Scottish Power default account wrongly and not answering emails

AndrePearTree

Hi,
This is a moving that is going on for more than 2 years now and it is upsetting me and causing me a lot of trouble.

On Jan 2016 I've moved into a property which the power and gas supplier was Scottish Power and we decided to not move into another one.
Just set up the account, set up a direct debit and carry on.

On Feb 2017, due to the landlord wanting to sell the property we left, I contacted Scottish Power immediately (through their website), using their section to move home and requested a final invoice, providing the meter readings and day where I left the property (This was done on the day after I've given the keys to the landlord).

On March, I've received a letter from a company called LCS, which apparently are bad debt collectors, saying owned Scottish Power £276.77 and on the top of it I had to pay them around £52 for admin fees.
I've phoned them immediately, saying I was not aware of it and that I've never received an invoice from Scottish Power to be paid, I've asked them if it was possible for them to send me my final invoice, which they said that was ok, but they would have to request it from Scottish power, and it would take around 4 weeks.
I've said it was ok, and once I had the invoice and confirmed everything was ok, I would pay it straight away, also referred I was asking for this as the value was not sounding correct for me.

A few days later, another letter from them, but no sign of the invoice, phoned them later, which they requested me to ignore the letter.

4 weeks passed, a few more letters from LCS I've decided to email them (to have written proof), which they replied after 2 weeks saying that they were waiting for Scottish power to send them my final invoice.

A little bit upset I've decided to email Scottish Power about this situation, and after around 1 year later and 19 emails (most of them not answered by them and the replied ones taking weeks to be answered), they finally sent me a final invoice, and the readings were wrong.

I've replied immediately to the email giving them the correct meter readings requesting them to amend the invoice, once it was correct I would pay it immediately.

Dozens of emails after, again most of them with no reply, they finally replied to my email saying that I had to pay the £276.77, which I said again, the meter readings were wrong and I've requested them to amend it with the correct ones.

No reply from them at all to this email.


A few months ago, I've been looking to buy a car, so went and made some quotations and registered myself on some credit score check websites.
For my surprise, the account was showing up as defaulted since March 2017, apparently because I've left the property without letting them know. (Clearly not true).


Emailed them again, and again, they take ages to answer my emails or they do not answer at all.
Last Feb (2 years after I've left the property) someone decided to ask me the correct meter readings, which I've provided again, and again... no answer.

Insisting with them, sending emails every week requesting an update and quoting the previous emails, they replied to me that my account had a balance of £0.00 and there was no outstanding value.

So clearly my account should have never been defaulted, not just because I've told them when I moved, but also because apparently, the final invoice balance was £0.00.

Now they rarely reply to my emails, last week they replied me with details from another customer (clearely a breach of GDPR).

The fact is, I have a defaulted account on my credit report (keeps showing as with £276.77 although on their report says it has a balance of £0.00) and I haven't applied for any loan as I am afraid of having it refused and afecting even more my credit rating.

Does anyone have any sugestion, something that I can do to help sort this issue?

Is this normal to happen?

Willing2Learn

If it were me, I would make a written complaint (via Royal Mail) to Scottish Power. I would mention all the correspondence and the fact that you have documentary evidence of the balance due being £00.00. I would ask them to recall the debt from the DCA and to remove the negative default marker from my file. If they did not respond satisfactorily, then I would escalate the complaint to OFGEM.

Edit: And welcome to the forum

[Deleted User]

Your next step would be to write to the Ombudsman and if you get nowhere with that try the ICO.

Did you take a photo of the meter readings before you moved out?

When you submitted your moving home request you would have also received an email or some other written form of correspondence to confirm the request - do you have that?

AndrePearTree

@Willing2Learn
I guess they would not reply, as they do not reply to my emails also.

Thanks

@!!!
I've received an email, I am not entirely sure if I still have it, as it has been more than 2 years ago.

I can log in to my Scottish power account and see the details are correct, also if I haven't told them where I was, how did they send my data to LCS?

Willing2Learn

AndrePearTree wrote: »

@Willing2Learn
I guess they would not reply, as they do not reply to my emails also.

All gas and electricity suppliers are required through strict complaints handling standards to deal proactively with complaints. They have up to eight weeks to come to a decision on the complaint with you. Once either eight weeks have lapsed without written reply, or your complaint is at deadlock, then the next process is to escalate to OFGEM. This is a set procedure and must be adhered to.

Click on the link below to access a full explanation of the OFGEM complaints process.
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/complain-about-your-gas-or-electricity-bill-or-supplier

[Deleted User]

AndrePearTree wrote: »

@Willing2Learn
I guess they would not reply, as they do not reply to my emails also.

