Six sacked as dodgy salesman are probed at energy firm

May 11 2008 By Margaret Davis

ENERGY firm npower has sacked six salesmen as it undergoes a probe into allegations of dodgy sales techniques.

Bosses had earlier suspended 17 employees.

Sales staff were accused of getting customers to sign forms without telling them they were contracts, lying about standing charges and taking advantage of people who spoke little English.

They also made false claims about cutting bills.

Industry regulator Ofgem launched an investigation on April 22.

An npower spokesman said: "Senior management are treating this extremely seriously. We already operate within a robust framework to ensure we comply with strict regulatory obligations and codes.

"Our new checks include introducing mystery shoppers and contacting 2000 new customers by phone for further feedback on our door-to-door sales teams."

If Ofgem finds that npower was involved in mis-selling, the firm could be fined millions of pounds.

Consumer champion Energywatch has accused npower of "shoddy customer service" and "bully boy behaviour".

But npower's spokesman claimed: "The proportion of sales complaints is still relatively low."