Have ScottishPower Charged Me Almost Double?

drunknmunky

Hello all,

I am currently with Scottishpower on the online energy tariff (not changed tariff since i joined them)
I have checked current tariff details on energyhelpline to see if the rates quoted match the rates on my bill, however the bill charges are twice as much!

Energyhelpline quotes £970 for my annual electricity/gas usage, whereas my bills over a year have come to £1700. I have rung Scottish power but they are adamant the bills are correct.

Should the Energyhelpline price be out by so much? or do you think scottishpower have made a mistake that their not admitting to? If so, I think i'll be moving to EDF.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Prudent

I am sorry I can't answer your question, but my friend has had an almost identical experience. She changed to them in autumn after being told they would be 18% cheaper than her previous supplier. Her bill is over 100% higher than last year for both gas and electricity. She has just written to question the bill. It was based on meter readings not estimates. If you get any progress, please can you post again?

umboko

Here is a piece taken from the Terms & Conditions of the energyhelpline.com

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We do not monitor, verify or endorse information featured on the Web Site relating to the suppliers product and services. In particular, we do not confirm any of the prices quoted on the Web Site and it is your responsibility to ensure that the prices and other information relating to products and services are correct.

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I say stop using the comparison websites and check the prices yourself, they are taking your money from the power companies and giving you quotes that are not right.

Capyboppy

Drunknmonkey, Have you actually worked out what you use properly? If you find out from SP what your kwh usage has been for the last 12 months, you can do this. Remember to add on the service/standing charge and VAT at 5%. Does energy helpline show. the same price for kwh as on your bill? If they are it seems very strange. I can't see how they would differ if they are both showing exactly the same kwhours and you have worked it out correctly with your annual consumption.

bigeuph

CapyBoppy,
How do you find out your Kwh usage for the year? On the bill it shows you the usage per quarter and I've looked at the my account info on their website with no such luck! Some weird things going on with my Scottish Power bills too, my direct debit amount has doubled over the 2 1/2 years so I definately want to check out other companies.
Thanks

Capyboppy

Hi begeuph.

All you do is ring the provider up and ask them! Tell them you want the individual (gas and electric if on dual fual) total kwh rates you have used in the past 12 months. To make it more accurate, take meter readings before ringing them. They usually cotton on to the fact you want this because you are looking elsewhere (and in a lot cases they are right:-)) Sometimes they will work it out for you, but I have had one person who did it wrong. This was when my capped rate came to an end last month and I was being prepared for a monthly rise. The first guy worked it out at a £30 a month increase and I sort of nearly fainted. This would have been about right if we hadn't have had a brand new condenser boiler heating system put in with radiators which replaced the old warm air system. This would have counter balanced out a lot of the expected 44% rise with the savings. So this is when I worked it all out myself and found out it was around a £10 a month increase.

Hope it works out to what you are expecting begeuph

olibearhorse

Scottish Power mucked up my charges so I contacted them, they agreed and it was all sorted very quickly. Their customer service is good even if their mathematics isn't! :rotfl:

elektra

but doing a quote today on Energyline is only going to tell you what a years usage would cost at todays prices/best tariff. Not what you would have paid last year.

Remember prices were higher. It probably does not account for £700 difference.

bargains83

Currently in dispute with scottish power ourselves over being overcharged for gas. For the last two years bills have been coming in between £300 and £800 per 90 days for gas. Despite in the past the bills being between £80 and never more than £270.

Contacted them last may and they were adament the bills were right, and were quick to blame rising energy prices as the reason. Had a good check through all billing from them and found out they are doing an extra multiplier you need (2.88x) on the units used for imperial gas meters, which is wrong because the meter in this house counts in metric as evidenced by m3 displayed on the meter front.

This has meant that Scottish Power have been charging nearly 3x the amount they should have for our bills. We've been in touch with them and are now awaiting response. We are also seeking damages from them because we were sat cold half the winter because we couldn't afford to pay bills as high as they were saying.

Its absolutely disgusting, how can they get wrong the type of meter on the premesies?.

Capyboppy

That is awful. They are supposed to have one of the best customer service reputations but on three different occasions I have had problems with them. The first time was right at the beginning when they couldn't even get my capped rate correct. It was only because I had the literature in front of me that I could read off with the tariff letter they eventually believed me, as they were adamant I wasn't on the three year capped rate.

As soon as Ebico bring their prices down I will be moving. Unfortunately in one way, SP are still the cheapest even though they haven't brought their's down yet either.