Scottish Power cancellation charge (when switched!)

wakeupalarm

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

The penultimate electricity bill I received as an online bill, I'm fairly sure I won't receive it in paper form as I have yet to receive my penultimate gas bill which was issued several weeks ago.

You can still gain access to view your bill history, although they have never communicated to me how this can be done. This method works for me, so will hopefully work for others.

Attempt to gain access to your online account as usual, entering your email then password, you will be declined access but should then be redirected to another login page, the title of which should read "Login to your final account". You then need to enter your account number and postcode to gain access.

Your original account number will not allow access, you must either one of the new account numbers you were issued on your final bills. This should allow you to view your bill history again.

In my case it shows bills various recent bills I have never been sent, which also contain cancellation charges. The problem I have is that the closing balance of my original account (dual fuel) , does not equal the combined opening balances of my new accounts, one for gas and one for electricity.

Just to top things off I've just checked through my final electricity bill, and for some reason they have moved my actual meter reading back a month, and based the final bill on an estimated reading. I don't see how the can claim to have an adequate billing system, when such errors keep appearing on a regular basis.

I have to agree about the complexity of the billing system, when even their own staff can't understand it, it must be time to look at other options. Surely a simple running balance sheet would help to simplify matters, it has to be easier that trying to piece together various bills, especially when the billing periods overlap, and opening balances don't correspond with previous closing balances.

It's just a shame they don't seem to want to listen to their customers, assuming their current level of customer service continues, I'll be pushing this through to the ombudsman, hitting the big companies in the pocket seems to be the only way they'll actually take notice.

The same has happened here. They have basically ignored the complaint and just admitted that you are correct on every point and here is the final amount. The bill isn't provided but when checked online it is incorrectly calculated with the post August price increase.

They won't admit that they have messed up big time and hundreds of thousands of customers are being incorrectly charged and incorrectly billed.

They are burying their heads in the sand.

matthew57

After a couple of emails had the call today that the fee is being refunded - hopefully the others on here should be OK.

backfoot

This is now a matter of significant concern and it looks like there is a systematic failure of the systems/procedures. I invited SP to perform some very basic data enquiries of their system to demonstrate that there hadn't been such a problem.

No response has been received and we know that SP scrutinise our postings very carefully. Their silence seems telling to me.

I will be writing to Ofgem/ Consumer Focus to alert them to this potential widespread problem. There are grounds to think,that if so many regular posters here are affected, then there are many more less informed customers, where post increase prices and termination fees have been incorrectly charged.

I personally will also be asking Ofgem/CF if they can assure me that my relatives' six final bills are correct, because it is still beyond me to make sense of them.

Premier_2

matthew57 wrote: »

After a couple of emails had the call today that the fee is being refunded - hopefully the others on here should be OK.

I feel sure that anyone who asks, especially if they have at least some evidence they at least tried to comply with the terms, will have their cancellation fees waived on request.

The issue is that I suspect the number who ask is only a tiny proportion of those affected, especially as it needs quite a bit of digging to actually find the charge was applied in the first place.

As others have said, the charge is not on the final paper bills, but on the penultimate bills that can only be accessed online ... access that was once revoked, and later reinstated once you have the new account numbers (given on the paper final bill). All very confusing to all but the most determined of customers.

elektra

Having thought my account was being sorted out with a fairly quick reply to my email and promise of refund of cancellation charge and outstanding balance......

I have just received 2 identical emails saying that as I have not supplied requested reading for electric they are using an estimated reading for next bill. I realise this is probably automated system sending the email but account is supposed to be closed by now and they have reading given by new supplier.

I have received final gas bill but not elec bill however from the response given in email from SP rep it seemed that elec was sorted also as he was issuing refund for outstanding balance.

Aargh - I just want to scream today, imcompetence everywhere this week.

I think I will be keeping Gas and elec separate from now on, moving gas onto existing elec supplier and subsequently leaving to 2 sep suppliers as caused too many problems.

samba

Got my gas bill, and again no cancellation charge BUT they did apply the new rates. However, seeing as the heating hasn't been on since April and we have all-electric cooking there was no consumption to charge anyway. Fortunately, the missing balance from my electric bill has turned up on this one and I am just waiting for the cheque to arrive now.

deutsch

just want to say that i've finally received my cheque for the cancellation fee. i won't bother chasing them with charging the 1st august price increases for a few days, just too much hassle.

next time i switch supplier though, scottish power however cheap won't be in consideration

la_tronc

scottishpower_company_representative wrote: »

If a cancellation charge has been charged and you are under the impression it should not have been you should contact us directly for your own explanation as it is not a one size fits all scenario.

scottishpower_company_representative wrote: »

I am satisfied that our billing system does only apply cancellation charges when it is correct to do so.

I emailed Graeme for an explanation and one of his colleagues sent the following reply:

"I am sorry that we have fallen down again in this process.

I have checked and the right to cancel proformas were raised, so cancellation charges should not have been added. I have brought this to the attention of the team responsible and made them aware for future reference."

I got the cancellation charges reversed on my final/penultimate bills, the pre-increase prices have now been used and I got a goodwill gesture credit of £30.70, the balance on my electricity account.

Hopefully they will now fix the problem and Graeme will stop being in denial about an issue that seems to have affected a lot of customers.

leicsmark

I have just noticed that I have been charged the new tariff from 1st August and so have been overcharged by a few pounds. Its not much but I think the principle here is that this could be many hundreds of thousands of customers.

Reading this, I also am interested to know if I was charged for the exit fee which they promised wouldn't apply. I don't seem to be able to access the penultimate bill online. When I go to login, it says that my email address is not recognised. There isn't an option to put the account number or postcode in. Can anyone advise?

Thanks.

p.s. this situation is surely blatant incompetence or deliberate deception.

backfoot

leicsmark wrote: »

I have just noticed that I have been charged the new tariff from 1st August and so have been overcharged by a few pounds. Its not much but I think the principle here is that this could be many hundreds of thousands of customers.

Reading this, I also am interested to know if I was charged for the exit fee which they promised wouldn't apply. I don't seem to be able to access the penultimate bill online. When I go to login, it says that my email address is not recognised. There isn't an option to put the account number or postcode in. Can anyone advise?

Thanks.

p.s. this situation is surely blatant incompetence or deliberate deception.

Would you please make a formal complaint to Consumer Focus. It is worth adding that from reading this forum that many other customers are being incorrectly charged either for termination fees and/or at post increase prices.

This will add to the growing number of formal complaints which is likely to encourage a formal enquiry into these practices.

As you rightly identify,this is a matter of principle and you may help those customers who may have missed the errors.