Good Energy

[Stonehead]

I suspect I'm not alone in having considered or actually making the decision to go with a renewables only electricity supplier like Good Energy.

However, we've had more than three years of hassle with the company, culminating in my submtting an official complaint to EnergyWatch, copied to my MP and MSP, today.

As EnergyWatch uses a form to submit complaints, I cut and pasted my complaint into an email that I then sent to Good Energy. (I haven't been able to get through to the call centre all morning as I get stuck with an intermineable hold message, which is why I've been able to write long posts!)

However, my email to Good Energy bounced back as the email address on their letter is not valid!!!

Anyway, here's the email to Good Energy:

I've just received a final demand (again and more than a year after I paid the previous one) from Good Energy. I tried calling the call centre on 0845 601 1410, but after listening to a recorded message for 40 minutes, I gave up.

I then contacted EnergyWatch to register a complaint against Good Energy.

Details as follows:

What is your complaint about?

I signed up with Good Energy (then Unite) when I lived in Skipton, North Yorkshire, and set up a direct debit to pay the bill.
In fact, at first, they sent us a letter saying we'd opted to pay in arrears by cheque or cash - even though we'd set up a direct debit.
The direct debit was then paid a couple of times, then the money stopped going out. I complained, thought it had been sorted and then discovered it hadn't. This rumbled on for some time.
We then moved to our current address and stayed with Good Energy. Again, we had problems with getting the correct amount taken out via direct debit.
Every time we spoke with Good Energy, they had no record of our previous contacts, and by January 2005 it was obvious the stuffups meant our account was seriously in arrears. So we paid £300 on 22 January to catch up, kept paying the direct debits and initiated a change of electricity suppliers, which went through in April).
We then received a final notice from Good Energy dated 14 June 2005, demanding £214.78 within seven days. A further demand, dated 28 June, arrived a couple of weeks later.
Aside from our communications to change suppliers, we had had no other communications from Good Energy.
Upon receiving the final demand, I contacted Good Energy, re-informed an Alice Waltham - 01249 766090 - of the whole sorry mess (which wasn't on record apparently) and paid £214.78 via bank transfer to 57-02-34 00000000.
I thought that would be the end of it.
However, today I received another final demand from Good Energy. This time for £97.64.
The demand stated that we had been sent a bill and two reminders. We have had NO communications from Good Energy between 28 June 2005 and today, 20 November 2006, and we have never ignored a bill from any company. We always pay on time, usually by direct debit, debit card or bank transfer.
When I'd read the demand that arrived today, I tried to telephone Good Energy but after 40 minutes listening to an interminable on-hold message, I decided to complain.
The difference between Good Energy and our current electricity provider, Scottish Hydro, is so marked as to defy belief. When we switched, Scottish Hydro was a model of efficiency, has kept us informed of any changes needed to our direct debits, and their communications on all matters (including blackouts, line repairs, tree topping) has been impeccable.
Green Energy on the other hand has been a disaster from start to finish - and as we've found there seems to be no finish.

What did you say?

I have been unable to contact them by phone today to say what I think, but I am emailing them with a copy of this complaint using the address on their demand - enquiries@good-energy.co.uk. I'm also posting them a copy, but as they plan to take further action against us with 14 days of the date of the letter (14 November 2006), then I want to get this moving ASAP.

What did they say?

Nothing this time. In the past, every single telephone call has been along the lines of "We have no record of your complaint/problems/queries". I then explain everything again, get the situation sorted (I think) and then discover the problem has either happened again or something else has gone wrong.

As I signed up with Good Energy after finding it as a recommended, all-renewables supplier on the LibDem website, I've also copied it to them - pointing out that endorsing inept businesses could backfire on the party.

I'm now about to go and post a snail-mail copy of my complaint to Good Energy, but going today's experiences (and past ones) I have little confidence in it getting through and action being taken!

Avoid Good Energy, no matter how green they seem. It is simply not worth the long-term hassle.

