Struggling with the sheer level of incompetence of Shell Energy

“I’m struggling with the sheer level of incompetence on display by this company. They are basically uncontactable…”: “

16 June 2022

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.

Dishonest – Aloof and callous

Aloof and callous. Truly a faceless organisation. Deliberately falsified billing information: Shell Enery intentionally perverted submitted & photographed meter reading for 1st June – falsely and covertly substantially increased the meter read.

Tried three times to order broadband…

Tried three times to order broadband and line rental. Three times the order was cancelled without explanation. Did reply to first email asking why this was happening, but didn’t bother to reply to second email when problem continued. Given up trying to order from shell as seem unable to resolve issues or provide adequate service

Corrupt fraudulent greedy billing practices

My estimated usage was apparently lower than my actual usage, so I owe for what I haven’t paid for, okay fine, very normal.
The issue is that Shell have issued a bill where they have given me £450 worth of refunds from previous months bills and then shuffled all the refunded energy into my latest bill so they can charge me the new hiked energy prices for energy I have already paid for.
Its extremely convenient for shell to imagine I have used £405 worth of electricity in a period when I haven’t used my heating, less cooking, colder showers. How could that make sense?

Diabolically poor, ineffectual, and incompetent organisation

I was foisted onto Shell after my previous energy provider went bust. At first everything was OK – my smart meters were reporting automatically, billing was sensible and predictable etc. However, this did not last.

Around the end of April, I received an email titled “Thanks for letting us know you’re moving” with details on my final meter readings etc. This came as a surprise as I was not, in fact, moving. I wasn’t able to get through on phone but I raised the issue with the web chat function, where I was told that they would rectify the mistake “within 5 calendar days” and I would get confirmation when this was done. Needless to say, the mistake was not rectified, and all attempts to get an update on the issue were stonewalled.

I decided to try again from scratch via web chat – this time they wanted to set me up as a brand new customer, and was wondering when I had moved in. When I said 8 years ago, this seemed to confuse them. They tried to contact the correct department but they (much like my own efforts here) were just kept on hold and couldn’t get through. Again, I was promised a swift resolution within 5 days. Again, this turned out to be a lie.

Eventually I raised a complaint via the Resolver website. This actually ended up with someone phoning me to discuss my complaint – finally, I thought, some progress! But yet again, Alan’s promise of a swift resolution just turned out to be more lies, and once again, any attempt to get an update on the complaint results in me being stonewalled – presumably they consider the matter closed at their end.

By this stage my account has been cancelled for over a month, and yet, somewhat unbelievably, I start getting final demand notices sent to my address, but made out to Mr Braemore Edinburgh (Braemore being the name of a now defunct letting agency in Edinburgh). The last letter promised grim consequences if I fail to pay the unpaid bill. The problem? I’ve not been sent a bill for any amount since April, and I can see from my account that my outstanding balance is £0.

Just this week, I tried phoning again. I was eventually put through to the sales department who promised that my account would be reinstated within 3 days – more lies – and then I was passed on to the billing department to establish why I was getting final demand notices sent to a non-existent person, and was promised an update within the next 2 days – yet again, more lies.

I’m struggling with the sheer level of incompetence on display by this company. They are basically uncontactable, they promise action but never actually do anything, and by all accounts they will accept an instruction from basically anyone to a) cancel your account without your consent, and b) set up an account for someone who doesn’t even exist. I’m just counting the days until I can raise this issue with Ofgem. In the meantime, if you are with Shell just now, then get off as fast as you can – literally any energy company that is still trading would be better than this disorganised mess.

Not so smart meter

Shell Energy pestered me for years to have smart meters installed. I finally agreed and had the work done just over a month ago, on 12 May.
Today, I received the following message from Shell:

‘Unfortunately, we’ve noticed that your gas smart meter has stopped communicating with us. As a result, we’re unable to provide you with all of the benefits a smart meter provides. This includes accurate bills and the ability to monitor your energy usage within your online account.

We’ve been trying to fix this problem but regretfully, we’ve been unable to do so. This is likely due to unreliable signal where your meter is located. We’ll need to send you an email each month asking you to submit your gas reading, so that you can continue to benefit from accurate bills.’

I don’t live in the middle of nowhere. I’m in a large conurbation bordering Glasgow.

So, back to sending meter readings, with the added complication of having to work out how to do so on the new meter. What on earth was all the fuss about? I would have to say to anyone considering a smart meter installation not to bother. It turns out they’re not so smart after all.

(If Shell manages to resolve this quickly, I will return to this site and improve my rating of them. If I don’t, people can assume that Shell have just given up on me.)

The above are extracts from negative customer reviews about Shell Energy posted during the last few days on Trustpilot.  Visit the Shell Energy page on Trustpilot to view all reviews in their entirety, positive and negative (and Shell Energy responses). Watch out for any fake reviews. Note the reoccurring themes in the negative reviews, including difficulty in communicating with the company. Shell Plc CEO Ben Van Beurden openly admitted at the Shell AGM held in London on 23 May 2022 that all is not well at Shell Energy.

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