Scottish Power - ridiculously large bill, please help!

russ_jones2k

I pay £47.70 a month for my electricity from Scottish Power by direct debit but recently got a bill saying that I'm over my estimated amount by nearly £1300 (the extra they say I've used over 11 months).

This is, however, impossible, as I live alone and don't even have a TV. In winter I use just 2 economy heaters for about 3 hours a day.

I called Scottish Power and gave them my meter readings, which they said were correct and it seems like the amount is right. They're sending someone to look at the meters but I'm concerned they'll say it's all fine and I have to pay them the amount even though I know I haven't used anywhere near that much electricity. It's about 4X their initial estimate!

Can anyone suggest what I can do? It seems completely unfair/illegal...

Mankysteve

Don't you mean underestimated?. Did you submit a meter reading when your first moved in?

They only do meter reads now once a year so it up to you to provide meter reads every quarter or monthly depending on how you pay. So yes they can charge you if you've not been submit meter reads and replying on estimates. It usually considered that you can pay back the amount over the same period of time you built up the debt.

Take this as life lesson not to reply on estimate reads.

KimYeovil

russ_jones2k wrote: »

It seems completely unfair/illegal...

rotflmol

Illegal in what sense? You do have a meter in your property, don't you?

mattcanary

Have you kept a record of the meter reading when you moved in/moved to Scottish Power? Is that the reading used as the start reading on your first statement?

Alternatively if the meter has been changed at some point since you moved in, is there a card put behind the meter. If so, what were the opening readings for the new meter recorded on that card? Does this match up with that used as the start reading for this meter on the first statement you got after the meter was changed?

GTRsmiles

So just to confirm you have been paying £47.70 per month for 11 months and they are saying you owe a further £1300, making a total of £1824.70p charged in the 11 months?
That consumption is massive for one person living there, I would expect a 5 bed dethatched house with 2 adults and 3 kids to struggle to use that amount!

Do you cook on gas or electric? Even so, that wouldn’t make any difference in this situation.
As above, did you give them a start reading when you moved in?

This is probably one of two things, either on the 5 digit meter reading, either the 1st or 2nd digit has been entered into their system wrongly, (maybe my a meter reader coming round to your house) making it think that you have used thousands of units more than you actually have, or, if you have a two rate meter, you have been affected by transposed billing or transposed readings, where the system is billing you to the wrong figures.

Get all your information up on here and I’ll have a look at it for you, I’ll need your start date and meter reading, current date and current meter reading, tariff, ppu (pence per unit) and any “actual” readings you have given or that they have taken in between, also, confirm this is just electric and I assume that you are off mains gas and use electric for cooking?

Regards,

Scottish_Power

Hi russ _jones2k

You have already been given some excellent advice regarding your situation. If you have not done so already, I would set up an online account with us so that you can update your meter readings more often. If you can do this, update meter readings at the same time each day for a period of 7 days to give yourself an idea what you are using. If the property is all electric then it is highly likely that the vast majority of consumption was over the very cold winter months. It is not impossible to consume £165 of electricity per month but based on what you have posted, it does not seem to match what you have been using.

Like GTRsmiles has said, if you post your start date and meter readings along with your current meter readings we can then look at exactly how much electricity has been recorded on the meter and what this should equate to based on your current price per unit.

If you want me to look into your account as well then just send me the relevant details and I'll see if there has been any incorrect meter readings updated on your account at any point.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower