Scottish Power Won't Lower Monthly Payment

richw87

Hi, New on here and after some advice.

I currently owe approx 1348 on my Scottish power bill (Duel Fuel), basically i have fallen behind due to the quarterly billing cycle and not managing it properly.

They want to take £248 a month but this amount is too high for me, i offered £100/£150 a month to clear the arrears down and pay any further bills as a separate DD but they said i will incur more debt and pointed me towards a debt helpline.

Are they legally obliged to accept the £100/£150 a month? Can i leave SP and pay the debt Separately and start a fresh with someone else?

Thanks

Carrot007

No, they only have to accept a payment that they calculate covers your debt and usage.


If you can show them a lower one does that you can escalate to someone higher up.


Or you could pay off your debt and have a usage based DD.


With your debt they will be wanting an extra £100 a month at least.

[Deleted User]

@richw87
You need to contact the debt helpline for help as a matter of urgency. The debt helpline will prove the correct advice.
Please do not delay as you will only make matters worse for yourself. You need to get a debt payment plan in place with their help.

With this amount of debt, you will not be able to change suppliers.

Joyful

The other option is to have a prepayment meter fitted and pay back the debt through the meter. As you are then also paying for your ongoing use you cannot get further into debt. If you struggle to manage bills this may be a better option for you.

badmemory

The fuel on a prepayment will also cost you more so may not be your best choice if you are able to avoid it. That is assuming you are on a fix with them.

spiro

Think about it like this, you owe £1348 plus you'll use about say £1000 of energy over the next 12 months, divide that by 12 you get £195.66 per month. So based on your actual annual usage I wouldn't expect them to set a DD below about £200. It's that or a prepayment meter.

richw87

Hi,

Thanks for your replies, i have managed to negotiate a better monthly amount close to what i wanted to pay. Its spread over a few years, but manageable and gives me the opportunity to pay extra when i have it.