Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) - Poor Customer Service

Spruance

I have had the misfortune of dealing with SSE since 4th August 2010 when I assumed responsibility for my (then) recently late uncle's utility bills. I had a long conversation at the outset with SSE explaining that it was an empty house but that there would be modest usage of gas and electric and they in turn agreed to a flat rate charge.

There isn't space here to go through all of the numerous times that I have had to contact SSE to reconfirm the circumstances but suffice to say that it is extremely frustrating speaking to them because although the staff seem very understanding at the time of the call it is as though they completely forget what they have agreed to do the moment they put down the phone.

Today they have really excelled themselves as they have sent me a cheque refund for the electricity account which reads as if it is an end of service final bill. I spent another 29 minutes on the phone to SSE this morning only to find that owing to what was described as a 'system error' the electricity account had been ceased - by all accounts on 23rd November 2011 - and the cheque was the final credit balance at 13th January. Honestly you couldn't make it up.

This is also supposed to be a dual fuel account even though SSE insist on sending out separate bills at different time intervals for gas and electricity. They previously agreed, at my insistence, to contra any electicity credit balance against the gas debit but yet again that is not what has happened in practice.

If my own utility supplier - E.ON - can issue a single quarterly bill for both gas and electriciy charges on a dual fuel account, why can't SSE do the same? If I had envisaged that it would take as long as it has to sell my late uncle's house I would have switched the supply to E.ON who are so very easy to deal with, but at the time I thought it would be easier to stay with SSE. How wrong I was!

dogshome

OK - Forget phoning the Customer Service desk, the staff have neither the time or the authority to deal with this problem.
List your problems with SSE in dealing with your Uncles estate, in a letter headed Complaint - This puts you on track to involve the Ombudsman if SSE don't get it sorted within 8 weeks, and stops any stupid demands for immediate payment of Service charges etc.