Really confused about my Scottish Power electricity account

hullight

Have been living here since September and started with Npower but switched to SP as they were cheaper with cashback. Direct debit was reduced from £33/month to £23/month. It has remained at this until now, and have been submitting meter readings online. I saw on my online account that I had a balance of £53.01 which I don't really understand.

Anyway, my meter was changed this month for a new digital one and it started from zero. I gave SP a meter reading when they requested it and today they have emailed me saying that my direct debit will increase to £45 a month. Is this because I am in debt with them or something?

What does this mean, am I in debt with them?

Magentasue

You have paid £69 this quarter. You have used energy to value of £122. This leaves a debit balance of £53.01 so your DD has been increased to stop your debt building up and get you to a zero balance.

KimYeovil

£122 - 69 = £53

You still owe £53. The previous three balances were in credit. You made three payments of £23 but used £122 so have £53 to pay.

As you seem to use £60 per month your instalment has been increased to £45. (It's winter so you don't need to pay the whole £60 as you will use less in future.) Of course, if that £122 includes a previous balance from before Nov these sums are wrong.

In their table they should really write 'to Pay' on the right hand side to make the distinction with previous balances clearer.

ali_p_4

She hasn't used £60 per month. Her bill was £122 this is only just over £40 per month assuming that was a quarterly bill.
May be worth giving them a ring if you need to try to get it lower.£135 per quarter seems on par at moment but as kim said you might be using less in the summer.

KimYeovil

On my fingers, 17 Nov to 20 Jan is two calendar months and three days. Of course, it depends on the exact day of the switchover which, I suppose, could be any time between 18 Oct and 17 Nov. I'd wager it would be closer to 17 Nov. If not, at random choose half way between. So call it £48 per month or anything between £40 and £60.

Really! I hate it when some people are nearly as pendantic as me.

scotty1971

i'm with npower,and had a phone call from sp to switch to them,saying they were cheaper and could reduce my dd by £30 a month,i told the person from sp there tarriff was more expensive than np,so how could they reduce it,the person couldn't explain this too me,i think it's just a ploy most energy companies use to get you to switch to them,the lure of lower payments looks good at the time,but usually turns round a bites you in the bum!!

ali_p_4

apologies kim i wasn't intending to come across as pendantic. I was just reading the figures and as she hadn't put the previous bill down in november i was thinking it would have been the month before, being october. she could have been given up to a months grace before her first direct debit payment was made.
I was only trying to give another picture.

It is after all sometimes the accuracy of the minute detail giving the most accurate end result.
I won't even bother in future:mad:

hullight

ali_p wrote: »

She hasn't used £60 per month. Her bill was £122 this is only just over £40 per month assuming that was a quarterly bill.
May be worth giving them a ring if you need to try to get it lower.£135 per quarter seems on par at moment but as kim said you might be using less in the summer.

He/His :rolleyes:

ali_p_4

sorry but was trying to help anyway:o

looks like it's have a go at ali day today :-)

KimYeovil

Never mind the gender of the pronouns, what was the starting date?

ali_p_4

Just cos you want to win the wager:rotfl: