Automated threatening phone calls from Shell Energy

16 July 2022

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

Threatening automated phone call

If you have broadband and homephone from this company and pay quarterly be warned. My bill was sent out late and I paid by return of post. The money was taken from my bank account and I thought no more about it.

Then I received a suspicious automated phone call threatening to cut off my phone and broadband. Thinking this sounded like a scam particularly as payment was requested over the phone I phoned Shell to point out someone was making scam calls on their behalf, since I knew I’d paid the bill. But it was not a scam they were deadly serious. ‘Bills were sent out late and it takes a while for payments to be received in our accounts’.
What a pathetic response from Shell! I’d expect a commitment to send bills on time, set realistic deadlines and to cease threatening automated calls. Was this irrelevant response also written by a machine??

Never use Shell Broadband – You’ve been warned!

I have been trying to join Shell Broadband for almost a month now and have finally given up. After reading other reviews on here I guess I had a lucky escape!

I’m currently with SKY and gave the notice to leave at the end of May. After searching around trying to find another provider – which I was limited choice to because SKY had switched my phone line to the internet – I finally settled on Shell as my provider. I made my application online and waited for a connection. Direct debit service was confirmed and then 2 days later I received notification that my order had been cancelled. I contacted Shell and they advised that SKY had cancelled the order and they do this all the time! I contacted SKY who of course denied it and insisted it was an issue with Openreach. After much back and forth conversation, I went back to Shell and restarted my application. Two days ago I received notice that it had been cancelled again but they had set up a manual application and I should wait to hear regarding the start date. I called them up to enquire when and how etc and to say their customer service is appaling would be an understatement. After being on hold for a considerable amount of time, not informed of what was going on, passed to other departments to have to explain every time (even though they had the information in front of them), to being cut off, over 1 hour of my time wasted to be exactly where I started with no further information! I wrote an email explaining the issues and asking for a return phone call. There is no surprise to hear I have not received a response. And then theres today, I received another email stating that my application had been cancelled yet again! Another wedge of my time that I won’t be getting back was wasted yet again on the phone trying to establish the issue THIS TIME. I was met with the same response, it must be an issue with Openreach. If this is an issue between Shell and SKY then what exactly are both parties doing about it? If they know the third-party use of Openreach is causing this then why on earth are they doing zero to prevent this from happening? If I could give Shell zero then I would. The most awful customer service – and that is coming from a SKY customer. I would NEVER recommend using Shell broadband and I never even got to be a customer, just imagine how dire it would be if I was?

Appalling

Appalling! Was due to transfer my broadband account yesterday and it didn’t happen. When I phoned this am to find out why not, they said there was a delay and blamed Openreach and would let me know when they heard something. This evening I had an email from my previous provider saying the transfer was cancelled. Couldn’t get hold of Shell even though their website says they should be around til 8pm. Travelling tomorrow, so completely scuppered!

Worst Customer Service Ever

I am absolutely appalled with Shell’s customer service. The property I am residing in was with Green until Shell took over and for about 5-6 months they couldn’t register an account for me. As a result, I am now in debt for all those months Shells has not billed me. However this is not the worst part. Since January I have been trying to arrange with Shell the installation of a gas smart reader. I’ve had an engineer come in February who couldn’t do the job because he didn’t have the right equipment and then have a second engineer come early July who also couldn’t do the work at it’s a dual job and no one has told him. This was the second time I needed to take time off work to accommodate and ensure that I am in the property to let the engineer in. That is over £200 lost because of miscommunications on Shells side. When I called customer services on the day when the engineer left without doing the job, they person I spoke to was extremely unhelpful and utterly lacking empathy, clearly I was just another number for him. I explained what happened and he said that I cannot rebook any appointments until 48 hours have past. He told me he will call me in 2 days time.
A couple of hours later another person called from Shell to say he wants to rebook the appointment for me – and this is where I lost my composure. Clearly they are not communicating with each other and clearly they are not making any notes – ALSO they are giving me contradicting information which is also confusing. This is when I raised a complain to the guy on the phone and explain the whole situation and how frustrated I was. He ensured me that he will log this complained and will make a manager call me back to discuss this further. He also booked the installation appointment for 3rd August. But the story doesn’t end there.
Two days later, I have yet another person call me from Shell to speak to me about BOOKING THE SMART METER APPOITMENT. I mean, this is now a joke. The guy on the phone said that there was no logged in appointment and no logged in complaint. So I have wasted my time two days prior speaking with people just to be told – oh, yeah, sorry, it’s not on the system – THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
The guy was very helpful though and said the manager will call me back and I believe that someone was trying to call me on the same day, but unfortunately I missed their call and when I called back they same saga begun – no one knows what I’m talking about, there are no records, no raised concerns, pretty much case closed.

I thought that as long as the appointment is booked, I will just drop it. Whatever happened – happened. BUT! I recently checked my account and I couldn’t find any confirmation stating the appointment on the third. So I called Shell today and surprise-surprise, they haven’t logged it. THEY HAVE NOT LOGGED IT YET AGAIN. The incompetency is shooting up the roof. This is absolutely disgusting.
The lady that I spoke to today – Naaila – was the only person who was considerate, thorough and paid attention to details. I finally felt heard – Shell, you really need to give a raise to this lady. She said that she logged the complaint

BUT, have I not called, I would have taken time off work AGAIN.
Shell is so quick to increase your direct debit because you have debt (which is Shell’s fault as well) but when it comes to just good customer service, it feels that no one cares and no one listens.

