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Scottish Power - Advice needed please
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Hi there
I'm after some advice please with regards the service I have received from Scottish Power, as I have no idea where I stand.
Sorry in advance for the long background ...
In November 2018 I changed my Gas and Electricity supplier from EON to Scottish Power (SP), based on SP being cheaper. This was done via U-Switch and as far as I was aware, everything went through OK.
While I was with EON I received their smart meter for both Gas and Electricity. I believe this was the V2 smart meter as the installer said that if I was to leave EON, the new supplier would be able to take it on. However, when I joined SP they said that it would not work and that I would have to enter the meter readings manually, which was fine, happy to do that.
I was placed on the Super Saver December 2019 B2 tariff by SP.
Come January of this year, I went online to the SP account portal to try and enter my metre readings. Clicking on the link bought up the page but instead of a single Electricity input box, there were 4 lines of boxes. There was no Gas at all. I went online to the SP online chat to say this and they said they did not know why this was happening and would look into it. It would take up to 30 days to resolve.
30 days later, I hadn't heard from them so ring them, the lady I spoke to said that unfortunately my account was "broken" and she couldn't access the Gas reading form her side either; it didn't exist. She would just make a note of my reading. Someone would look into it though and it would take up to 30 days to resolve.
This went on until May of this year (2019). I had spoken online or via phone multiple times only to be told the same thing; someone would fix it and let me know within 30 days.
I had had enough, as at no point in the past 6 months I had been with SP had I been able to view my Balance or Bills or get an exact figure of how much gas I was using and no idea how much money I owed SP or they owed me. I had a fixed direct debit but could only assume this covered my outgoing supply amount.
I escalated a complaint and was contacted by their customer support. They explained that the gas meter had never been added correctly to my account which is why it was broken. Someone would look into it and fix it within 30 days.
To be fair, after about 2 weeks, I got phone call form SP to say it had been fixed and they would give me a £100 credit for the time wasted in trying to get it fixed. This was the end of June 2019.
June meter reading went in ok.
July comes around. Go online to enter readings and now I can't see my Electricity meter! It also says I am £500 in credit! I could also not access any part of my online account.
I immediately email the customer support team saying it has happened again and that this time it's even worse; I still can't see a bill or how much I owe! They emailed back saying they have never seen this before but my electricity meter has been removed somehow from their system!? They would look it to it though and it would be fixed in 30 days. This was July
annnnd here we are, October 2019. Still not fixed, still dragging on and still unable to see how much gas or electricity I have used over the last year or how much I owe. At no point have I been able to see on a monthly basis if I am over my fixed direct debit or under it.
My contract with SP is up on the 31st December this year. I would like to leave them a) because their service has been appalling and b) I can get cheaper deals elsewhere. They are now saying that I cannot leave until they have fixed the issue and they have created a final statement. In the mean time, my fixed contract will roll onto their standard tariff ... i.e. more money a month.
TLDR; Scottish Power have given me a completely broken service for the past 11 months and now will not let me leave, even though I am soon out of contract.
The advice I need please is:
* Can they force me to stay with them if I am out of contract?
* Especially over the past 11 months worth of issues?
* Can they force me to pay more even though I would like to leave and can find a new supplier?
* Would a new supplier not intervene and just change over?
I'm not sure where I stand but I feel like I am being held hostage by them and cannot leave.
Any help or advice would be hugely grateful
Many thanks
Tom
I'm after some advice please with regards the service I have received from Scottish Power, as I have no idea where I stand.
Sorry in advance for the long background ...
In November 2018 I changed my Gas and Electricity supplier from EON to Scottish Power (SP), based on SP being cheaper. This was done via U-Switch and as far as I was aware, everything went through OK.
While I was with EON I received their smart meter for both Gas and Electricity. I believe this was the V2 smart meter as the installer said that if I was to leave EON, the new supplier would be able to take it on. However, when I joined SP they said that it would not work and that I would have to enter the meter readings manually, which was fine, happy to do that.
I was placed on the Super Saver December 2019 B2 tariff by SP.
Come January of this year, I went online to the SP account portal to try and enter my metre readings. Clicking on the link bought up the page but instead of a single Electricity input box, there were 4 lines of boxes. There was no Gas at all. I went online to the SP online chat to say this and they said they did not know why this was happening and would look into it. It would take up to 30 days to resolve.
30 days later, I hadn't heard from them so ring them, the lady I spoke to said that unfortunately my account was "broken" and she couldn't access the Gas reading form her side either; it didn't exist. She would just make a note of my reading. Someone would look into it though and it would take up to 30 days to resolve.
This went on until May of this year (2019). I had spoken online or via phone multiple times only to be told the same thing; someone would fix it and let me know within 30 days.
I had had enough, as at no point in the past 6 months I had been with SP had I been able to view my Balance or Bills or get an exact figure of how much gas I was using and no idea how much money I owed SP or they owed me. I had a fixed direct debit but could only assume this covered my outgoing supply amount.
I escalated a complaint and was contacted by their customer support. They explained that the gas meter had never been added correctly to my account which is why it was broken. Someone would look into it and fix it within 30 days.
To be fair, after about 2 weeks, I got phone call form SP to say it had been fixed and they would give me a £100 credit for the time wasted in trying to get it fixed. This was the end of June 2019.
June meter reading went in ok.
July comes around. Go online to enter readings and now I can't see my Electricity meter! It also says I am £500 in credit! I could also not access any part of my online account.
I immediately email the customer support team saying it has happened again and that this time it's even worse; I still can't see a bill or how much I owe! They emailed back saying they have never seen this before but my electricity meter has been removed somehow from their system!? They would look it to it though and it would be fixed in 30 days. This was July
annnnd here we are, October 2019. Still not fixed, still dragging on and still unable to see how much gas or electricity I have used over the last year or how much I owe. At no point have I been able to see on a monthly basis if I am over my fixed direct debit or under it.
My contract with SP is up on the 31st December this year. I would like to leave them a) because their service has been appalling and b) I can get cheaper deals elsewhere. They are now saying that I cannot leave until they have fixed the issue and they have created a final statement. In the mean time, my fixed contract will roll onto their standard tariff ... i.e. more money a month.
TLDR; Scottish Power have given me a completely broken service for the past 11 months and now will not let me leave, even though I am soon out of contract.
The advice I need please is:
* Can they force me to stay with them if I am out of contract?
* Especially over the past 11 months worth of issues?
* Can they force me to pay more even though I would like to leave and can find a new supplier?
* Would a new supplier not intervene and just change over?
I'm not sure where I stand but I feel like I am being held hostage by them and cannot leave.
Any help or advice would be hugely grateful
Many thanks
Tom
0
Comments
-
I'd raise another complaint with them immediately regards the electric meter disappearance and their consequent failure to give you an accurate bill. That gives them 8 weeks to respond and fix the issue, and if they don't, then you can take it to the ombudsman.
Did they tell you that you'd go onto their standard tariff at the end of your fixed term if it wasn't fixed? If so, I'd add that to the complaint as well (along with the not being allowed to switch supplier).
Hopefully it will be sorted before your fixed term ends, and if not, you shouldn't have to pay more than you're currently paying because of their failures.0 -
Hi there
I'm after some advice please with regards the service I have received from Scottish Power, as I have no idea where I stand.
Sorry in advance for the long background ...
In November 2018 I changed my Gas and Electricity supplier from EON to Scottish Power (SP), based on SP being cheaper. This was done via U-Switch and as far as I was aware, everything went through OK.
While I was with EON I received their smart meter for both Gas and Electricity. I believe this was the V2 smart meter as the installer said that if I was to leave EON, the new supplier would be able to take it on. However, when I joined SP they said that it would not work and that I would have to enter the meter readings manually, which was fine, happy to do that.
I was placed on the Super Saver December 2019 B2 tariff by SP.
Come January of this year, I went online to the SP account portal to try and enter my metre readings. Clicking on the link bought up the page but instead of a single Electricity input box, there were 4 lines of boxes. There was no Gas at all. I went online to the SP online chat to say this and they said they did not know why this was happening and would look into it. It would take up to 30 days to resolve.
30 days later, I hadn't heard from them so ring them, the lady I spoke to said that unfortunately my account was "broken" and she couldn't access the Gas reading form her side either; it didn't exist. She would just make a note of my reading. Someone would look into it though and it would take up to 30 days to resolve.
This went on until May of this year (2019). I had spoken online or via phone multiple times only to be told the same thing; someone would fix it and let me know within 30 days.
I had had enough, as at no point in the past 6 months I had been with SP had I been able to view my Balance or Bills or get an exact figure of how much gas I was using and no idea how much money I owed SP or they owed me. I had a fixed direct debit but could only assume this covered my outgoing supply amount.