Anyway, I'm giving up on waiting on hold for now so no more posts for a while while I have lunch and do some real jobs!

[Stonehead]

Both my MP and MSP have already been in touch. Very impressive response times!

[Stonehead]

Oh, and be aware that under the law you are liable to pay whatever the utility company says you owe them - regardless of their errors!

[Andy Hamilton]

I decided to change to eco-tricity and have found them ok. I always opt to pay bills when they come in rather than DD.

Although I have tried to contact both good energy and ecotricity for afliate scheme, aparently ssish can get £10 for everyone who signs up through us. After calls and emails I have had to give us as they just don't send me the information through.

[Shirley]

What a nightmare!

Good to hear that you got responses back from the MP and MSP so quickly

I'm somewhat concerned about your comment

Oh, and be aware that under the law you are liable to pay whatever the utility company says you owe them - regardless of their errors!

I had no idea that this was the case. No doubt it's harder to get the money back from them once you've actually handed it over.

[Stonehead]

This is the relevant section from EnergyWatch:

Consumers are legally bound to pay for their utilities. However, the Limitations Act 1980 prevents charges being recovered if the electricity or gas was used more than six years ago. In Scotland this period is five years.

Suppliers should at least offer a payment plan that allows you to repay any debt over the same length of time that it has built up. In other words, if you have not had a bill from your supplier for three years then, when a bill does finally appear, you should be able to spread the repayments over three years. However, if you accept a payment plan then you will not be able to change your supplier until you have cleared the outstanding debt.

However, as a result of the ‘super-complaint’ submitted by energywatch in April 2005 to the energy regulator, Ofgem (see below), energy companies have been told that, as of July 2006, they should no longer bill for any energy used by consumers more than two years previously where the company themselves has failed to provide a bill. As of July 2007, energy companies will be expected not to bill for any amount that dates back longer than a year.

Back to top ^

What is the ‘super-complaint’?
Like other consumer watchdogs, energywatch has some statutory powers. In this case, under the Enterprise Act of 2002, energywatch can submit a ‘super-complaint’ to Ofgem about any aspects of serious concern in the energy market.

energywatch believes that, too often, energy companies’ performance when it comes to billing their customers is poor, and can sometimes cause serious hardship. We believe that consumers have a right to expect gas and electricity bills that are:

Accurate;
On time; and
Clear.
energywatch therefore submitted a super-complaint to Ofgem on billing. When it made its decision Ofgem set out three requirements on energy suppliers:

By July 2006 they have to set up and fund an independent body to resolve disputes between individual companies and consumers. This body will have the power to award compensation to consumers who have received particularly poor service.
From July 2006 they should no longer seek payment from consumers where they have not billed a customer for two years. From July 2007 this period should reduce to one year.
By July 2006 they should have reviewed the terms and conditions of the contracts they offer to consumers to make sure they are as simple as possible, comply with consumer rights’ legislation and are not biased in suppliers’ favour.
energywatch, as the gas and electricity consumer watchdog, will monitor suppliers’ progress in implementing these requirements to make sure they comply with both the spirit and the letter of the judgement for the benefit of consumers.

If it was November 2007, we could tell them to b***** off but as we're still operating under the two-year time frame we have to pay up - even if they're wrong!!!

But it's made more complicated because we changed suppliers 19 months ago. That means we can't have a payment plan spread over 19 months - we have to pay now and within 14 days.

Also, there is no legal requirement on the utility company to bill you at specific intervals! It's custom bill at least quarterly, but there's no requirement for the company to do this.

What I really detest is the way the company pretends it's sent out bills and reminders between last June (when paid the previous final demand) and now. It hasn't and this is a complete fiction. It's also what they said in their previous final demands.

The Other Half is convinced it's all a con - her view is that a company this incompetent couldn't possibly stay in business. But then she's worked in the public sector for years and doesn't realise just how incompetent many businesses really are!!

[Muddypause]

Why do we have to put up with this sort of crap from huge, faceless companies who's declared aim is to make as much money from us as they can?

