EDF: Customer Service

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:47:16 GMT

It does seem that the bigger the company, the worst the customer support. I'm used to getting crap support. I'm used to be diverted all around the world, and I'm used to being passed about from one department to the next in my line of work.

Nothing compares to the level of service I've received from EDF (formally SWEB).

I've just finished drafting my letter of complaint, but have a read of this. It explains it better than I could.

Dear Sir/Madam,

My account numbers are as follows:

Gas: 53514xxxxxxxx
Electricity: 5500 xxxxxxxxx

I am writing to complain about the appalling service you have provided me with.

I moved into my property on July 1^st 2006. Upon move in, I immediately contacted you to set up my account. My apartment is a new build property (Plot 8, Hillview Place) and I was informed that my account would be set up with the rest of the development in due course. Having not heard anything from you, I contacted you again in October to be told the same thing.

I contacted you again shortly after Christmas and received the same response. I assumed that maybe you were going to handle all the new build properties together as many were still empty as of Christmas 2006.

I waited until mid January and contacted you again. This time, I was told that you were not supplying me with electricity or gas and that somebody else was, although you were unable to tell me who. After a lengthy phone conversation, the matter was resolved and an account was set up, and direct debit forms were sent out to me.

Having set the account up, I waited and no money was taken from my account. So I called again, and was informed that my account was not set up and that EDF was not supplying me with my gas or electricity. I went through the same process, received some forms, sent them back, and once again no money was taken.

After several more conversations between then and July which involved being told twice that my property doesn’t exist, being told again that EDF were not my supplier, then being told that there was a problem with my account which was why money was not coming out, being told again EDF were not my supplier and eventually having £20 taken from my account for my gas but nothing for my electricity, I finally received a bill from you for £422.20 for my Gas and, after speaking to Trisha in the department that deals with new builds, a bill came out for £767 for my electricity.

As nice as it is that you now wish to receive my money after I have tried to force you to take it, why has it taken so long and how can you possibly land me with a year’s worth of bills in one go. As I understand it, there was some confusion between the fact that my plot was then assigned a road name and number on completion (although I gave both the plot number and street address in all conversations), but surely you must have a system in place that takes care of issues like this.

I can not, however, criticise your staff at all – every person I spoke to was as helpful and as willing as they could possibly be. The problem seems to be your systems which are absolutely awful as nobody seemed able to access any information about me, my property (which appeared not to even exist on more than one occasion), or my account and I have no idea what has happened to my bank details which I have posted to you four times – I just sincerely hope they haven’t ended up in the hands of somebody that has the knowhow to process such information. Thankfully, if they have ended up at EDF, I’m probably going to be ok.

I can not possibly afford to pay this amount although I am grateful that a 20% discount has been offered and I am also grateful to be able to spread these payments out over 12 months (Which means I am now paying you over £100 a month). It is unacceptable that these circumstances have occurred as is the number of times I have phoned to be told you are not supplying me with gas or electricity, when I am sat there in front of my computer screen which is clearly on - it is astonishingly annoying. I am glad that I am of a sound mind, because if I wasn’t, I’d be seeking counseling right now to rectify the fact that I am having hallucinations regarding a property which apparently doesn’t exist (which means I’ve been living in, sleeping on, eating from and bathing on a building site for the last 12 months) and electricity which I apparently don’t even have (which means I’ve spent the last year pretending to watch DVDs in front of a blank screen and hovering up the debris on my patch of land without any power).

I have done everything in my power in the last 12 months to get my account set up. I have completed four direct debit forms and not one was processed as far as I can tell (Trisha finally set up the account over the phone) and I have called nearly every month. To be hit with a year’s worth of bills in one go is unacceptable.

A 20% discount is not nearly generous enough. I have tried to get you to take money from me for a year and had I not have contacted you so many times to resolve the issue, I’d probably be receiving my gas and electricity still and you probably wouldn’t even know about it. Not once have you tried to make contact with me, not once have you offered to send somebody out to resolve the situation. Instead I’m left with over £1000 to pay because your systems have failed you.

I am forwarding this letter to the appropriate parties as your level of service is totally unacceptable.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Alastair Maggs

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