I escalated a complaint and was contacted by their customer support. They explained that the gas meter had never been added correctly to my account which is why it was broken. Someone would look into it and fix it within 30 days.
To be fair, after about 2 weeks, I got phone call form SP to say it had been fixed and they would give me a £100 credit for the time wasted in trying to get it fixed. This was the end of June 2019.
June meter reading went in ok.
July comes around. Go online to enter readings and now I can't see my Electricity meter! It also says I am £500 in credit! I could also not access any part of my online account.
I immediately email the customer support team saying it has happened again and that this time it's even worse; I still can't see a bill or how much I owe! They emailed back saying they have never seen this before but my electricity meter has been removed somehow from their system!? They would look it to it though and it would be fixed in 30 days. This was July
annnnd here we are, October 2019. Still not fixed, still dragging on and still unable to see how much gas or electricity I have used over the last year or how much I owe. At no point have I been able to see on a monthly basis if I am over my fixed direct debit or under it.
My contract with SP is up on the 31st December this year. I would like to leave them a) because their service has been appalling and b) I can get cheaper deals elsewhere. They are now saying that I cannot leave until they have fixed the issue and they have created a final statement. In the mean time, my fixed contract will roll onto their standard tariff ... i.e. more money a month.
TLDR; Scottish Power have given me a completely broken service for the past 11 months and now will not let me leave, even though I am soon out of contract.
The advice I need please is:
* Can they force me to stay with them if I am out of contract?
* Especially over the past 11 months worth of issues?
* Can they force me to pay more even though I would like to leave and can find a new supplier?
* Would a new supplier not intervene and just change over?
I'm not sure where I stand but I feel like I am being held hostage by them and cannot leave.
Any help or advice would be hugely grateful
Many thanks
Tom
If you have raised a complaint, and it's not been resolved within 8 weeks ... well the suppliers complaint procedure will inform you if you don't already know.
In regards your questions:
No supplier can force you to stay with them, but they can prevent you from leaving if you owe them money. You need to be officially in debt to them for them to prevent you switching away.
Whether it would be wise for you to switch at this time is. perhaps, another question.0 -
Raise a complaint, as advised above.
Have you actually tried to initiate a switch which was blocked, or were you just told that you will not be able to switch?
If you do decide to eventually switch, then you should go ahead and initiate it, even if the complaint is not resolved (you can mention in the complaint that you intend to switch, and demand that any request to switch is not blocked).
I assume that there are exit fees on your tariff, but you should know that if you switch 49 days or less from the end of your tariff, you will not have to pay them (so after 12th November).
You should actually be able to begin the switching process before 12th November, but to avoid the fees the switch must complete on the 12th or later.0 -
Hi,
good luck with your battle with SP.
Now regarding usage and payments.
Do you have a note of opening readings with Sp for gas and electricity, and know details of Super Saver December 2019 B2 tariff?
If so, then take a reading of both meters today and calculate usage and cost and compare to what you have paid in DDs.
Units used x price/unit,
+ Days x daily standing charge,
+ Vat @ 5%.
You will need to convert gas (metric) to kwh roughly x 11.2.
That will at least give you an idea of the situation.0 -
Thanks for all the replies guys, really helpful. I'll try to answer the questions as best I can:I'd raise another complaint with them immediately regards the electric meter disappearance and their consequent failure to give you an accurate bill. That gives them 8 weeks to respond and fix the issue, and if they don't, then you can take it to the ombudsman.
Did they tell you that you'd go onto their standard tariff at the end of your fixed term if it wasn't fixed? If so, I'd add that to the complaint as well (along with the not being allowed to switch supplier).
My original complaint was in May time and this was reopened by their "Escalated Complaint Handler" as soon as I noticed the electric meter had disappeared and they confirmed it. That was roughly end of July / Start of Aug, so between 8 - 10 weeks ago now and the issue is still not fixed. Their customer support just keep emailing to say "their is no update and they will touch base again in 10 days with any further updates." Their email yesterday stated:
"Unfortunately the supply wouldn’t be able to leave ScottishPower until I am able to successfully bill your account.
Your contract ends on the 31st of December 2019, this is when your fixed tariff ends and your account will revert to our standard rate prices."
Fairly clear cut that they intend to put me on a higher rate if the issue is not resolved, and bearing in mind it hasn't been fixed in the past 11 months, I'm not sure what will happen to speed it up now.Flt._Lt._Biggles wrote: »If you have raised a complaint, and it's not been resolved within 8 weeks ... well the suppliers complaint procedure will inform you if you don't already know.
