Scottish Power Bills confusing /make no sense and way too high! Now with DCA

competitionscafe

I switched from British Gas dual fuel to Scottish Power dual fuel earlier this year to take advantage of the £100 cashback offer via topcashback. After a few months I switched to EDF as they were cheaper (and also offered £60 cashback).

Here are the bills I have received from Scottish Power in date order:

Dated: 02/09/09: Gas & Electricity
For the period : 25/07/09 to 01/09/09
You are in credit by £0.70
No usage figures or readings shown on bill.

Dated: 15/09/09: Your amended gas bill
For the period: 03/06/09 to 09/09/09 Total now due is £3.30 (So I paid this)

Details on back of bill:
Previous balance: -£18.93 (credit)

Period 03/06/09 to 19/07/09
Start: Meter: 13297A End: 13297E 0@4.018
Start: Meter: 13297A End: 13297E 0@4.018

Period 20/07/09 to 09/09/09
Units: 41 Price 462@3.766 = £17.40
Standing charge: 52 days@11.070 =£5.76
Total gas: £23.16
Total discounts: -£1.99
VAT £1.06
Total: £3.30
A=Actual read

Dated: 24/09/09 Please pay £18.23 now. This amount is now overdue.
No indication of what the amount is for!
No usage figures or readings shown on bill.

Dated: 30/09/09 Your final electricity bill.
Previous balance: £18.23
For the period: 26/07/09 to 31/08/09 Total now due is £62.78
Meter: Start: 25441C End: 25732E Units: 291 Price (kWh@p) 291@12.747 = £37.09
Standing charge: 37 days@15.810 = £5.85
Total electricity: £42.94
Discounts -£0.51
VAT £2.12
Total now due: £62.78
C= customer read E=estimate

Dated: 02/10/09 Your final gas bill.
For the period: 10/09/09 to 16/09/09 Total now due is £251.84 :eek:
Previous balance: £0.00
Period 10/09/09 to 16/09/09
Meter: Start 41A End 665A Units: 624 Price (kWh@p) 7037@3.766 = £265.01
Standing charge 7 days@11.070 = £0.77
Total gas: £265.78
Prompt pay discount: -£25.83
Gas & Electricity discount: - £0.10
VAT: £11.99
Total now due is: £251.84

Confused? I am. :rolleyes: My average gas bill with BG was about £35 per month, electricity about the same. I had no gas whatsoever for almost 3 weeks in July as there was major flooding of the pipes in our area and all streets were dug up and gas meters were all replaced with brand new ones in case of water damage. Obviously in August and up to 16 September I did not use much gas either as I did not use the central heating. Yet I have a bill for £251.84!?? Also it says for the period 10/09/09 to 16/09/09 (7 days) which can't be right obviously.

Next letters from Scottish Power:

Dated: 08/10/09 Please pay £62.78 now. This amount is now overdue.
No indication of what the amount is for but it matches the electricity figure above.

Dated: 10/10/09 Please pay £251.84 now. This amount is now overdue.
No indication of what the amount is for but it matches the gas figure above.

Then the DCA (SPM Collections) letters arrive (didn't take them long!):

22/10/09 Balance due £62.78 Notice of court proceedings.

24/10/09 Balance due £251.84 Notice of court proceedings.

So, total SPower claim I owe is £314.62 - the meter readings seems more or less right but the £ amount doesn't (not for the gas anyway!)

So, I will be writing to Scottish Power and asking them for a final bill that makes sense and writing to the DCA to say the amount is in dispute.

Is this the way forward and is there anything else I should be doing?

Aso any chance the gas meter is faulty or something? Should I write to Scotland Gas Networks Ltd (who installed the meter)

Thanks.

Cardew

You might not have used gas during the summer for heating, but presumably you used it for hot water?

To give any advice on the bills, more information is needed.

1. How long were you with SP.

2. How much gas and electricity and gas in kWh did you use.

3. How much did you pay?

4. What bills were based on actual meter readings and what on estimated readings.

DirectDebacle

competitionscafe wrote: »

I had no gas whatsoever for almost 3 weeks in July as there was major flooding of the pipes in our area and all streets were dug up and gas meters were all replaced with brand new ones in case of water damage.