Thanks

@!!!
I've received an email, I am not entirely sure if I still have it, as it has been more than 2 years ago.

I can log in to my Scottish power account and see the details are correct, also if I haven't told them where I was, how did they send my data to LCS?

Would correspondence have been sent to your old address of the one your moved to?

If LCS are writing to you at your new address, it's likely they have done a trace and tracked you down, so to speak.

sourcrates

This may help for a more, instant response :


https://community.scottishpower.co.uk/t5/Complaints/ScottishPower-Complaints/ta-p/37

[Deleted User]

Scottish Power ignore. Whether it's Glasgow, Warrington or Liverpool offices they just fob you with promised call backs that never happen and you just go round in circles no matter who you've called.

I was crying to one of their field sales reps who sign up new customers outside a main supermarket - when the supervisors back was turned they tried saying something about the company and something to do with a possible change last September as a why, but couldn't say to much more but next contact I was immediately hooked up with the complaints line so I was starting to think I was getting somewhere. That time did get one answer that after a year of paying direct directs that suddenly I have a 'cash only' account and the rest so watch them.

Currently half way 4 weeks before the Ombudsman get's involved and SP have finally issued an email simply asking for more time on like my 6th email at triple their quoted 5 day response time to emails. The Ombudsman just said keep up contact even with them not responding.

Cannot believe they are allowed to carry on like this. The collections dept is just indescribable. I have never experienced anything like it. They are just so blatant in what they say, they do anyone in the collections biz a disservice.

Dobbibill

Raise a complaint with SP. (The link from sourcrates gives you more details)

Give them 8 weeks to resolve.

Escalate to the Energy Ombudsman if you don't get a resolution or if you get a deadlock letter. https://www.ombudsman-services.org/sectors/energy
They will review all the evidence so hunt for any emails, screenshots, photos of the meter reading etc so you have a good case. (hopefully historic emails will be retained on your webmail) This explains more about the process https://www.ombudsman-services.org/how-it-works

As part of the resolution makes sure you state the removal of the default as well as the bill correction.

AndrePearTree

Hi Guys,

First I would like to apologise for not updating this more often.

So since I've opened this post, I had some movement, a little bit more than usual.

During this time, I've received a letter from Transunion, related to a dispute I've made.

Despite the fact that Scottish power confirmed via email that my account was closed since 31/01/2017 with balance £0.00, on the letter said that Scottish power does not see this default
as a mistake and that the balance on the account was still unpaid.

Phoned Scottish power straight away and an operator confirmed over the phone again that my account was clear since 31/01/2017, requested him it was possible to send me an email or letter with
this information, which he said that was ok and that the letter should take 3 to 5 working days to arrive at me.

Still waiting for it.


On the following Monday, received a call from a person called Sarra (not sure if the name is correct), she starts the call telling me that my account was clear, that has been closed on the
31/01/2017 and that she does not see anything wrong with the account.
She also asked me why I was complaining (which I understand if there is nothing wrong with the account and it has been closed 2+ years ago), which I've explained to her what was happening.

She asked me for a few minutes to speak with her manager, and when she came back to the call she said that in fact, I owned £276 (what?)

Then 2 min ago there was no outstanding balance, now there is?


I said that if I was owning something, I was ok to pay, but that value was the value of the invoice they sent me with wrong meter readings, and that I've sent the correct meter readings on numerous occasions and this was
always ignored.

She asked me for the meter readings, which I didn't have at the time but I said, if you look at my emails I sent them a few times (she confirmed she could see that).

When I asked about the defaulted account on my credit record, she said that she was emailing their debt team to have this removed from my credit record.

Before the end of the call, I've requested this to be sent to me in writing via letter or email, which she said she was emailing me (not done it), I've asked her for her name, she only said me, Sarra,
when I asked for surname she refused to give me.


Today contacted them via their chat facility, after being disconnected on the first chat, other operator confirmed that my account was clear and I don't own anything to Scottish power, also confirmed
that my last payment was back in November 2016 before the account was closed, which shows that I was overpaying (and that's ok).

I am stressed and feeling that Scottish power is having a laugh about their customers... it is not acceptable to place peoples lives on hold at their own pleasure.

Willing2Learn

Hi again,

Did you make the complaint to Scottish Power in writing (via Royal Mail)? If so, how have they responded (in writing)? I believe they have eight weeks to respond, and after that time you can escalate to OFGEM (again in writing).