Add your feedback on energy supplier Scottish Power

Barneyboy1_2

Hi Folks,
New to the site, on the advice from Martin regarding not having to pay for a change of metres from Prepayment to Credit without having to pay went very smoothly as I am disabled, one week later they were changed and the engineers for both the gas and electric meters arrived AM so I didn't have to wait all day for this service. Had I not joined this site I would not have known about getting these meters for free, thank you for saving me a lot of money:)
Ok that initial part was great, now, for the updating of the old and new metre readings between two departments, Prepayment and Direct Debit, remember to ask the engineer who changes your meters to give you not only these two readings, end readings for the old metre and start readings for the new credit metre, but also the registration letters and numbers of these metres. You will need all this info when dealing with the Prepayment dept and the Direct Debit dept. Remember to get it confirmed that the new lower tariff and standing charge ARE BACKDATED TO THE DATE THE NEW METERS WERE INSTALLED AND NOT STILL SITTING AT THE PREPAYMENT CHARGE.
From the date your new metres go in until you can set up your Direct Debit is 22 working days and if you decide to do an online paperless bill the saving is a further £5.50p for each metre and it's good to be able to take control over NOT having to accept the increase set by Scottish Power on your Direct Debit when you register with their site.

ljonski

https://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.scottishpower.com

mjpksp

mjpksp wrote: »

I have been trying to switch energy suppliers for 4.5 months. I've just sent the following letter to the SP CEO and the Customer Services Director. I don't expect a rapid response or them to resolve it! Why is that customers have to do all the chasing in these matters?

Dear Sir/Madam
Re: Account number ***********
I write with regard to my switch from Scottish Power to OVO Energy which was started on the 5th August 2014 and is still ongoing. In summary I am being charged by both companies for electricity and Scottish Power will not refund the credit balance that I had accrued prior to switching.
This is a chronological account of the process to date:-
1. I began the process of switching both gas and electricity on 5th August 2014 via uSwitch.
2. On the 8th August I received a letter from OVO Energy confirming the switch. The letter informed me that the switch would take place on the 8th September.
3. On the 8th September 2014, I gave the readings for both gas and electricity to OVO Energy (Gas 9329; Electricity 29330).
4. On the 8th September 2014, Scottish Power took a payment of £155 from my bank account.
5. On the 12th September 2014, Scottish Power issued a final gas bill/statement to the value of £34.05. This took my balance to £358.15 in credit. No final electricity bill was issued.
6. On the 15th September I checked my Scottish Power account to find that I still had a credit balance of £358.15. The Scottish Power web site advised that its customers should leave the Direct Debit in place so that any credit balance could be paid directly back into the customer’s bank account.
7. On the 7th October, Scottish Power took a further payment of £155 from my bank account. With this payment, and the September payment, this put my account some £513.15 in credit. After this I decided to cancel the Direct Debit and wait for the credit balance to be returned via cheque. I was concerned that if I left the Direct Debit in place, Scottish Power might take further payments from my bank account. In my naivety I thought that Scottish Power would, in due course, also issue a final electricity statement/bill and that they would refund the credit balance. Scottish Power's website stated that the final bill would be issued 7 weeks after switching had started. Therefore I assumed the final electricity bill would be issued by 7th October! The Scottish Power website also stated that any refunds will be issued within 11 weeks and so I expected a cheque by 21st October.
8. On the 8th October I received my first statement from OVO Energy which included charges for both Gas and Electricity from the 8th September.
9. After receiving no final electricity bill or refund cheque from Scottish Power by the 1st November I checked my online account only to find that Scottish Power were still charging me for electricity and the account was not closed.
10. On the 2nd November I contacted OVO Energy to find out if they were supplying me with electricity or if it was Scottish Power. They told me that as far as they were concerned, the switch had been completed and Scottish Power should have sent out the final bills for both gas and electricity. OVO Energy supplied me with a screenshot of the ECOES database (National Database for Electricity) which showed that the switch took place on the 8/9/14.
11. On the 3rd of November I contacted Scottish Power via the website to raise the issue of getting my credit balance refunded and find out why I was still being charged for electricity.
12. On the 4th November I got a reply apologising for the inconvenience and indicating that the account would be closed (as of the 7/9/14) and I would be issued with a refund for my credit balance.
13. On the 4th November I contacted Scottish Power asking if I was entitled to any compensation for the inconvenience caused by the delay in returning my credit balance.
14. On the 5th November Scottish Power replied to my email saying that they needed the current meter reading! I replied that they needed to check through their previous emails as they had already stated that they were going to close the account and that the meter reading had already been submitted. I also asked for the name and address of the Managing Director because I wanted to inform him of the poor performance of his company.
15. On the 6th November I received a reply, via email, indicating how sorry Scottish Power was for the inconvenience and that my query was under investigation and that it had been passed onto the Customer Care Department. I was informed that I would be contacted within 10 days with an update. I was also informed that a complaint had been registered on my account with the reference number ***********. I was not told the name and address of the Managing Director.
16. On the 7th November, Scottish Power tried to take another £155 from my bank account but that was then returned to my account 3 days later (on the 10th November). It was lucky that I had cancelled the Direct Debit.
17. On the 17th November Scottish Power issued an electricity statement/bill (via the internet) to the value of £521.58! This was not a final electricity bill/statement! This bill covered electricity usage for the period 6/8/14 – 10/11/14 (please bear in mind that I switched supplier on the 8/9/14). Prior to this bill I was £513.15 in credit and so this bill obliterated my credit balance and put me £8.43 in debt. The bill was based on the fact that Scottish Power estimated that I had used 3462.60 units over the 95 day period. It added up to £499.40 based on 13.473p per unit of electricity and 26.090p per day (plus discounts = -£2.66 and VAT = £24.84). When I recalculated the bill, based on the readings that I submitted to OVO Energy back on the 8th September, I found that I had only used 1108 units at a cost of £149.28, the standing charge was £8.349 (for 32 days) and so my final bill should have been £157.63 + VAT (£7.88) which adds up to £165.51 in total (excluding any discounts that I am owed). I therefore make it that Scottish Power owes me £347.64 plus interest, compensation for the inconvenience and any discounts that I am entitled to.
18. On the 28th November I tried ringing Scottish Power 4 times. On the first occasion I was on hold for 29 minutes, on the second occasion I was on hold for 24 minutes, on the third occasion I was on hold for 18 minutes and the fourth time I was on hold for 28 minutes. Unfortunately on each occasion I had to give up as I had work and family commitments.
19. On the 30th November, after not hearing anything from Scottish Power since the 6th November (although Scottish Power had said in their email that the Customer Care Department would respond to my query within 10 days), I contacted them again via their website. I received an automated reply and so far have heard nothing else.
20. On the 30th November I also contacted uSwitch to ask them for help and advice.
21. On the 2nd December I received a reply from uSwitch indicating that they were contacting Scottish Power to ask why Scottish Power produced an electricity bill on the 17th November.
22. On the 8th December I received another email from uSwitch saying that they had received a response from Scottish Power. Scottish Power informed them that a complaint had been raised regarding this matter and the complaint was with Scottish Power’s 'Escalated' Complaints Team who would investigate the matter and contact me, the customer, in due course.
23. On the 8th December Scottish Power tried to take another payment of £155 from my bank account but it was rejected by my bank and returned on the 9th December.
24. On the 14th December I tried contacting Scottish Power again but only received an automated response.