It is possible that if your old meter was imperial, measured in cu. ft. and the new one is metric, measures in cu. mtrs. this has not been adjusted on your account. They could be multiplying your metric reading by 2.83 when converting readings to kWh, which is not required on a metric meter but is on an imperial one.

It is not uncommon for this to occur and results in bills almost 3x what they should be.

dogshome

Hi competitionscafe - Direct Debacle is spot on in advising you that you check if your new meter is either Metric or Imperial = It will be marked on the front as M3 for metric or ft3 for Imperial - If it is metric, look at the line on the bill that shows how many units you used and the number of kWh that figure gas been conveted to for chargeing. Divide the units used into the kWh figure and the answer should app. 11.2 - If it is app. 31.5 you are being charged for an Imperial meter and paying way, way over the top.
I've seen this constant overlapping billing in the past with Scot. Power, and apart from making it almost impossible to check the bills, it results in overchargeing.
As each new overlap bill is issued, it will state the credits that have been given against Gas, Elect. & VAT on the earlier bill, and when producing the new bill, the Gas cost should be reduced by the Gas credit, The Elect cost by the Elec credit, and the VAT cost by the VAT credit - However what SC have done in the past is to work out the new bill in it's entirety, and then deduct the gross value of the credits as a single lump sum, a method that wildly and illegally inflates the amount of |VAT the customer pays.

competitionscafe

Cardew wrote: »

You might not have used gas during the summer for heating, but presumably you used it for hot water?

Yes indeed but for comparison my British gas bill for gas from 16 April 2009 to 02 June 2009 (similar period in terms of use as little/no use of central heating but used for cooking and hot water): £56.75
(£1.82 per day or about £35 per month)

Hence my suprise/shock at a bill for £251.84 from SP especially as they had previously said I was in credit!
--

Cardew wrote: »

To give any advice on the bills, more information is needed.

1. How long were you with SP.

From 01 June to end Aug/early Sept for electricity, (Can check exact end date)
From 02 June to 16th Sept for gas.

2. How much gas and electricity and gas in kWh did you use.

Not sure will try and work it out from their confusing bills though. Have amended original post with more info.

3. How much did you pay?

Direct debit of |£103.00 on 18 June 09. £3.30 in Sept 09 (amount on amended gas bill)

4. What bills were based on actual meter readings and what on estimated readings.

Have amended OP with this info.
--
Another bill arrived today even though both have already been passed on to a DCA:

Dated: 24/10/09 Your amended electricity bill.
For the period 26/07/09 to 31/08/09
Total now due is £63.32

Readings: Start 25441C End 25736C
Units 295@12.747 =37.60
Standing charge: 37 days@15.810 = 5.85
Balance on previous bill: 18.23
Gas and electricity discount: -0.51
Total charges: £42.94
VAT: 2.15
Total: £63.32
[C= customer read.]

Based on my bills from British Gas I expected total bills from Scottish Power for the time I was with them (Beginning of June 2009 to mid Spetember 2009) to be between £200 to £250.
That is based on BGas summer bills of around £35 per month each for gas and elec times 3 and half months.
Less the amount already paid (£106) I would therefore expect to owe them roughly £100 to £140 for gas and elec.

So the electricity figure (£63.32) may be correct (but why did they send it to a DCA so quickly and before they sent me an amended bill?)

That leaves an 'expected' gas bill of £40 to £80 and yet they have billed me £251.84.

If the metric /imperial error applies then that means if they have billed 3X what they should the gas should come in at a third of £251.84 which is £83.94. Still on the high side of my estimates especially as the £251.84 figure includes a £25 'prompt payment discount' and I had no gas at all for 3 weeks - but still £80ish is more in line with what I would expect.

competitionscafe

DirectDebacle wrote: »

It is possible that if your old meter was imperial, measured in cu. ft. and the new one is metric, measures in cu. mtrs. this has not been adjusted on your account. They could be multiplying your metric reading by 2.83 when converting readings to kWh, which is not required on a metric meter but is on an imperial one.

It is not uncommon for this to occur and results in bills almost 3x what they should be.

Thanks, that might explain it. Will check.