When I switched my supplies of gas and electricity from E.ON in October,
they refused to apply agreed discounts to my final bill. On the several
occasions that I complained I was told that they never applied discounts to
customers’ final bills. I told them that this was not mentioned in their
terms and conditions.
They finally wrote to me admitting that “the current situation regarding
the application of discounts is that they should be applied. Unfortunately,
as a result of an issue with our billing system, discounts are not being
deducted from final charges when applicable. We are endeavouring to resolve
the problem as quickly as we can.”
Nowhere did they mention that their staff had told me that E.ON never
applied discounts to final bills, so it was more than a mere billing system
error. When I asked them for the sum of £100 to compensate me for all the
time I had spent in getting them to finally admit their dishonesty in
treating customers who had left them, they totally ignored the matter. Have
I a right to demand compensation? And will E.ON compensate their previous
customers? WILLIAM A. PIKE, Betchworth
You are not alone. Energywatch, the industry watchdog, has heard about similar
cases from other E.ON customers and is to quiz bosses at its next regular
meeting. If the discount is a contract term, then E.ON must pay up. If they
have changed terms without advising you, Ofgem, the energy industry
regulator, could fine E.ON.
A spokesman for energywatch said: “This is a typical example of chaotic
billing systems. In this instance, we would expect Mr Pike not only to get
his discount, but also to receive a goodwill payment for the inconvenience
he has suffered.”
E.ON offered £100 compensation to Mr PIke and said that it will change the
contract terms to make it clearer that discounts do not apply to final bills
because they are a reward for loyalty. Anyone who has a similar problem
should call the energywatch helpline on 0845 9060708.
HBOS have really messed me around. In July last year a Bank of Scotland
adviser recommended I should move my £126,000 of cash, which was receiving
5.13 per cent interest, into an account that would pay 6.75 per cent. I
agreed to this, but never received the extra interest. I complained to Bank
of Scotland, who told me that the adviser had made a mistake, and that the
account would not actually pay the 1 per cent extra interest. They offered
me £150 compensation for the error. I refused – the interest that I would
have earned far outweighed this amount – and moved £40,000 of my money into
a 6.75 per cent one-year bond with Nationwide. I still have £90,000 in the
Bank of Scotland account, as I think I should be entitled to more
compensation. What should I do? MICHAEL GILMARTIN, Edinburgh
Bank of Scotland says that you changed your account from a High Interest
Current Account to an Ultimate Reward Current Account in July, the only
difference being that the Ultimate Reward account offers an extra 1 per cent
interest on any balance in an associated savings account. A spokesman for
Bank of Scotland said: “Mr Gilmartin was told that he needed to transfer
funds from his Instant Access Savings Account into the Guaranteed Saver. He
was under the impression that we were going to do this, which was not the
case.”
The bank admitted that you were misled, but refused to increase the offer of
compensation. £150 does in fact cover the interest you missed out on between
July 19, when you took out the account, and August 31, when it was closed. I
recommend you take the cash. You should also move your money.
Sue Hannums, of AWD Chase de Vere, recommends either a Bradford & Bingley
My Time Postal account paying 6.08 per cent gross monthly, or an AA
Telephone Access Plus account, paying 6.07 per cent gross monthly, including
a 0.2 per cent bonus for the first six months.
Could you advise me how to invest £365,000 – the proceeds from the sale of
my house – while I wait for a new build that should be ready by May. I want
a good return and instant access. COLIN WORLEY, Twyford
Because of the short time frame, our adviser suggests you should go for the
top-paying instant access account, which is currently West Bromwich Building
Society’s 6.55 per cent on deposits of more than £1. For something more
sophisticated, Adrian Jones, of Brewin Dolphin Securities, recommended an
HBOS 6⅜ bond with a yield of 5.82 per cent maturing on April 3, or a 5.18
per cent yield Treasury bond.
To tell us your problems visit timesonline.co.uk/troubleshooter
or write to Troubleshooter, Times Money, Times House, 1 Pennington Street,
London E98 1TB On the bright side
THREE cheers for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). No, really. In
the intractable battle to make the credit card market simpler to understand,
the FSA is to launch its own price comparison website, which should be a
much-needed alternative to the commercial sites. It will give an accurate
idea of the cost of the credit rather than merely an interest rate
comparison.
Let’s hope that the site also includes details of which cards use negative
payment hierarchy, applying customers’ repayments to the cheapest debt
first.
Go figure
1m Number of homes to be built on flood plains that will be
uninsurable, according to the Association of British Insurers
READERS TO THE RESCUE BRITISH TELECOM
I am out of pocket by £175 after BT’s failure to fix my telephone line for
three weeks. We were hit by lightning for the fourth time in nearly as many
years. I applied for compensation and was offered £27. This did not cover
losses for business use, which BT said my contract does not cover. When I
asked to see the contract, BT told me that it was disposed of after six
years. This did not stop the claims department from quoting from it. Does
anyone have experience of dealing with BT that may help? CHRISTIAN NEUMANN,
Newport, Pembrokeshire
From the huge response to Mr Neumann’s problem, Troubleshooter gathers that
lots of readers have had similar experiences. Many point out that BT is not
obliged to compensate for business losses on a residential line, but others
say that you could still claim because the contract could not be produced
and because there is a clause relating to “actual financial loss” under BT’s
Customer Service Guarantee Scheme. Some suggest claiming on business
insurance, but our favourite response comes from Nigel Tapley, who wins a
£25 John Lewis voucher. He says: “Make a claim in the small claims court.
Start online. It costs very little, but it will take up a great deal of BT’s
time and not much of yours.”
After hearing of Mr Neumann’s complaint, BT wrote off his bill for this
quarter, offered a £30 gift voucher and £15.30 to cover mobile calls – on
top of the original £27. It also refunded a £99 charge for an engineer’s
visit, but because the line was residential it could not compensate for the
business losses.
Can you help?
E-mail troubleshooter@thetimes.co.uk with your answerrs to the following
problem fro a chance to win a £25 John Lewis gift voucher.
“I have made four calls requesting a form to reinvest my Standard Life share
dividends. It has never arrived. A telephone message suggests obtaining the
form on the website. As I do not wish to register online, how can I get a
response to my request? I’m now inclined to sell the shares.” TIM MOULT,
Bristol
