Scottish Power have really messed me about!

MichelleM · 10 September 2007 at 4:30PM

Please take the time to read the following, I have been with Scottish Power for 6 years and they have been a complete nightmare

since the recent change in token meters. The following was going to be my complaint letter, until I managed to speak to someone at Scottish Power, it tells you exactly what they have been doing:

In October 2006, I received an appointment to have a new Smartcard meter fitted at my home. However, despite taking the day off work, you failed to arrive on the specified date. Previously to this, I received a letter from you saying that I had not been paying my electricity bill. When I responded it turned out that the card I had been using for several years had been from the previous suppliers, and the money I had paid was transferred. I was then told that you would send me a new card, however, it did not match my meter and was therefore useless (I would also like to add that when the card was sent, it had absolutely no reference to your company on it to verify that it was actually valid, and this was the same with the letter that was provided with it- it had no header and looked liked someone had ‘put it together’ themselves. That is why I needed a new meter.

Towards the end of June, the shops in my area had informed me that they were no longer going to supply the tokens that I use in my meter. Therefore, I rang 2nd July 2007 to arrange for the new meter to be fitted (again). The man I spoke to didn’t know what card tokens were at first and had to put me on hold (despite the fact I rang the prepayment contact number) to find out what I was talking about. He then told me that even though I had only emergency electricity left on my meter (as there were no places who were now selling the tokens in my area), I would have to ring again once I had 50p left or less for someone to come out and fit a new one.

I then received a letter dated 10th July 2007, saying that a new meter would be fitted in my home on 24th July 2007 between 8am and 1pm. No one arrived. In the mean time, I was lucky to find a shopkeeper who had some tokens available; however, my electric card was no longer being accepted so I have ended up buying electricity tokens even though they won’t even show up on my bill. I had bought approximately £20-£30 in tokens this way to ensure I had enough electricity until the new meter was fitted. It is a good job I did!

I then rang on 30th July 2007 to inform someone that I still had no new meter, however, I was put on hold for 15 minutes after a woman I spoke to said she would find out what had happened. I was then cut off.

I then rang again on 8th August 2007 at 4:41pm and spoke to a woman called ****** with a Liverpudlian accent. (I have now had to take down all these details as I was so annoyed at being messed around.) After a conversation with her, I discovered that I should have received a letter informing me that the tokens were no longer going to be available and that I could have had replacement tokens. I did not receive this letter so I asked her if all my address details were correct- they appeared to be. I received the tokens on 14th August, she also confirmed that I had a new appointment arranged for 22nd August between 8am and 8pm for the fitting of my new meter.

****** rang later on that day after our conversation and she also informed me that my account was in around £900 debt! I managed to find an odd receipt from January in my bag to prove I had actually been buying my electricity and gave her the numbers on it. I also gave her a meter reading, despite her informing me that one had been completed in May- it hadn’t. I have NEVER had a visit or call from anyone from your company regarding my meter reading.

On Monday 13th August, 1:23pm, ****** left a voicemail message on my old number (despite me giving her my new one when we had spoken previously). She said that she needed another full meter reading, that my debt had increased by another £200 and to confirm if I had storage heaters.

I rang on the same day at 4.29pm and got through to a Scottish woman named ???????. I informed her that ****** had left a message and would it be possible to pass on a message to ****** (with my new mobile number) to contact me again as my circumstances were so long and complicated. She told me that she had emailed her.

I rang again on 14th August 2007 at 3:03pm and was connected to %%% from Liverpool. Again, I asked to see if ****** was available, however, he said she was taking a call. He said that he would pass on my message for her to call and that she would contact me within the hour. I have received no more phone calls to the date of this letter.

The last straw came when I took a day off from my official holiday time on the most glorious and sunny day to wait at my home from 8am-8pm for the fitting of my new and long awaited electric meter. No one came and I have since spent the rest of this day writing this letter as I am absolutely furious and appalled at the way I have been treated by your company.

I did ring again on 23rd August 2007 at 6:14pm and made my anger at the whole situation very clear. After being on hold (again), she checked to see what had happened and told me that no date had been booked! She then advised me to ring when I was down to my last 50p and get an emergency call out. I asked to make an official complaint but she couldn’t put me through to them because (and I quote) “they have a lot of work on at the moment”. She then told me that they will get into contact with me in the next 7-10 days. To be honest, all she did was read my notes and tell compensation was being processed (which can take 6-8 weeks) and that the issue with debt was also processing.

On 29th August 2007 2:11pm I received a call from $$$$$ at your complaints dept. she said that she will send £40 in the post as compensation and will contact me again tomorrow to see if an appointment can be made for a new meter to be fitted.

I would like to have an appointment as soon as possible for a meter to be fitted. I finish work after 3pm and there is no possibility of taking anymore time off work for your electricians to arrive, therefore, the fitting will have to be after this time.

This was my letter so far… and this is what has now happened…

$$$$$ rang me again the day after to confirm an appointment for a meter fitting had been made for 17th September, I asked for her to send a letter to confirm this as well as some extra tokens to ensure that I had electricity up until this date.

I received the letter, but no tokens. I then contacted them on 7th September to tell them to arrange an emergency call out as I had only a few pounds of electricity left. Within 3 hours an electrician arrived only to tell me he couldn’t find the mains (I live in a flat and we share the mains cupboard on our floor), therefore, there was nothing he could do.

The following morning (Saturday) I rang Scottish Power to tell them that the man could not put credit on the meter; I then told them that I had rang the council to get a key for the mains cupboard which was now available. The man on the phone tried to put me on hold for 5 minutes, to which I told him he should ring ME back. He did so and then told me someone would arrive in four hours. No one turned up (what a surprise) and the offices closed at 1pm so I was ****ed!

I rang the emergency power cut number on the back of my bill and the lady told me it was the wrong number to contact, she then gave me United Utilities’ number. After pressing a few numbers I got through to a lady who told me she was trying to get someone to come out but it was difficult as a lot of the engineers/electricians were watching the England match and wouldn’t do the job as it was too far.

Eventually she provided someone who told me it had been his day off- he fitted a brand new meter within half an hour! (Despite them telling me that emergency call outs only top up meters.)

And after all that crap, this is the point where I am at now. I haven’t even spoken to Scottish Power since and I am 100% sure that they are not aware that their man failed to turn up or that I have a new meter fitted.

Does ANYONE out there have even a slightest suggestion about what I should do now? I feel that they must be some kind of law or something where I can take them to court. They have wasted my money (phone bill, days off work), they have caused me A LOT of stress and they have basically ****ed me about. Help please!

P.S I then forgot to add that the extra £200 debt now on my account is because THEY didn’t update the meter from 2001 and a daily charge hadn’t been included. :mad:

Thank you so much for reading all this!