Firstutility

Joined them as first utility (now owned by shell) over 1 year ago being promised a smart meter at a BETTER rate. I am now on more than double rate as my old provider with no smart meter and now from 89拢 with my old provider with a smart meter to now 200拢 without a smart meter on a smart meter tariff AVOID AVOID AVOID keep getting told it will be soon. Don't change to these

Great service, simple bills and communication. Online account is easy to use.

The elec meter reading service was down when I tried to inout readings for November so loses a star for that.

I have been with first utility energy supply for two years and I had a major problem of a faulty gas meter which I tried to explain to them and try and resolve the matter unfortunately they would not cooperate with me and I had to change the Gas meter myself through a different route after the new gas meter was put in there was a big difference in my gas bills they were much lower I went back to first utility and explain to them unfortunately they would not listen to me from the resolution team and the gentleman was very rude to me by keep interrupting me when trying to explain I ended up leaving first utility and telling them I will take you to the media to which they responded via their resolution team Same rude person rang me back promising me he will get back to me to resolve this matter within a few days it has been over two months and I鈥檝e not heard from him I have change my utility suppliers and I strongly recommend nobody joined first utility they don鈥檛 know how to look after their customers

Was the worst broadband provider I have ever used but since my last review the site has improved, see update below

Joined earlier this year for the basic package and all seemed fine, in fact the speed was equal to my old provider for the first couple of months since then connection continually drops out and it works at snail pace.
Shell energy took over a few months ago and have wondered if it's their fault.
I am tied in for 18 months but I am now looking for an alternative provider and leaving early.

Update don't know how but since my last post the service has improved, connection is back to how it was originally and connection no longer dropping out

Whilst with Firstutility , a meter reading man read our meter wrong! I was billed 拢360 for a month, I incurred bank charges for being over drawn. I rang Firstutility gave correct meter readings and asked for refund on meter readings. The next month Firstutilty charged me 拢640, I incurred more bank charges . I rang again with correct meter readings and tried to get information about my bank charge refunds. Absolutely no help at all. Next month Firstutilty about to charge me 拢840, I rang them, and they advised me to close direct debit . Many calls and.letters ignored . Have left this USELESS RACKETEERING company.

Terrible. We bought a house in March and the old owners were with First Utility. I wanted to switch so on moving day I waiting on the phone for over 30 mins to get through to someone to give them the meter reading and start the switch. It took ages for the switch to happen and then weeks and weeks to get the credit on our account refunded.
Then this month (August) I received a letter and a cheque saying that "as discussed" I would find a cheque as a goodwill gesture because of my poor experience with them. I had not discussed anything with them, so I rang them to check no one had been in contact using my details. I was told that it was due to me as a refund – no, I got written confirmation my balance was 拢0 when the switch finalised. Then I was told it was due to an error their end – when I asked what error they couldn't tell me.
Finally they decided on the excuse that it was just a cheque sent by a computer and they had no idea why and there had been no "discussion". The funny part is, it was a cheque for 38p!!!!

Absolutely awful broad band provider, signed up for the fibre broadband deal and regretted it ever since. Slower than a snail at the best of times with constant drop outs and the weekends are even worse. Watertight contract to stop you leaving without spending an absolute fortune in cessation charges. Please don't make the same mistake as I did and avoid this company like the plague.
On a footnote they are now rebranded as shell broadband but the service is just as bad, roll on next April when I can finally leave.

The slowest internet ever, impossible to stream a video even at only 360 fps. I struggled through my contract only because to leave would cost me 拢15(cessation? charge) plus a heavy fee for every single day left on the contract. Even now that my contract is ended they will still charge the 'cessation' fee + anything else they can think of!
Now rebranded as 'Shell Energy', don't even consider it.

This company supplied my house when I first moved in. I changed immediately, and for six weeks summer supply, they've sent me estimate bills of more than 700 pounds. I am 4 years down the line, and am still getting letters from debt companies trying to hound me for this fictional amount. I supplied a photograph of my meter, as it was thousands away from the estimate they quoted, and they keep saying sorry, forget about it, and then another debt company gets in touch demanding payment! I am disabled and this has taken a toll on my health. I am currently dealing with a solicitors, Moriarty Law, who appear to have 'bought' the debt. I'm on the verge of going to the press over this, demanding money with threat for a fictitious debt. I have around 100 emails as a result of this mess.

When I switched I choose the cheapest and wish I鈥檇 spent extra.
Appalling customer service, continually overcharged me and they took forever to reach in the phone.
As much as I detest shell energy I鈥檓 glad the switch happened.

Absolutely appalling. I am being chased for almost 拢200 for broadband that I never had!!! They sent me the equipment (rather shabby equipment) that did not work. I tried for almost 3 weeks to get broadband and spent about 90mins every night on the phone trying to get it fixed. I told them that I would be sending the equipment back and to stop any service. Nope. They just keep pressing me for money. I am certainly not paying for something I have never had. Customer service is also extremely slow and very bad.

