Scottish Power help please (again)

vintagebrighton

Hi guys, hope someone can give me some help with SP again.

I moved into a flat with SP as the electricity provider (no gas). Before I moved I'd already initiated a switch to Bulb. This flat has a key meter and I admit, because of this, I didn't take all readings as I normally would.

So, we moved in on 30/9. The previous tenant has given me photos of all the meter readings on that day. Between 30/9 and when we started using Bulb on 21/10 we used £10 the tenant left us on her key plus £27 we topped up using the new key SP sent us. All good so far. SP confirmed there was no debt to be repaid on the meter and when we received the start date of our Bulb account we hadn't used emergency.
Also, we hadn't used any heating.

Ten days after the switch, SP sent us a bill saying they owed us £20. This morning I then receive a bill from SP saying that we owe £88 but they've taken the 'credit' off the final bill so we 'just' have to pay £62!

For less than 3 weeks electricity we apparently have to pay £27 + £62 + £10 the previous tenant left us.

Checking the bill, it says on the front that actual meter readings have been used but the figures are estimates.

I have the opening meter readings and I now have todays meter readings.

I know how much both SP and Bulb charge in power and standing charges. I also know that I have put £60 on the meter with Bulb. We paid approx £12pw with Bulb without the heating on. With the heating (storage heaters) it's approx £18pw (all tracked in my diary)

What I don't know are the readings between the previous tenants £10 being used and us then using the new key that SP sent us, or the readings when we left SP to go to Bulb. I had absolutely no idea that you could be billed even if you use a key meter. I thought the whole point of a key meter was that you couldn't go into debt.

I'm trying to call SP to find out what they're playing at but I've been waiting an hour so far.

Is there any way I can work out the different usage? It all seems really complicated, even the list of readings is A-K!

I'd really appreciate any help

VB x

omendata

I feel for you get rid of Scottish Power is my advice they are utterly the worst Service provider than any inj the UK and I used to work in their IT dept - some of the issues i saw 15 years ago have still not been fixed.
You do know its owned now by the Spanish Iberdrola and since they took over like all our once proud UK companies it has been crippled by farming out the Helpdesk to India and giving all the top jobs to the ningcompoops who couldnt run a bath nevemind a company you only have to ask any of the IT team in Glasgow or the old Helpdesk staff in Cathcart and they will tell you all i say is true!

You should be able to work out readings if you have an online account you can download the pdf bills (if their website is working properly - which most of the time it is not) and make up a little Excel spreadsheet if you want like i have had to!

My meter failed and it took them 5 years+ to fix it in which time i had free leccie and saved about £15,000

It failed again 2 years later and has taken them 7 days to swap it and believe it or not they dont have any replacement meters so had to install on of the old dial meters from 20 years ago because they have no stock of these newer digital meters

They will tell you lies, fob you off, close your case without any reason and possibly make you ill with worry and stress - its not worth it dude just ditch them and go with BULB!

You will get ZERO help from SCOTTISH POWER - They have even removed any possibility to get in touch with any of their management team so you will be stuck with the useless helpdesk staff in India who havent a clue either - even if you use their chat internet function it gets routed to india so if Sally tells you she will help it will most likely be Ramjit or Mohammed who also wont have a clue how to help you either but will probably be qute helpful if you want ot guive them all your credit card details and bank info - and yes i work in IT security and i have been in the Indian call centres so i do know what i am talking about - not a joke just the truth!

vintagebrighton

Yep, got caught up with them before and it took 18 months to get rid. I initiated a switch away from them as soon as I could but even though I've only been with them 3 weeks and had a prepayment meter I still apparently owe them £80!

I managed to get through on the phone yesterday to dispute the 'bill' but I'm not paying it, not even to get rid of them.

I've also contacted Bulb who sent readings automatically to SP. I can only assume they got these from the key they sent me?

Even if I can't get the readings for the middle period, as far as I'm concerned they should just cancel the 'bill' on the basis that I prepaid and therefore shouldn't have a debt.

Persuading them of that will be a long drawn out process I expect.

VB x