Scottish Power overcharging & incompetence problem

kellcomuk

Before asking for advice I'd better sum up my issues with Scottish Power

1) Switched over them last year in June for their "Oniline fixed price Energy July 2015 Offer". Based on my annual usage they estimated a monthly Direct Debit would of £125 would cover it all, and they started taking payments each month from 28/07/2014.

2) Soon found after they confirmed the switch was complete (and some confusion over the last readings from my previous supplier with SP switching electricity day & night rates the wrong way around ) that I could not log in to my online account.

2) Not being content with not being to log in and check my accounts status as I should, I drew up an accurate spreadsheet detailing the exact charges to the fractions of each penny: Price for each unit used, daily standing charges, conversion for kwh, etc, it was all factored in (tested my formulas with the bills from my old supplier and it worked precisely). So at least I was able to track my usage and costs that way as Scottish Power were not sending me printed bills (although I requested them until I could log in), because the account was supposed to all online!!

3) Repeated phone calls over the following months about not being able to log in and having to give them my readings over the phone, and still to this day, after promises it was being dealt with, passed to the back office and their IT department etc, even lodging a complaint with a laughable 'final resolution offer' letter that somehow failed to address the reason of the complaint completely...I still cannot log in.

4) Ok, I can at least know where I stood from my accurate spreadsheet....Apparently not....

5) Received an email asking me to enter my latest readings online. I cannot login so again I had to phone them up and give them there again today. This time, working on the assumption I should have been in credit, I asked if they could tell me my statement with the latest readings applied, as I've had enough now and want to switch to someone else. To my surprise (though I guess I shouldn't have been) they are claiming my account is £83 in debt. I asked if they had included the last payment taken on 28/04/2015, and they claim they did.

Anyway's, here is where their maths don't add up (figures include VAT).

Electricity:
Standing charge: 33.57p per day
Day rate: 12.447p per KWh
Night rate: 6.034p per KWh.

Gas:
Daily standing charge: 33.57p per day
Unite rate: 3.360p per KWh.

My usage since joining them last June:

Days elapsed: 316

Electricity:
Day: 2920 units
Night: 6311 units

Gas: 179 (Old meter ft3) Converts to: 5655

Now including all my direct debits to I have paid them £1250 to date.

My charges should add up to close to (if not exactly) £1146.44p, so I should be in credit by £103.56p, and not in debt at all.

I questioned this immediately, went through all the rates to make sure they were charging the right amounts (They were. They also confirmed my gas conversion figure was spot on) but they still somehow figure out I owe them money.

The lady said she will send me a paper bill (I have requested it cover since when we joined them) and they told me I can query it then. They also said they will have someone call me back over still not being able log in, but I have heard that one several times before and had never had any call back.

So I am asking what is the best way to proceed as I most certainly do want to switch now. I don't want to pay SP a single penny more either and (unless my maths are incorrect) I will want that £100 they owe me.

System

I can see your frustration but a debt of £83 is unlikely to result in SP blocking any switch that you might wish to make. The new supplier is responsible for the switch and will ask you for final/opening readings (which are subject to industry 3rd party adjudication). Once the gaining supplier and SP have agreed the readings then SP will produce a Final Bill showing any credit/debit balance. There is no question of them holding on to your money: this would be fraud.

Cardew

Have you written(not phoned) headed 'Complaint' to SP listing the above concerns?

kellcomuk

Hengus wrote: »

I can see your frustration but a debt of £83 is unlikely to result in SP blocking any switch that you might wish to make. The new supplier is responsible for the switch and will ask you for final/opening readings (which are subject to industry 3rd party adjudication). Once the gaining supplier and SP have agreed the readings then SP will produce a Final Bill showing any credit/debit balance. There is no question of them holding on to your money: this would be fraud.

So when I go for the switch would cancelling the current direct debit via my bank stop them from helping themselves to money they are not owed?

kellcomuk

Cardew wrote: »

Have you written(not phoned) headed 'Complaint' to SP listing the above concerns?

I have phoned them numerous times about not being able to log in. I lodged a complaint about it and their 'final resolution offer' was to simply apply the readings I had given them over the phone ignoring the actual complaint completely!.

Today is the first time I got an actual figure of the accounts status. Unfortunately assuming my accurate spreadsheet would tally with whatever they are doing appears to have been a mistake.

