Scottish Power Incorrect bill: What options do I have?

jcd080918

I moved into my flat last year and started a quarterly payment plan for Electricity with Scottish Power. Received bills in August and November last year and paid them off fine. This March, I received a huge bill for the past 9 months. When I complained, they said it was due to an error with their billing system.

Obviously this is not a quarterly payment, and now I am faced with either paying off a huge bill or spreading the cost over many months. The whole reason I chose the quarterly bill was to divide the cost equally over the year.

Do I have any leg to stand on with regards to getting any compensation? It seems ridiculous that they can just put it down to an error and almost force me to pay a 9 month bill in one quarter. Communication has been a nightmare, being told to expect a phonecall to discuss my account and instead receiving a threatening email regarding my payment. Only started getting some traction when I complained on twitter, and that is still a battle, with blatant lies and misinformation from them.

What options do I have?

espresso

jdwyer87 wrote: »

I moved into my flat last year and started a quarterly payment plan for Electricity with Scottish Power. Received bills in August and November last year and paid them off fine. This March, I received a huge bill for the past 9 months. When I complained, they said it was due to an error with their billing system.

You should know what your electric meter reading was when you moved in last year and YOU can work out exactly how much electricity YOU are using and the money that you own them on a daily, weekly, monthly basis - basically as often as you want.

Obviously this is not a quarterly payment, and now I am faced with either paying off a huge bill or spreading the cost over many months. The whole reason I chose the quarterly bill was to divide the cost equally over the year.

If you really wanted to spread the cost equally over the year, you would have requested a monthly direct debit plan, which would also cost you less!

Do I have any leg to stand on with regards to getting any compensation? It seems ridiculous that they can just put it down to an error and almost force me to pay a 9 month bill in one quarter.

Why do you think that you should get any compensation? You have a meter and can see and therefore easily work out how much you owe your supplier.

Communication has been a nightmare, being told to expect a phonecall to discuss my account and instead receiving a threatening email regarding my payment. Only started getting some traction when I complained on twitter, and that is still a battle, with blatant lies and misinformation from them.

What options do I have?

Switch to another supplier if you are not happy but do expect to pay for what you have already consumed.

You seem to be from "it's all their fault, not mine" gime some compo brigade!

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System

Hi. The key point here is whether or not the bills that you paid were based on actual or estimated meter readings? Suppliers are required to read meters once every 2 years. Did you provide the supplier with actual meter readings which they failed to use? If you did, then most suppliers will allow you to set up a debt repayment scheme over a number of months. They might even give you a small goodwill payment. The morale here is that the customer has to check all bills as and when they are received. It really shouldn't be necessary but the fact is that mistakes are made.

matelodave

Did you not check the reading on your quarterly bill were the same as the actual reading on your meters in your house and then get the bills corrected if they were estimates.

There is a degree of responsibility on your part to ensure that the bills are accurate and make sure that they are revised if the company is using estimates. If you don't do this then unfortunately you'll end up with a big bill that has to be paid when the meter eventually gets read.

As said above, the meter only gets read every couple of years so it's down to you to make sure that your bills are correct, reflect your actual consumption and any amounts that you pay.

You aren't entitled to compensation for not looking out for yourself. Scottish Power might let you pay the amount over a period although they might insist on a monthly direct debit to avoid you getting into the same situation in the future.

READ YOUR METERS YOURSELF AND CORRECT ANY ESIMATED BILLS - it takes 5 mins a month and saves hours of hassle & worry

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

You don't explain the 'error on their billing system'

Or explain the 'blatant lies and misinformation'.

The Scottish Power computer system is a mess at the moment.

It would appear likely that your August and November bills were based on under-estimated meter readings. If that was the case and you didn't contact SP to correct those meter readings, then you are at fault.

You say 'This March, I received a huge bill for the past 9 months' So have they re-calculated the bill back to the date you moved in; and credited you with the payments you made in August and November?

If there was some other error, then please explain.


Edit


You state 'The whole reason I chose the quarterly bill was to divide the cost equally over the year.' Paying quarterly is exactly the opposite of dividing the cost equally as winter quarters are far more expensive. To spread the cost equally you should have elected to pay by monthly direct debit.