I had a similar experience with NPower a couple of years ago. I needed a closing bill from one address sent to a new address. This was just too difficult for them, and repeatedly incorrect estimated readings were sent to the wrong address. Thankfully, my memory has expunged most of the exasperation of getting something as simple as a closing bill with a final reading sent to the correct address. But I do have a written record of one of the many phone calls I had:

"Three people have contacted you with the correct readings"
"We haven't been given a meter reading by anyone"
"Yes you have - one of them was me"
"We haven't been contacted by anyone"
"Yes you have"
"No we haven't"
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"Of course not sir. We have no record of a final meter reading"
"That's different to you not being told about it"
"If someone contacted us we would have a record of it"
"But we did contact you"
"No one contacted us with a meter reading"
"Yes"
"No"
"So you are calling me a liar"
"Of course I'm not, I'm saying we have no record"
"Three people contacted you; one of them was me"
"If anyone contacts us we make a record of it"
"Nearly a year after you changed the meter you still have 'no record' of the changeover"
"Things can get a bit delayed over Christmas, sir"
"The meter was changed last May"
"We don't have a record of the final reading before it was changed"
"But I was there when the chap you sent, at my expense, to change the meter, took the reading."

I wrote that down so that I could write to their customer relations department with it. Eventually, someone from this department contacted me by phone, and said that all of the problems would be sorted out, and that they would write to me confirming that the matter was now closed. Guess which address they sent the letter to.

[Muddypause]

Oh, and be aware that under the law you are liable to pay whatever the utility company says you owe them - regardless of their errors!

An excellent reason not to set up a standing order to pay your bills.

[Stonehead]

Why do we have to put up with this sort of crap from huge, faceless companies who's declared aim is to make as much money from us as they can?

Another good reason for my plans to go off-grid eventually!

[Stonehead]

Time to up the ante and make sure there's something to get Good Energy's attention when the staff arrive for work in the morning.

I've sent the following to Good Energy's press office:

As I'm unable to contact Good Energy via its call centre, the email address on letters (enquiries@good-energy-co.uk) is not valid, and I'm sick and tired of the incompetents who handle customer accounts, I thought that you might like to have a look at my blog entry before I circulate it to contacts in the national and consumer media tomorrow morning...

http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/ ... g-company/

Oh, and there's a complaint in with EnergyWatch as well, and my MSP and MP are both aware of the situation.

Regards, etc

I wonder if they'll notice that!

[jondy]

It does focus your mind on supplying more of your own power. I would of thought that switching suppliers would have kept them on their toes, with u switch and all of those companies about. I have just switched from Powergen to Atlantic Electric and Gas. (Powergen have a record of billing mistakes) First off Atlantic switched the wrong account, not mine. I did get to speak to a real person and I liked the sound of the guy. Monthly charges are cheaper, but I have to wait and see how my useage pans out. Service is probably about the same for all these companies, does help not to have to deal with India though.

John

[Stonehead]

A very quick update - Good Energy's chief operating officer has emailed me apologising for the problems, offering to write off the £97 (which I'd already paid as my problem was not so much about the amount as about the delays and poor service), and offering a bottle of wine.

He's gone into detail about the problems and puts it down to being a small company that was "trying to make a difference and offer a uniquely green energy alternative".

Anyway, must dash so I'll say more later today or tomorrow.

[paradox]

ill look forward to your posting later stonehead

[Muddypause]

Insist on locally grown, organic wine.

[Sazzle]

I decided to change to eco-tricity and have found them ok. I always opt to pay bills when they come in rather than DD.

Although I have tried to contact both good energy and ecotricity for afliate scheme, aparently ssish can get £10 for everyone who signs up through us. After calls and emails I have had to give us as they just don't send me the information through.

Hello I'm new to the forum after lurking for a little while. I will introduce myself soon in the newbie section

I just wondered Andy, is this referral scheme still running? I am about to switch to Eco-tricity for my new house and if I can get Selfsufficientish a tenner for nothing then great