Npower are notorious for inaccurate bills and have been fined recently for their disastrous record in sorting out errors. (details in the Saturday Telegraph the other week - here's a link. tinyurl.com/je4b9p3)

I think Avant is spot-on.

I would ask for the refund, bank it and get interest, but not spend it.

Ok--many thanks--the latest on this for anyone interested.....

1) My credit is now £2994 ...yippee....but but

2) A bill has been promised after 3 february meter reads...,,,,yes 3!....my on line account screen apologises for the "winter bill" being late.The Npower advisor I spoke to this morning assures me that she will generate a bill for me within 5 days. I am not hopeful.

3) Npower advisor admitted that the £2994 credit showing was a glitch--and that other account holders were likewise in credit ...I stayed quiet on hearing this.

4) Npower is comfortable with my useage history--I am using 10% less energy this winter. They need no further information (meter reads etc)from me.

5) I have the option of switching internally to another tariff--but before that can take place-a bill has to be generated. Should I leave the company--that can also not happen until a bill has been generated!

6) My issue and associated options would all be resolved if i can force the company to issue to issue a bill-but it seems the accounts department is imploding.

Anybody else out there as mucked up as me here?

Add Sky TV to that list, like trying to get rid of ticks.

Phew--this has taken 6 months to sort out--but things are just about ok now after a complaint and an account reboot.

Looking at my latest bill -with all meter reads and anomalies "sorted" has left me with an acceptable £214 credit -that's fine. HOWEVER on the bill itself the following figures are totally FOXING

!) "How your cost is split" shows an annual figure of £1642

2) "Your predicted use" shows an annual figure of £1807.

3) The attached dual fuel useage predict chart shows an annual figure £1447.

I am not a mathematics expert-but logic dictates that all the above figures should be the same. (I am prepared to accept that the £1642 might be an annual arrears-but if it is--why doesn't it say so?).

I can't help thinking that if i got a petrol bill after a fill up in a garage with an annual usage split figure, a predictive use figure and a projective use figure with a few standing charges thrown in I would think the oil companies had gone off their rockers

Energy companies need to start living in the real world.

I like this approach. That way you avoid the constant revisions in monthly dual fixed (ha ha ha!) tarrifs caused by seasonal influences. You just pay AS YOU USE. Maybe these multiple price fix tarrifs are just marketing ploys to make people feel good?

Their latest trick is an instant automatic request/invitation to raise, retain or lower your monthly payment on submission of meter readings. However-If your useage is down and they recomend a reduction, this will take into account built up credit( for the next winter quarter)-so it's a neat way of Npower banking your credit. Beware though--your payments will escalate next winter because you've not built up credit!

Honestly-do they think their customers are m****s?

To be honest (and in my opinion, based on media reports, stories from friends/family/here and personal experience), most utility firms are rubbish, and adequate at best. I changed when I moved into my flat 10 years ago from Powergen to SSE, and generally have had a decent-ish customer service experience. I admit I may have been lucky.

They appear to have a better, and more understandable billing service than the likes on nPower, who have regularly come bottom in the 'big 6' customer service rankings and feature on BBC Watchdog etc with tales of customers' woes related to billing problems. I'm still amazed to this day how a firm providing only a handful of basic/straightforward services to the consumer, with a known regular payment method and way of checking usage can get things so wrong in this day and age. You have to wonder at the quality of their management/staff at all levels. Steering clear of them is, in my view, sound advice. They'll either get the message and change for the better, or go out of business.

update on our present energy suppliers, Zog for gas, Robin Hood for leccy.

Zog continue to be efficient and pleasant to deal with, following the fitting of a new boiler last year the bills have dropped considerably, easily viewed because Zog send an annual usage report in bar graph form showing the last 2 years usage, simple to understand even for a clot like me. We noticed the account credit was increasing thanks to this so i sent them an email asking to reduce the DD, within half an hour a pleasant email came back confirming DD reduction and refund of all but about £50 of credit, arrived in our bank the same night....full marks Zog.

Robin Hood's electric billing is a joy after nPowers mumbo jumbo, i send reading and its taken by variable dd a couple weeks later, nothing could be simpler. Staff pleasant on the phone and sorted out a long standing address of meter issue that no one else could over the last 14 years in 5 minutes flat. Only been with them since Jan or Feb but this is likely to be a long term arrangement just as with Zog for gas.

Cheerio big 6, never again.

As for nPower, the final final bill of £30 was finally deducted so i cancelled the DD at my bank, had an email from nPower telling me i'd cancelled said DD so they wouldn't be able to take the regular payment...the irony of that is probably lost on them..:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 04/06/2016 at 23:26

I've suffered my year of Scottish Power who can't even get billing right for credit customers.

Back to M&S (SSE) as they are cheapest for my preferred method of payment and I was with them for 2 years previously with no issues whatsoever.

Only downside is OFGEM banned incentives for switching tarriffs, so no more M&S vouchers for choosing them!

Coincidentally I have just been dealing with much the same thing with Npower. Suspecting my monthly direct debit for dual fuel is too high I took it up with them and they suggested taking meter readings and asking for a special bill based on that.

Unfortunately for me it turned out they were right - the direct debit amount is in fact slightly too low.

But if anyone who is paying by monthly direct debit suspects their supplier is getting it wrong and is unfairly hanging on to their money, that is the way to deal with it.