After changing my supplier when I moved 3 YEARS AGO I have received a refund of 拢961.00 from First utility , after almost a 3 years from closing my account and after the refund I have received from them they sent my an email with a final bill for over a 拢1k. I have raised a dispute, I鈥檝e emailed for an update, but I have received an email that they have swap my account without my permission! And I was paying all the money into old account so now they cannot transfer those money into the old account and demand me to pay for those bills again! unbelievable , First utility don鈥檛 seem to be in any rush to rectify the issue they have caused, which is resulting in huge stress for me and my family. I鈥檓 disgusted by the actions of this process and can鈥檛 say I can recommend this company in all honesty.
I have also sent them all proofs I could only get all my bank statements council letter all emails proof of refund on my account and they still telling me that I have to pay the bill because their system shows them this amount !! my account shows me something different ,
I will now take legal advice and try to finally end this nightmare,

Please be aware, this company will rip you off where ever the opportunity arises. They take no prisoners just your money. Their complaints procedure is so poor, they don鈥檛 get back to you and they never respond to what you request. While this is all happening they are still over charging and ripping you off. Did you know that OFCOM only make recommendations and are not bound by them, so even when they are wrong they don鈥檛 need to follow the rules.

Steer clear, you have been warned.

I have had the great misfortune of being in contract with this company. Avoid it like the plague they are hopeless.

I see all the bad reviews and must have just been one of the lucky ones, I just cannot fault them.
My Nan needed a cheaper provider than her mainstream supplier so I switched her to First Utility and we have saved money and more importantly not had one issue whatsoever with them.
They have been perfect for my Nan she liked their app, how easy it was for her meter readings and she was 87 !!!

Sadly my Nan passed away and as her executor of the Will I had to make all the dreaded calls to her suppliers and as you all know dealing with this when you have a bereavement is very hard.
And once again at this hard time I can honestly say that First Utility staff were the best people I have dealt with during this sad time, they were just so helpful, kind and sorted it all in one call, and even though my Nan was mid month through her payment when she passed they refunded her full monthly payment when they could have just refunded two weeks.
I have nothing but respect for this company, for the way they looked after my Nan while she was alive , ie cheaper bills, easy app for her and biggest respect to how they looked after me for when she passed.
And with this in mind credit is due when it is due AND with that in mind I be changing to this company when my year is up with ScottishPower.

First Utility (Shell Energy) have sent a demand to me when I have never been supplied by them. Their contact&helpline is hopelessly time consuming and despite this being an erroneous transfer&non supply issue is wasting much of my time. I would highly recommend avoiding this company. They are now "Shell Energy" AVOID

what happened to the new law on data protection it never existed with a lady called Nadine went through things and never asked once on security then when you make a complaint it's all excuses cant wait for my contract to finish just hope shell do a better job.

seriously bad company i bet they were rubbing their hands when shell energy came knocking. i have paid my broad band bill on the 20th of every month without fail or just after and not before. this was the deal clincher that i was able to pay on the 20th or after as i dont get paid till then, got an email saying they tried to get my money on the 18th? banged my head against a brick wall for nearly an hour explaining to ting tong at customer services how this was all set up a year ago, apparently no record of a a 30 minute call i made to one of her colleuges to set up this payment scheme. every other company takes it out when its agreed. first utilities excuse was that its a different month???? so after they have plunged me into debt with my bank for an unpaid direct debit i cancelled the direct debit straight away and i told them i dont care two hoots if they call in the debt collectors, it now becomes a speculative invoice so i do not have to pay. they couldnt even admit that i was mis-sold a broadband contract and now have lost me as a regular payer, i mean i nver ever got the broadband speeds promised, 25 times in 8 months the line dropped and it still happens i tried getting through to sort it but as ever your put on hold for over an hour, its pointless, so really in essence i havent been getting the service i was paying for, since shell took over its gotten even worse, who the hell do they think they are? sky im coming back to you.

I made the mistake of signing up to the broadband.
When it was installed it worked OK 49 Meg paid for 50 Meg.
I checked the speed on a regular basis and it was soon reduced to 29 Meg. I E mailed them to complain and the only reply I received was your complaint has been registered and for the next 5 weeks I mailed them and the reply was basically the same you comments have been added to x number which was a complaint number.I then told them that I was not receiving the contracted service and said unless it was fixed we should cancel the contract.
Amazing within 2 days I had a phone call and the conversation from them was we do not guarantee speed your contract states anything between 30 meg and 50 meg is the contracted speed. I then said well something is wrong it was 49 it is now 29. I could not make the simpleton understand that it was working OK it was now slowed to 29 meg. This then lead to another form of enquiry I was asked to plug my laptop via an ethernet cable to check the speed it then came up to 37 Meg. I was then told that the speed were guaranteed by cable connection only. At this stage I was annoyed and disgusted with the attitude of this company they are only interested in collecting your money stay away from this company.