On that I've rechecked my own maths against a few different older paper bills and I know they work out so I know the £186 difference isn't down to an error in my maths, it is something wrong at SP.

I suspect they may have decided to switch my night & day electricity rates around. That error would result in a £113 debt atm. Still not accurate to what they are saying but a lot closer than my estimate.

Will phone them again shortly to confirm the readings when I switched, and whether they do have the night and day rates applied correctly.

Cardew

kellcomuk wrote: »

I suspect they may have decided to switch my night & day electricity rates around.

I must admit it was surprising that someone with gas, uses 68% of total electricity supply at cheap rate!


I would write write write not phone.


Incidentally I am surprized you haven't changed to SP fixed to March 2016(or even Oct 2015 earlier) as the prices are much cheaper than your July 2015 tariff; and there is no penalty for leaving early.

kellcomuk

Cardew wrote: »

I must admit it was surprising that someone with gas, uses 68% of total electricity supply at cheap rate!


I would write write write not phone.


Incidentally I am surprized you haven't changed to SP fixed to March 2016(or even Oct 2015 earlier) as the prices are much cheaper than your July 2015 tariff; and there is no penalty for leaving early.

We use a night electric water heater and storage heaters in winter (with one gas fire in our front room plus one gas oven) so the economy 7 comes into its worth big time then.

And as I cannot log-in I have no way of knowing which tariff is currently better (so that promise of simple access to better tariff's was out the window) without looking Elsewhere, And after all this I would rather avoid SP.

Hoof_Hearted

I can log in but what it shown is complete nonsense. Bills don't match the amount deducted from my account and, best of all, I got them to refund my credit to my bank but they the re-credited the amount to the online account. They are completely incompetent.

I would be honest with them but they have caused me so much grief that I am happy for them to lose money. I do actually hate this company and I will leave (already moved the gas) when I can get a similar rate to March 2016 for electricity.

System

Do not cancel your DD as most suppliers' systems see this a s a breach of contract and default your supply to their standard variable tariff. I switched earlier this year and the losing supplier took a DD a week after the Final Bill was raised. They paid it back into my account a week later. Life is too short to hate energy companies. The sensible thing to do is to complain (nicely) and move on.

WRWalker

Sorry if this is a bit of a mix up but it's my first visit to the forum. My problem with SP is that they won't set me up an account. We moved into our present addess last July and the previous owners told us they were with SP and had given them the final readings etc. I emailed them and asked to set up a DD and account. Since then, and untold telephone calls and emails,later nothing has happened. I keep getting emails from SP apologising and saying they will respond within a month.

kellcomuk

Just got off the phone with them again....I think this call may have been shunted to an overseas call centre as the operators Asian accent was a little hard to understand.

Unfortunately he was not helpful at all. Could confirm my readings when I joined SP, could confirm my readings now, and could confirm the charge rates etc that are in place. Apparently he could only access my 'last' bill, which covers the last 82 days, rather than my full usage and costs since I joined, and in spite of contrary evidence I presented, he took what I presume is the company line of insisting I do owe the money (£83).

The readings he was stating for electricity used are absurd though, and do suggest a night/day rate convenient 'switcharoo' when our night usage spiked may well be at hand here. Over 3000 units at the day rate, and just 750 for the night?

So allegedly we used a ton of day time electric (about a 3rd of the total for all we have used over the last 10 months) over the last '82' days (£350 plus the standing charge on top!!), but far less all night? (just £43) I think not!!

The Gas (74) seemed about right at least.

The fella was a bit clueless tbh, especially when I pointed out the figures he was giving me made zero sense and were at odds with the overall totals he could see for himself.

He tried to suggest the more electric we used the more it costs? Well duh...The rate for each unit doesn't though. Use 100 at 10p it costs £10. Use 1000 it costs £100 = Simple multiplication. When I pointed out my figures were based on that, a multiplication of all actual units used since joining and up to the current date, he got a bit flustered, put me on hold, then came back saying we still owed the money but he would lodge a complaint for me If I wanted.

Naturally, with a £186 difference between the true usage and their bill, I insisted on that. He gave me a complaint number and that someone would be in contact (when they can be bothered I suppose).

Think I will have to write a letter too, recorded delivery and all that too.

Scottish Power? Never again.