Also beware npower, this time on the duel fuel discount that they give. I used to be on a two bill system, one for elec & another for gas but still got the duel fuel discount. Then, in Dec 2008, npower decided to combine them, thus canceling my gas DD & elec DD & restarting a completely new DD. I have only recently noticed that the last time I got duel fuel discount was April 2008. I pointed this out to them & they have admitted it was their fault because of the above DD's canceled & new DD. So I now ask all npower customers check up on this or better still just claim you have not had your discount & see what happens.

Thanks Jalexa. Not sure I can be bothered now - after all I did get my money back quickly. As you say, there's not really a claim to pursue (other than a very small loss of interest on the money). It would have been far more of a problem if my bank account was already low and Anglian Water's withdrawal meant other DD's didn't get paid. I think I'll just put it down as a lesson on the need to keep on top of everything and not assume that others have done their jobs properly.

Jalexa

You have hit the nail on the head. Most problems result from customers not keeping on top of inaccurate estimated readings. Its a poor system but we all must realise this and dont rely on the suppliers readings. For the last 18 months I have taken readings every saturday morning logged them and sent them online to the supplier (yes sad I know). The point is i now know exactly what my consumption is which means when using comparison sites i receive accurate figures. Plus the bills are accurate and will not have the wool pulled over my eyes(hopefully). I have used Npower for many years and now Bgas and no major problems. The problem is the estimated bills are useless and cause a lot of nasty surprises when the customer receives a bill with an actual reading. I know its a bind but my advice is keep a log of your readings or at least check the bill and send in the correct reading. The same when moving in or out of property, dont rely on others, read them and write them down.

One problem I had was when I switched supplier. I was determined it would run smoothly. I phoned both the old and new suppliers before the switch date about the final/opening readings and each one told me the other was responsible for the final reads???????????????????? I sorted it but THIS IS WHAT WE ARE ALL UP AGAINST staff giving wrong advice.