I decided to join First Utility a year ago, despite all of the negative feedback they had back then. I thought I'd give them a chance and judge their service for myself.

Well this was a big mistake. My bills have been between 拢100 – 拢150+ every month, with a record-breaking charge of 拢195 this month.

I live in a one bedroom house, and apart from my work laptop, and kitchen appliances, such as, a microwave and a washing machine, I don't own anything that would eat up so much electricity. I don't even own a TV.

I use my gas cooker once in the morning for no more than 25 minutes. In the winter, when the temperature drops below 3掳, I set my heating to turn on for 3-4 hours that particular day, for example 1 hour in the morning, then 3 in the evening.

For a 1 bedroom house where energy isn't used excessively, their charges are too high. I was happy to switch to Bulb this month. This time, I made sure I checked out their Trustpilot profile before I switched, and I wasn't disappointed.

Yet again after nearly 2 years they are saying I still owe them money after they gave a refund they said was outstanding ten days after I phoned to complain about taking money after I left? I was told by their staff I was in credit and it shouldn't have been taken. They were a good company untill I left, looks like sour grapes to me but they will not be told, I have never come accross sutch a bad company for some time, I would never deal with them again and at this rate their days are numbered before they follow the rest of the poorly run companies and go bust.

I switched to first utility to save on my energy but left them after a year due to the dismal customer service. There is no phone number and response times range from 3 days to 2 weeks. It takes months to resolve any issues. Escalating an issue via their website just puts you back into the same lazy and unresponsive customer service. They replaced my meters with smart meters which have been problematic. Regret ever dealing with them so save yourself the headache and avoid.

Where to start… in a nutshell, my bill was estimated to be arounbd 拢30 pm. Having started to receive bills over 拢150pm, I complained to First Utility. Their investigation went on for 26 months!!! In one month, First Utility threatened me with legal action if I failed to pay 拢600 in 24 hrs. Eventually, following months of agony and heartache, following the intervention of the Ombudsman, my complaint led to a Check Meter fitment, proving I was correct all along. First Utility paid me back nearly 拢4,000 under pressure from the Ombudsman plus a very small (拢150) gesture of goodwill. My advice to anyone and everyone is that yes, we all know that things go wrong, but the sign of a good company is how they respond. I would absolutely save yourself the pain and challenge and go elsewhere… AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!!

Avoid this company at all costs or it will cost you dearly joined this company three months ago monthly quote was 拢43 per month as I was paying with the same company for two years after one month it went up to 拢79 when I questioned why the said that was my usage how you could come up with that without a meter reading I don't know then when I tried to leave they billed me for 拢580.40 again I asked how they come up with that amount without the meter readings they replied that it goes off the average usage in the area not the readings what a joke I hope this company goes under and the owner goes under a bus AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID

This company is a complete waste of time read all the reviews disgusting should be something done about them because this is no way to treat customers, today the 28/12/2018 I have been trying all morning to contact them as a last resort I went on the internet and found a link that said ask for an instant call back so did just that and nothing happened that was at 10past1 I am unable to read the meter for my new supplier just read the message I sent and that will explain everything so BEWARE if you want problems they will give it too you without a doubt. THIS IS THE MESSAGE I SENT THEM AND STILL WAITING FOR A REPLY.

I have sent you a message once so I will try again your chat line is a complete waste of time as it is obviously a computer and keeps saying I AM NOT TRAINED FOR THAT QUESTION and I certainly do not intend phoning you at your charges of 6p a minuet (DISGUSTING ) I had a smart meter installed because you kept hounding us with emails to have one installed and now need to read the meter because I have gone to another supplier because you have got too expensive.

I will repeat the message I have already sent you once as a complaint but as I said you have not replied too these smarts are not working as they are supposed to it says in the handbook HOW TO USE YOUR METER QUOTE: press 9 then x1 to get a meter reading but this is not working all it does is pan through all the options which is not what it should be doing, I finally gone on to your tech chat line after your stupid robot could not help needs scrapping .

So spoke to your tech chat line and he said I only have to press 9 not x1 as well and then promptly ended the chat and I am not surprised because he obviously knew it would not work as it did the same thing IE go through all the things I did not want and my new supplier is asking for a meter reading on the 8th of January which of course I cannot give now you may well say that you will give them the finale meter reading but what happens after that ( I NEED TO SUPPLY THEM WITH READINGS IN THE FUTURE) so can you get your act in order before a put a complaint into OFGEM .