Scottish Power meter issue - worth checking your bill!

Bobz

I swapped from Eon to Scottish Power in October - to the Online Fixed Price Energy January 2014 Offer.

I had paperwork and emails confirming my new rates for gas and electricity.

I have given meter readings 3 times - when I changed suppliers, then in November, and again yesterday.

Yesterday, I saw that you can view bills several days after a meter reading has been submitted, so although I could not see my latest bill I could view the November one. Had a bit of a shock when I found that the rates they were charging me for electricity were not the ones agreed!

Eventually it was explained that my meter was a 2-rate one, and while Eon had been happy to add the 2 rates together, Scottish Power couldn't do that (?) and so they were billing me for the considerably higher rates (for me as I don't use much night-time electricity) for the Economy 7 tariff. They didn't tell me about this - just billed me and took money by direct debit to pay for this. I have no paperwork, emails etc from Scottish Power to say that the rates that had been agreed weren't the ones being charged.

In order to benefit from the tariff which I agreed to, I now have to take time off work to have my meter changed to a single rate one. As a 'goodwill' gesture they will refund the amount I have been overcharged, but not until the meter has been changed (and only because I escalated my complaint)

If you are on this tariff with Scottish Power please check that you are being billed correctly!

Wywth

Bobz wrote: »

I swapped from Eon to Scottish Power in October - to the Online Fixed Price Energy January 2014 Offer.

I had paperwork and emails confirming my new rates for gas and electricity.

I have given meter readings 3 times - when I changed suppliers, then in November, and again yesterday.

Yesterday, I saw that you can view bills several days after a meter reading has been submitted, so although I could not see my latest bill I could view the November one. Had a bit of a shock when I found that the rates they were charging me for electricity were not the ones agreed!

Eventually it was explained that my meter was a 2-rate one, and while Eon had been happy to add the 2 rates together, Scottish Power couldn't do that (?) and so they were billing me for the considerably higher rates (for me as I don't use much night-time electricity) for the Economy 7 tariff. They didn't tell me about this - just billed me and took money by direct debit to pay for this. I have no paperwork, emails etc from Scottish Power to say that the rates that had been agreed weren't the ones being charged.

In order to benefit from the tariff which I agreed to, I now have to take time off work to have my meter changed to a single rate one. As a 'goodwill' gesture they will refund the amount I have been overcharged, but not until the meter has been changed (and only because I escalated my complaint)

If you are on this tariff with Scottish Power please check that you are being billed correctly!

You are being billed correctly as you have a dual rate meter.

I am, however, left wondering what meter readings you gave when you have two and a single rate tariff would obviously only have one. :huh:

Have you an agreement from SP that they will waive the charge for changing your meter? If not, I suspect they'll charge you for that too
I think SP currently charge £45.91 for a non-essential change of an electricity meter.

Scottish_Power

Hi bobz when you switched did you say you have a 2-rate meter? If you stated single rate all the quote would have been for that. It depends how you signed up but in all cases we should check meter type to get the quote right.

In these cases we will bill the day and night at separate rates we don't have the facility to charge both at single rate and so a meter change.

Wywth is right there is a charge for a meter change but perhaps this has been waived as we normally ask for payment before the job is booked.

It sounds like this is all in hand to be sorted out, but if you need any further assistance please e-mail [EMAIL="onlinecomplaints@scottishpower.com"]onlinecomplaints@scottishpower.com[/EMAIL] Thanks David

Bobz

scottishpower_company_representative wrote: »

Hi bobz when you switched did you say you have a 2-rate meter? If you stated single rate all the quote would have been for that. It depends how you signed up but in all cases we should check meter type to get the quote right.

In these cases we will bill the day and night at separate rates we don't have the facility to charge both at single rate and so a meter change.

Yes, right from when I got the first quote I said that I was on a 2-rate meter, and also said which Eon tariff I was on (which was a single rate one for electricity). I signed up direct with Scottish Power, not through a comparison website, so I would have expected them to get it right.

The big issue really is that all along I was told what rates I would be paying for gas and electricity, but now 3 months after switching I have found that I have been charged a different tariff for electricity and not told about it!

I certainly wouldn't have gone to all of the effort of switching from Eon had I known that I wasn't going to be put on the cheaper tariff I signed up for, and certainly the stress and hassle that this has caused me, plus the half-day I will have to take off work (unpaid) to wait in for an engineer to change the meter, have not made the switching worth-while. I did ask whether Scottish Power would pay me for loss of earnings and was told no :-(

Wywth - I gave Scottish Power both of the readings on my meter as they asked for both!