy consumer line on 08454 04 05 06.

• If you are struggling to resolve your complaint you can raise it with the energy ombudsman on 0330 440 1624.

Notes to editors:

1. Data is weighted ratio per 100,000 customers.  Weightings have been allocated to reflect the seriousness of the complaint and the time and effort spent by the consumer to get their problem resolved. The weightings in the model place greater emphasis on situations where the consumer has had to repeatedly contact their supplier, or another agency, because the company has failed to deal with their problem. The measures used in the model are outlined in the methodology .

2. 2.Citizens Advice now holds Consumer Futures a statutory duty to provide information to consumers. The performance model to accurately illustrate relative energy company performance which will give consumers access to the information they need to make informed switching decisions. We believe it is essential that the performance model reflects all elements of the new complaint handling regime and uses a basket of measures including those from independent bodies.

3. This year the Citizens Advice service celebrates its 75th anniversary. We’ve planned a year of activity running from January to December 2014. Contact the press office to find out more.

4. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .

5. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

6. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk . You can also get advice online at www.adviceguide.org.uk

7. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers

8. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 6.6 million problems from April 2012 to March 2013. For full 2012/2013 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends

9. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 22,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.