Continued problems with ScottishPower

angela23

We originally signed up for direct debit premier plus account (gas & electric) with ScottishPower in May 04. They have never set our account up correctly. We never received a gas bill from them, then after numerous phone calls from ourselves we got one for almost £1000. We we're horrified, but advised by a ScottishPower representative that they would check it for us. We have had letters from debt agencies, bailiffs knocking at the door. ScottishPower finally admitted (last year) that they had been billing us on an imperial rather than metric gas meter and that they owed us money. We didn't owe them anything. They have sent a cheque for the refund (which we don't agree with the amount) 2 weeks ago. Yesterday we received a letter from ScottishPower, an 'unpaid amount' £100 on the gas account that they refunded us on 2 weeks earlier. The letter states that if we don't pay immediately they will pass our account over to their debt agent. Its happening all over again, being chased for money we don't owe in the first place. Could anyone guide us in the right direction, we're not sure what to do next. I'm at my wits end.

dogshome

Hi angela 23 - To stop this farce in it's tracks you need to WRITE a letter to Scot. Power headed Complaint (Don't Email or phone).
To check the cost difference beween an Imperial bill and a Metric bill, take the number of meter units you have been charged for on the Imperial bill and multiply by 11.2, then times this by the unit price -( The multiply factor used on the Imperial bill was app 31.5 ! )
Because the actual multiply factor varies a little on each bill depending on the quality of the Gas, the above formula give an approximate cost, but it's pretty close.
Good Luck

Scottish_Power

Hi angela23

Sorry to hear about your situation and I hope I can provide you with some information to help get this matter resolved quickly for you.

Firstly, when the gas account was corrected and rebilled on the correct metric rate rather than the imperial rate, was your Direct Debit cancelled? If you have an active Direct Debit we would not send any reminder letters for an outstanding balance.

Secondly, if you do not agree with the refund you were provided with when the account was corrected, then I would recommend that you email or write to SP detailing why you think the figure is incorrect. For your information, when the gas account is rebilled on the metric rate we would cancel all previous incorrect bills and then rebill the account using the same meter readings only this time using the correct conversion rate for a metric meter. To ensure that this area is covered, make sure that you specify why you think the refund is incorrect rather than just saying you do not agree with the amount.

Thirdly, I would suggest that you speak to SP to discuss the outstanding balance and why you have received this reminder when your account was rebilled and you received a refund 2 weeks earlier. Don't shy away from contacting us because we will provide you with the information you are looking for and this will put your mind to rest. I very much doubt that you would consume £100 of gas in 2 weeks so I think there is an error somewhere along the line. You need to contact SP to query the account so that a hold can be added on the debt recovery (if an error has been made). I would ask them to check that the gas account is still being billed for a metric meter.

Finally, make sure that you record your meter readings before you do contact SP as this will allow the agent to make any amendments to your account there and then and provide you with accurate information regarding your charges.

I hope this helps and good luck getting the account sorted. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower

DVardysShadow

scottishpower_company_representative wrote: »

I hope this helps and good luck getting the account sorted. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Indeed. May the winds of fortune blow upon you, may the gods smile.

'cos nothing is certain, not even getting your account sorted with SP.

Tippytoes

This sounds like an absolute nightmare. I hope you get it sorted, but in the meantime "thank you" for sharing your experience. I've recently been on an energy comparison site and was on the verge of switching to Scottish Power. (changed my mind, now)

Scottish_Power

Thanks DVardysShadow

My mistake. No luck required. This can be sorted without any further inconvenience.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower