Booted off Scottish Power and Price Freeze

AlexisV

I've been living in a flat as a tenant, with the owner of the property, up until he left in August 2008 due to his job.

I changed the Direct Debit details for the account to mine and signed up for a Price Freeze until September 09 whilst I was at it.



In November I emailed about changing the name on the bill, as a formality and received this back:

Thank you for your email. Please can you advise why the current account holder Mr ***** is to have his name removed off the account -- has Mr ***** left the property -- if this is the case we need to close the account and open up a new one in your name.

If it is a case that Mr ***** just wants his name removed he needs to notify us of this request himself and authorize that change.

Further help is always available at http://www.scottishpower.co.uk . For more information, go to the 'Help' link at the top right hand side of your screen.

I sent this back:

Hi Tracey

Mr **** ******* owns the property but has moved elsewhere and am his
tenant.

Would it be easier to talk to customer services?

Thanks

Before I had chance to ring them, they went ahead and closed the account without us discussing the closing/renaming options discussed in the first email:

Thank you for your email.

I have closed the account for Mr ***** and opened an account in your name, account number 123456789.

A few days later two letters arrived: one was about the closed account and one was a form for a new customer.

I rang them up and asked if I'd still be on the Price Freeze if I filled out the form. They said no, so I asked if I could get Mr ***** to call and cancel the closure and put it back to how it was. The guy said yes, no problem.

Mr ***** the owner then calls and they tell him its too late and there's nothing they can (or will) do.



So now I face the prospect of my bills jumping by 30 odd percent and I am fuming.




I have sent them this letter:

Dear Sir

I am writing to complain about the closure of my account, which in turn has ended our Price Freeze agreement and will result in my bills rising by a significant amount.

I have been living at the property since June 2007, along with the owner Mr. *****. Mr. ***** left the property in August 2008 (although he still owns it) and so I changed the direct debit details for payment to come out of my account.

I emailed you on November 17th to also request a change of name on the account, as a formality, and submit meter readings. I was asked why this was and given the options of closing the account or having the name merely changed.

In the email it stated that any change of account holder would require Mr. *****’s permission. I emailed you to tell you that I would speak to customer services, yet the account closure went ahead without anyone’s permission. At no point was it mentioned that this would also end any Price Freeze.

I spoke to customer services and was informed that any account closure would indeed end the Price Freeze, and so I asked if Mr. ***** could contact them and cancel any account closure (which had never been authorised by him in the first place), and keep him as account holder with bill payment coming from him. I was told that this would be fine.

Mr. ***** then telephoned you and was informed that the account had already been cancelled and there was nothing he could do, despite the information given by the first representative on the phone.

As a consequence I am now left with my bills rising an enormous amount (I assume 30%+) all from a simple request to change the account holder’s name. I am also disappointed that I was told that Mr. ***** would have to give permission for the account closure, yet it was closed anyway without him even contacting you. It is also disgraceful that I was told that the closure could be reversed by one representative on the phone, but this turned out to be completely false.

Therefore, I request that the original account be reinstated in either mine or Mr. *****’s name, with the Price Freeze in force until September 2009 as we originally agreed.

If your inflexibility should result in this not taking place, I will have little option but to move supplier.

I have enclosed our email exchanges for your information.


Yours faithfully

Any thoughts? Everything was running smoothly with paying £73 pm Direct Debit. Even if I go to another supplier, I won't be paying that anymore.

Magentasue

Ooh, I'm not sure but I guess they see changing the name as a new account for their purposes. If your name is one the account, it's a different account - even though to you, it's the same account with a different name.

I wonder why you were so keen to change the name on the account? There's no need to do that just to change the DD details. In cases like these, I think it's always worth asking for what you want so long as you don't expect it.

Fire_Fox

But SP haven't closed your account: they have closed the account of their previous client. You were never named on the account so you are not entitled to the price freeze. You can't expect them to simply transfer over - how long would this go on for? Would you pass it on to the next tenant? Or take the same price with you when you move next time?

AlexisV

The change of name came about because I initially just tried to alter the email address. The website said it could only do that if the account holder name was altered with it.

Re. the account status. I realise the mechanics of it, but from my point of view I have been living there since June 2007 and have paid them hundreds of pounds. Therefore I expected some sort of flexibility and some decent information on the phone.

You can't expect them to simply transfer over - how long would this go on for?

Considering they're clamouring for your custom on price comparison sites, I do actually. In fact, they said as much on the phone and then renaiged on it. Just because it's a utility company, doesn't mean you can't do deals with them and expect not to be treated with a bit of value.


Anyway, if they don't co-operate I'll move anyway - there are actually some cheaper deals around at the moment.

Magentasue

Unfortunately, the contract was with your landlord, not you, even though you may have been paying the bills. There's no reason why they should offer you anything different to any other new customer. If there are cheaper deals, switch - preferably with cashback!

AlexisV

Will do. They're happy enough to take the money though, whoever account it comes out of!