I have wasted time, money and energy on Shell although I am paying a heck of a lot of money.

Disappointed, Disgusted and just Exhausted.

Non existent customer service – Incompetent

I have been chasing a refund (for money which is rightfully due to me due to an overpayment on my energy account) since last September 2021 (it will soon be a year).

On the 07th June 22: The matter was escalated and I finally spoke with someone and agreed on a resolution – or so I thought.
08th June 22: I received an email letting me know that a cheque was on its way (from the Finance Team) and I would receive this within 10 working days.

Today it’s the 15 July and still, no cheque nor refund has arrived?

I have today ‘AGAIN’ called Shell’s Customer Service team and wasted another hour of my life on the phone. I spoke with an agent in South Africa.

Despite going through security the agent was unable to answer ONE very basic single question i.e.,:

1. Status of my refund?
2. Couldn’t transfer my call to the complaints team
3. Couldn’t transfer my call to the Finance team
4. Couldn’t transfer me back to the agent I spoke with on the 7th June 2022.
5. He couldn’t escalate my enquiry to a duty manager.
6. He couldn’t provide me with the name of Shells’s CEO (apparently that’s highly confidential)
7. Couldn’t discuss any aspect of the account because the account was NOW in the name of the occupier.

Shell need to ask themselves: What’s this guy there for exactly???

The poor level of customer service is totally shocking and completely non-existent.

In this present economic climate – this situation can only be described as utter madness and shameful on Shell.

Appalling website, Shell Energy!

Begrudgingly I give Shell Energy one star. The website is appalling. The links don’t work so I cannot access ANY electricity bills since I switched to them. They want to almost double my direct debit yet I have NO information whatsoever of my usage for over 12 months. I have requested pdfs of previous bills but they have ignored this request. I have a smart meter but they say they have never received readings from it (why didn’t they look into this and tell me?). If Shell Energy reads this, please email me pdf copies of all my bills since I changed to you. Surely that’s a reasonable request?

Money scam!

Money scam!! I do not raccomended a direct bedit with them.
I have moved to them as my supplied shut down. Shell then decided to bill me 768£ for one month of electricity only, as they didn’t had any reading from my previous supplied. When I complained it them 17weeks, over 4 months to deal with my complain. Meanwhile I made a reasonable direc debit. This morning woke up to a notification from my bank that shell took a direc debit of 752.11£ which I never consented to or even been made aware of!

Shell Energy took over our Gas and…

Shell Energy took over our Gas and Electric account in December when Green folded. We have been asking since December for a Bill. We have been in contact through Emails since April, but got nowhere with them. Even though we closed each email with “Can you please send us a bill”. Finally this evening we got through to their Live Chat and had a lady stay on the line until it was resolved. Following the Live Chat we then received a call from Shell Energy Customer Service and a lovely lady called Natalie. Natalie called as she had been aware of the Live Chat content and wanted to let us know that Shell Energy were very sorry for the lack of action in resolving the matter and that she was going to stay on the call until everything was finally sorted. We have worried ourselves out of our minds since April as to what our bill would eventually be at, if and when we were finally supplied it. We carried a sizeable credit over from Green and have been increasing our monthly payments to what we hoped would cover it. Thankfully it has and we remain in Credit.
When considering all of the above, the crux of this matter has been the absolute lack of valid information and communication from Shell Energy. This shouldn’t have happened and needn’t have happened, if a clear avenue of communication had been put in place, between us and them.
Prior to this evening we had little to no faith in Shell Energy. Following the Live Chat and Natalie’s personal call to us, explaining as best she could the background to what lead to the issue. Our faith and trust in Shell Energy is a big step forward. Our rating on recent experience of 1 star is based upon events prior to this evening. Depending upon how Shell Energy follows up on this in the days to come, will hopefully reflect in a more positive rating.

Andy and Wendy M, Bedfordshire

Omg!!

Omg!!! This company!!! We were put with them, as Green went bust, we were in credit £1,744 in November. We did ask for the money back, as my husband was very ill. They told us that at that time nothing was transferred, so we lowered our direct debit to £200 a month, they then, in June tried to take £700 from our account we didn’t have enough money but also we have been told this is illegal. Then saying we owe £1,464 have called them so many times eventually spoke to the person involved In our debt collection?????? Today. Finally Shell has called re: my complaint!!!! I told him how ill my husband is, and is there any help???? Noo. Not that helpful other than wanting a new metre reading, telling me this was an estimate. ???? I’m definitely moving my energy supplier. Once these people give me my final account???? Which no doubt will be enormous!!!! Im hoping by changing. The new company may investigate. Otherwise I will go to the ombudsman.

I do not trust this company at all

Direct debit increased again based on inaccurate estimates. I HAVE A SMART METER FITTED!!! What is the point in a smart meter when the company is not smart enough to know how they work? Tripled my direct debit when fuel prices initially increased so clearly not smart at maths either. I have no faith in this company whatsoever given its extortionate profiteering through this fuel crisis.

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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