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| Npower pays £3.5m Ofgem penalty to 'vulnerable' customers | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Npower, one of the "big six" energy companies, has agreed to pay a £3.5m penalty for breaching sales rules, said regulator Ofgem. | |
| The money will go towards helping "vulnerable consumers", Ofgem said. | The money will go towards helping "vulnerable consumers", Ofgem said. |
| It imposed the penalty after finding that Npower had breached rules governing how energy deals can be sold on the doorstep and over the phone. | It imposed the penalty after finding that Npower had breached rules governing how energy deals can be sold on the doorstep and over the phone. |
| Npower "has remedied all the issues raised", Ofgem said, and will direct the money towards poorer customers. | Npower "has remedied all the issues raised", Ofgem said, and will direct the money towards poorer customers. |
| Weaknesses in Npower's sales processes meant customers could not compare offers from rival suppliers fairly, Ofgem found. | Weaknesses in Npower's sales processes meant customers could not compare offers from rival suppliers fairly, Ofgem found. |
| The breaches of these "tougher 2009 marketing rules ceased by September 2012". | The breaches of these "tougher 2009 marketing rules ceased by September 2012". |
| "Ofgem will continue to hold companies to account to ensure rules to protect energy consumers are met and that the market works for consumers in a simpler, clearer and fairer way," said Sarah Harrison, Ofgem's senior partner in charge of enforcement. | "Ofgem will continue to hold companies to account to ensure rules to protect energy consumers are met and that the market works for consumers in a simpler, clearer and fairer way," said Sarah Harrison, Ofgem's senior partner in charge of enforcement. |
| Accepting the ruling, Npower chief executive Paul Massara said: "We've worked very closely with Ofgem as they've investigated these previous issues. | Accepting the ruling, Npower chief executive Paul Massara said: "We've worked very closely with Ofgem as they've investigated these previous issues. |
| "It's good to draw a line under this, so we can focus on our goal of becoming number one for customer experience by the end of 2015." | "It's good to draw a line under this, so we can focus on our goal of becoming number one for customer experience by the end of 2015." |
| Npower said it will make a payment of at least £25 to each of its "warm home discount" customers in the form of an account credit or a pre-payment meter top-up. | Npower said it will make a payment of at least £25 to each of its "warm home discount" customers in the form of an account credit or a pre-payment meter top-up. |