It is now the 21st December and I have not heard anything from Scottish Power since the 6th November even though I was promised an update within 10 days. It has been 20 weeks since I started the switching process and it still has not been completed. Scottish Power does not answer the phone when I try to ring and it has ceased responding to emails. How am I supposed to communicate with Scottish Power and resolve this problem? Scottish Power has not had the courtesy to keep me informed of the status of the investigation despite promising otherwise. Scottish Power insist on charging me for electricity that I am also paying OVO Energy for. How long will it be before Scottish Power starts issuing court proceedings against me because I have not paid my bill? I have been a customer with Scottish Power for over 10 years and almost certainly will never return to them after this experience. I have been very patient with Scottish Power and have given them many opportunities to resolve this issue. However, I am beginning to find the situation extremely stressful. It is resulting in sleepless nights, depression and anxiety attacks. I am unable to buy my children Christmas presents and concentrate at work. In addition, if this credit balance was with OVO Energy I would be receiving 3% interest.
The Energy Ombudsman's website states that Scottish Power has 8 weeks to respond to complaints. Whilst this issue is about a switching process that began on the 5th August (nearly 20 weeks ago), I realise that because I only contacted Scottish Power on the 3rd November to find out what was going on, it was only registered as a complaint by Scottish Power on the 6th November. Therefore the 8 week deadline is 1/1/15. It is now the 21st December. I am going to give Scottish Power until Friday the 11th January 2015 to refund the money they owe along with compensation. After this I am going to refer my case to the Energy Ombudsman and OFGEM. I will also write to my local MP, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Which? and the BBC’s Watchdog programme to make sure that as many people as possible know about Scottish Power's poor switching process and customer service.
I was under the impression that switching utility suppliers was supposed to be easy but from my experience, it is anything but. What’s more, this issue really puts me off paying bills by Direct Debit since suppliers do not refund credit balances. This case also brings into question whether the energy market is as competitive as it should be. It is no wonder people are reluctant to switch supplier.

Just to let everyone know what has happened:-

I emailed and sent a copy of the above letter to the following people at SP:

[Email addresses removed]
[/email][EMAIL="CustomerServiceDirector@scottishpower.co.uk"][/EMAIL]
I got a pretty much immediate reply from the Directors support team offering me £20 of compensation and a refund of the money that I was owed. I wrote back saying that the derisory £20 didn't cover the 10+ hours spent sorting out their mess and was below minimum wage. They then paid the £20 into my bank account but did not refund the credit balance owed. Therefore I contacted my MP. He wrote to SP to find out what was going on. Within 3 days I had my credit balance back and had been offered an extra £30 compensation. I still haven't received the additional £30 compensation but at least I have me credit balance back. No doubt the additional £30 was an empty gesture but I'm happyish.

One of the email addresses above is the standard customer services email address. I am still getting messages from them saying that they are looking into the issue..............

I suggest everyone emails the directors with their problems as it seems that it is the only way to get things done. Also make sure you use your MP!

ljonski

Is Scottish Power Britain's worst firm for service?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/energy-bills/11241696/Is-Scottish-Power-Britains-worst-firm-for-service.html

Bunnyhop

dancemum wrote: »

I started my switch to SP in June 2014. Still having issues. They have only billed me once for gas and not at all for electricity. I have spent hours on the phone on hold. Emails have had other customers info attached.
My opening reading and closing readings from old supplier don't match. I have no idea if my direct debit covers what we are using. This is the worst switch ever.
Just to make things worse my electricity meter was changed 3/11. I rang prior to this and afterward to inform them but still no bill.
I want to switch again from this nightmare but haven't a clue whether my account is in credit or debit.
I have emailed them again today.

Almost exactly the same here, they are billing me fine for gas though but I have had no bill for electricity since switching in June 2014.

