@npowerhelp Opus/energy direct claiming to be NPower spoof me into new contract - HELP

[Lauren2907]

First I must say its good to see that I am not the only one in this situation.

 

So here it goes...

 

My dad (the business owner) cannot speak English and therefore I tend to deal with most things

but obviously I don't know everything about his business.

 

He receives a call from someone on the 8th Feb 2013,

passes my number to them so they can speak to me, and they call me (at 20:30).

 

They tell me that they are calling from Npower (who from what I knew was the energy supplier),

that the director of the business has recently changed (which is true, my dad took over a couple of months ago),

and that we are being charged 30% higher because there is no contract with a supplier.

 

they tell me in order to not be charged this amount that we should renew the contract.

 

They ask me if I am authorised to speak and I tell them that I tend to deal with most things because my father cannot speak English.

 

They proceed to renew the contract (and notice, I still think I am dealing with NPower when in fact I am not),

and ask me questions as to when my dad took over.

I tell them I need to speak to him first because I don't know any of the information they want from me.

 

They force me to give them any date, so I don't get off the phone and speak to my dad.

 

I repeat that I need to speak to him, and again they find a way to keep me on the call.

 

He then says that he needs any bank details so he can proceed to renew it.

 

He takes my card details (and assures me that this is not to take any payment, its just to show that we have a valid English bank account),

and tells me that he will call me back in 2 minutes because "he needs to switch desks".

So he calls me back, and reads out the terms and conditions (at 200 mph speed),

so that I can't understand anything. I accept it, and thats the end of it.

 

My dad receives a letter from a company called 'Opus energy' (addressed to me, not my dad)on the 14th Feb 2013

thanking us for switching to them and confirming the direct debit details.

 

I ring them up and ask them what the hell this means,

and I get told that I have verbally agreed to a legally binding contract with them through a broker called 'Energy Direct' (I think that was the name).

 

I explain the situation to her, confirms that its a valid contract, but if I wish to cancel then I need to wait for 5 working days

for someone to get in contact me with because they need to investigate the issue.

 

I rang NPower straight after, and they said that we are already in a contract with them until 2014,

and that Opus shouldn't have been able to do this.

 

She assures me that she will object (I can't remember the energy term she used),

but basically it means that they shouldn't have been able to do this because we were already in a valid contract with them.

 

She assures me that I shouldn't worry, and that if and when they ring,

I should tell them thats in the hands of our current supplier and they will get in touch.

Sigh of relief....

 

I receive a call this morning (Saturday, 16th Feb) from Opus,

they tell me that they've investigates the issue, and listened to the recording,

and concluded that there is a legally binding contract because I verbally agreed to it .

 

Apparently I was told that I am dealing with Opus 4 times, and I told them that I was authorized to speak.

 

I kept explaining the situation but she kept repeating herself like a parrot and by the by she was the RUDEST person I have ever dealt with in my life!

 

I said I already have a contract with another supplier, she said they didn't object to it,

and now Npower will send an objection but that Opus will reject it.

 

She said that she'll send the verbal recording to me.

 

But from some of the reviews I read the whole "I'll call you back, I am switching to another desk" was part of it!

 

They only recorded the agreement and not the whole conversation in which they misrepresented the facts and their identity!

 

I absolutely hate myself for falling into this trap, but as I can see they organise it in such a way that its virtually impossible not to.

 

Is there anything that we can do?

 

I will call NPower on Monday morning, the Ombudsman too.

 

But can anyone advise me anything else?

 

My dad does not want to deal with this company!

[dx100uk]

and so you shouldn't have to deal with them either

 

DO get incontact with the Ombudsman ASAP

 

they are well known for doing this.

 

i would contacy your bank ASAP too.

 

 

advide them that your debit card details have been compromised

and that you got spoofed into signing a FRAUADULANT energy deal

 

tell them NOT to honour ANY payments to OPUS

unless you give YOUR written authority.

 

dx

[Bazooka Boo]

OK, a long thread so just skipped through it, but!!!!!

 

Npower have been dragged over the coals before about this cold calling debacle. Just google Npower cold calling and see the results thrown up!

 

Trading standards is a definite, you must ring them, today if poss.

 

And then you need to make a formal complaint to Npower for cold calling, you need to exhaust their complaints procedure, or get a 'deadlock' letter, then you will be able to escalate the complaint to Ofgem to investigate.

 

And anything such as this should never be done over the phone, unless you record these cold calls they will fleece people blind.

[dx100uk]

wasn't npower but opus

 

dx

[Bazooka Boo]

Yes sorry, but Npower are very well known for cold calling.

 

So delete Npower, insert OPUS...http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2133531/Cold-callers-lay-siege-new-firms-fuel-bills.html

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?283928-Citi-to-Opus-What-A-Rip-Off!

[dx100uk]

got yo admit its a shock:lol:

[Conniff]

They proceed to renew the contract (and notice, I still think I am dealing with NPower when in fact I am not),

 

As soon as I started to read your story I was waiting for that bit, I knew it was coming.

 

Do an SAR with Opus and get a copy of the contract and more importantly, the telephone recording. Send it by recorded delivery.

 

Don't pay them any money and only respond to NPower bills.

[Lauren2907]

Thank you for the kind responses all.

 

I have already been to the bank and ensured they do not make any payments to Opus without my consent.

 

Conniff, I was told by the lady that she will send a copy of the telephone recording to me via recorded delivery. But my concern is what I wrote in the original post namely, only the part where the "broker" read out the terms and conditions has probably been recorded, because he rang me back to go over them because he had to move "desks". The important bits where he told me that he was calling from NPower would not have been recorded.

 

What is an SAR?

 

Also, they claim that I told them I was authorised to do such a thing. I am not officially authorised to speak on my dads behalf anywhere, I only do because he can't speak English and I have to do the translations. So can I not argue that I lied and that I wasn't authorised to enter into tis contract. My dad is the director and my name is not officially down anywhere.

 

Thank you

[Conniff]

No no no, this is a con job Lauren, you don't have to make up stories to justify anything. If, as you suspect, the part about calling themselves Npower is not on the disc, there are enough complaints exactly the same as yours on the internet for you to print out to back you up.

 

An SAR (Subject Access Request) is a request about the subject, (your dad) and everything they have on him to be sent to you, it cost £10 but is backed up by statute and they only have a set time in which to send the information to you.

[Guest Andy Nash - Opus Energy]

Followingrecent contact with Lauren2907 we are pleased to confirm that we have resolvedher query. Andy Nash, Opus Operations Director

[Conniff]

Followingrecent contact with Lauren2907 we are pleased to confirm that we have resolvedher query. Andy Nash, Opus Operations Director

 

Would either of you like to spell out the resolution ??

[Lauren2907]

Basically I received a call from someone in Opus a few days after writing this review, and was told that they investigated the issue further and decided to cancel the contract. No way am I falling into the same trap again! Thanks for all the advice, but writing a review seems to have been sufficient

[IdaInFife]

thanks for coming back Lauren

[IdaInFife]

But how did the opus rep know it was you?