Scottish power! GOING BACK 11YRS

gtone28

OKay this will be a long one.....We have been with scottish power now for 12 years now, 15yrs going back over different address. Every address has been on a pre-payment meter.

Anyway a couple of years ago about 3 not completely sure a rep from EON turned up on the door step and my wife signed up for them. A couple of days later a salesman from scottish power turned up at the door and was asking people who had switched over. He spoke to my wife and talked her into staying with them instead of signing over (£30 incentive) she did this and he told her to continue using her oringinal card to get the credit for the machine and not to use the one EON would be sending out.

We got the cheque but we also got another for the same address same surname but in my 10yr old daughters name we did'nt think anything of it and called them up and destroyed the extra cheque.

A couple of months ago 2009 now, British gas turned up at the door and my wife decided to switch because they where cheaper and offered £30 free credit on the machines. The same thing happened about a week later the same scottish power rep turned up and talked her into staying and offered £30 incentive again. She did and he said the same thing just use your scottish power card to by credit for the machine and not to use the brittish gas one.

Anyway after a month we recieved a bill from scottish power saying we owed them £120 for electricity my wife called them up and they said it was from a previous address 8yrs ago. She told them she'd lived in this address for 12yrs now and they changed it and said it was longer she also told them every address she had been in had Pre-payment meters (pay as you go) so how can you run a bill up when you can only use what you pay for. Anyway they sent a man out and put the bill on the machine, now we pay £30 a week for £15 worth of electric.

We recieved another letter addressed to my daughter who is now 14 saying she owed them £120. We called them up and after explaining everything to them they realized that they where charging the same house for 2 lots of electric.

They sent a letter out saying it was clear, but it wasn't, another letter came out still saying we owed them money and they had tracked it back to either 2001 or 1998 and that we didn't have a leg to stand on and have to pay for it because they add up all the credits made on the machines and compare it to the amount of electric used and the difference is £120 down. I am really confused because I explained to them in an easier format "if you have a pay as you go mobile phone and put £10 on it all you can do is use £10" they agree'd but they couldn't see if you buy £10 electric all you can do is use £10 electric.

Where going to the CAB on monday because everytime we speak to them it feels like where going round in circles.

I can't understand how it's took them a possible 11yrs to work this out and are able to just demand money from years ago.

littletommytucker

you can go into debt on prepay meters, they are not like prepay phones. If they are charging the wrong tariff, then they can bill your account and calculate that you have used XXX amount of kWh that costs XXXX in accordance with the Ts and Cs in your contract, however you have only paid XXXX into the machine, and therefore you still owe £XXX.. however I think most utility companys agree to write off any debt should this occur... doesnt sound like your with one of those companies.

gtone28

I see your point but if you was already on the highest tariff they had, and had recieved a rebate for being charged to much and then had the meter lowered how do you explain that one?

Also why would it take them over 10yrs to realise their mistake? possible 11 to 14 they have said because they can't work out when we owe them it but they have adjusted the meter to take the bill off anyway.

usually if you go into debt on a prepay meter, they come out and adjust the meter after the quarter which the payments are short. A couple of weeks or months on the wrong tariff not years.

gtone28

got the CAB to call them and they even got frustrated.. Sent a letter in asking for every payment made and all the bills. They have pin pointed the year where they say we owe money it's 2001, the advisor in the CAB said that company's have 18 months to track someone down over debts under a new law. (I've never heard this one).

They have 8 weeks to respond to the letter, if no success we've been told to contact the ombudsman because its unfair they can go back 8 years for a debt they have somehow discovered.

Premier_2

gtone28 wrote: »

...the advisor in the CAB said that company's have 18 months to track someone down over debts under a new law. (I've never heard this one). ....

Nor have I. Sounds like a pipe-dream to me.

Here's some laws that may or may not apply to your instance to how far they can backdate.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1684407