I have emailed and either there is no reply or they raise a complaint promising a resolution in 8 weeks which never come. When I ring I get cut off saying they are too busy to answer my call. It's all very well them saying I am not 'suffering financially in the mean time' but I will be if my direct debit isn't covering my usage!

sunflower86

I have had the worst experience with Scottish power i have been with them for a few years swapping between the tariffs and all was well my direct debit payments have been enough to keep me in credit and i am pretty sure i kept changing tariffs when i knew the one i was on was running out so you can imagine my shock when i go onto the site at the weekend to look at changing over to another energy company for a cheaper deal to discover that i am horrendously in debit and that i had been put on the highest tariff as the one i was on had run out now as i got a letter from them last year informing me that my direct debit didn't need changing as it was enough to cover my bills i didn't think to check at that point but scottish power had already put me on the high tariff so the buffer i had of credit was not going to cover anything when you have been put on the highest tariff they have and they have let me get to the point now that my direct debit will now have to double which they were not going to tell me about but just take this month all of which we need to budget for and is frightening when you discover this i do think that scottish power have been very under handed in what they have done and also my account looks completely a mess and when i call to complain and to get my account looked into as to my shock even though i thought i had changed tariff before last year they have had me on the highest tariff for a year now and so i now have the problem of trying to get this sorted out and find the extra money to pay them once this is all sorted and i have nothing owing i will leave Scottish power and NEVER GO BACK to them again :mad:

victor2

sunflower86 wrote: »

I have had the worst experience with Scottish power i have been with them for a few years swapping between the tariffs and all was well my direct debit payments have been enough to keep me in credit and i am pretty sure i kept changing tariffs when i knew the one i was on was running out so you can imagine my shock when i go onto the site at the weekend to look at changing over to another energy company for a cheaper deal to discover that i am horrendously in debit and that i had been put on the highest tariff as the one i was on had run out now as i got a letter from them last year informing me that my direct debit didn't need changing as it was enough to cover my bills i didn't think to check at that point but scottish power had already put me on the high tariff so the buffer i had of credit was not going to cover anything when you have been put on the highest tariff they have and they have let me get to the point now that my direct debit will now have to double which they were not going to tell me about but just take this month all of which we need to budget for and is frightening when you discover this i do think that scottish power have been very under handed in what they have done and also my account looks completely a mess and when i call to complain and to get my account looked into as to my shock even though i thought i had changed tariff before last year they have had me on the highest tariff for a year now and so i now have the problem of trying to get this sorted out and find the extra money to pay them once this is all sorted and i have nothing owing i will leave Scottish power and NEVER GO BACK to them again :mad:

And breathe....

sunflower86

I am fuming and stuck with a huge bill because of Scottish power they are not interested in what you have to say either their attitude to the tariff you are on is that they put you on the highest tariff if you don't change it,they do not listen to what you have to say when they mess up but are more than happy to charge you the most they can and take the money from you i am disgusted with them, i will see what the outcome is of them looking into my account and if i am not happy with the outcome i will be going further with it i am going all the way with this

aquila2009

Its really quite interesting to read some of posts on this thread. ... it must be me who is having back luck with SP.

I must be the only one who isn't having much luck with Scottish Power.

But after reading through this post - that will be a matter of opinion.

I purchased my property in September 2014, and selected Scottish Power for my energy needs, as they were quite competitive.

After receiving the quotation, I joined SP, and the contract to start October 2014. Everything is setup, direct debit, everything or so I thought...

i have not receive a bill, their IT/website service is a joke. The account set-up, has not been updated.

I have phone numerous times to their customer services, when I do get to speak to someone, (about an 45 minutes, after I first dialled) - and always I'm 'advised' they will notify their IT department and will get it fixed. And the last time I spoke to customer services, I have given them the I was promised a call back.

Not sure what to do just yet, I know I will have to talk to customer services, but this time I want to speak with supervisor/manager or whatever. Ideally want to complain to Ofgem and get rid of SP.

In essence, I have been with Scotish Power for nearly five months, and have not received any letter/post/message from them except for the quotation and informing the account is setup.

I have read an article in the Telegraph how woeful SP are.

sinks

Scottish Power ....... Have told me twice I will be charged exit fees if I leave my March 2015 online tariff early.
I have read on MSE website there are no charges if you leave in the last 49 days! I am trying to find out where the rule is written so I can show it to SP any ideas anyone?
I question my self first! Have I read my info wrong?
Then begin to wonder Does a utility company really not know the rules!