In regards your questions:
No supplier can force you to stay with them, but they can prevent you from leaving if you owe them money. You need to be officially in debt to them for them to prevent you switching away.
Whether it would be wise for you to switch at this time is. perhaps, another question.
As above, the original complaint was in May and this was reopened in July and still has not been resolved. The issue is no-one can tell me if I am in debt or not, as they physically do not know. At the moment their system says I am £500 in credit which would be nice but is incorrect. The reason I want to leave as mentioned, is I can get cheaper supply elsewhere.Streaky_Bacon wrote: »Have you actually tried to initiate a switch which was blocked, or were you just told that you will not be able to switch?
Not yet as I would still be in period where an exit fee exists (just). In a few more weeks though, that would end and I would hope to initiate the switch to another supplier.[Deleted User] wrote:Do you have a note of opening readings with Sp for gas and electricity, and know details of Super Saver December 2019 B2 tariff?
Yes I do, from my last statement from EON.[Deleted User] wrote:If so, then take a reading of both meters today and calculate usage and cost and compare to what you have paid in DDs.
Units used x price/unit,
+ Days x daily standing charge,
+ Vat @ 5%.
You will need to convert gas (metric) to kwh roughly x 11.2.
That will at least give you an idea of the situation.
Thank you, that's really helpful.
I guess the main query through all this, is could they force me to stay with them. As mentioned this is all documented from the past 11 months and it is their failings that have prevented me and them from seeing what my current statement is.
Thanks again for all of your help
Tom0 -
Hi Tom.
The fact that ScottishPower have been unable to produce a viable bill would perhaps(??) suggest that your switch from EON last year has never been completed properly. There's lots of admin that needs to be completed when customers switch energy suppliers.
Xoserve is the Central Data Service Provider (CDSP) for Great Britain's gas market. Click this Xoserve link , enter your address/post-code and check that the data-base is showing your Gas supplier as Scottish Power and not EON.
You can also check your electricity supplier;...It needs a phone call though. Click this link for more instructions.
It may shed some light on your issue,...maybe not, but I think it’s worth checking.
There are £60 exit fees associated with your present tariff and my advice would be to ditch it as soon as you can,...it’s eye wateringly expensive, imo.
I was a Scottish Power customer a few years ago and they nearly drove me round the twist, ...I had 12-months of what could only be described as ‘administrative hell’ at the hands of SP,...and as it turns out I wasn’t alone;...in 2016 Scottish Power were fined £18Million by Ofgem for a raft of ‘customer service’ failings. I thought they’d improved in recent times.0 -
Biggus_Dickus wrote: »Hi Tom.
The fact that ScottishPower have been unable to produce a viable bill would perhaps(??) suggest that your switch from EON last year has never been completed properly. There's lots of admin that needs to be completed when customers switch energy suppliers.
Xoserve is the Central Data Service Provider (CDSP) for Great Britain's gas market. Click this Xoserve link , enter your address/post-code and check that the data-base is showing your Gas supplier as Scottish Power and not EON.
You can also check your electricity supplier;...It needs a phone call though. Click this link for more instructions.
It may shed some light on your issue,...maybe not, but I think it’s worth checking.
There are £60 exit fees associated with your present tariff and my advice would be to ditch it as soon as you can,...it’s eye wateringly expensive, imo.
I was a Scottish Power customer a few years ago and they nearly drove me round the twist, ...I had 12-months of what could only be described as ‘administrative hell’ at the hands of SP,...and as it turns out I wasn’t alone;...in 2016 Scottish Power were fined £18Million by Ofgem for a raft of ‘customer service’ failings. I thought they’d improved in recent times.
Hiya
Thanks for the links. The first one points to SP being my supplier, it returns:
Gas Supplier: Scottish Power Energy Retail LimitedGas Transporter: GTC Pipelines Limited
I did also think this though and at some point in the past year I contacted EON, who confirmed everything had been handed over to SP in November of last year. Weirdly as well, my smart meter which is still plugged in, does note that the gas is coming from SP but nothing is on the Electricity, so no idea. This started appearing in and around June time when the original problem was fixed and they added in my gas.
Tom0 -
Hi Tom, you appear to have met the criteria/time-scale for escalating your problem directly to the Energy ombudsman.
https://www.ombudsman-services.org/complain-now
It’s safe to say that SP aren’t exactly my favourite company,..the treatment I received was absolutely appalling;...give ‘em hell;...Good luck.:)0
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