Elderly Parents getting Ripped Off

comeandgo

All you people helping the OP, you have more staying power than I have.  It was beginning to look like a troll post.  OP get help, you don't know what you are talking about, SP will confuse you.  What has happened is historical, it won't change if you leave it a month or two, do you have any friends or relatives who can sit with you and do a spreadsheet as you have the information, you just need it presented properly.

JJ_Egan

Does the OP need an actual spreadsheet as opposed to a bit of paper with the readings etc .

Gerry1

If / when you ever get around to switching the gas to Robin Hood, then they can pay by Variable Direct Debit.  This will get rid of all the shenanigans caused by Fixed DDs, assuming that the meter is read correctly and regularly.  It will also makes the bills far easier to understand and for a better idea of the usage to be obtained.  You may be able to get the meter read by being on the Priority Services Register.

GunJack

xlnc99 - something else is bothering me about all this.....

you are (laudably) trying to help your parents to sort out a meter/billing issue, yet you say you have no clue about  how gas & electric work. Your parents are in their 70's (as are mine, btw) which puts you as being an adult for many years....

Question - if you are admittedly clueless, who's been sorting out YOUR energy bills for your adult life? and can't you get them to help you with this? (and learn about it while you're at it).

Before I get flamed for this, think about it......

niktheguru

xlnc99 said:

@niktheguru
@MWT

Thanks for the advice and there is no doubt you know more about these issues then me. However i believe you are incorrect on the history and i will tell you my reasoning.

2013 - Mum paying SP around £282 per month. One year contact SP refunded £100 pound after one year.
2014 - Mum pay OVO £250 per month. One year contract OVO refunded £1300 after one year.

Everything else aside for one minute - this clearly shows that OVO refunded the correct amount because when you do the sums it works out about right. How can SP refund £100 after taking £282 per month for 12 months and OVO refund £1300 for taking £250 per month? 

The did not change any habits within those two months.

Furthermore the last 5 years the amount of money my mum has been paying to SP they have only refunded £400 in 5 years. It just does not add up.

Again I think you're missing the point. You are just looking at direct debits. you are not looking at usage.
The way energy accounts work is that the companies work out a rough estimate of your annual usage depending on your age of house, no of bedrooms and people. They then say they think you'll use x amount, then will divide that by 12 to give you a monthly direct debit amount. This all goes into a pot and then monthly the "actual" usage is subtracted from it. At the end of the year if their estimation is correct (which it usually isn't) then the direct debit should be roughly what you use. If you paid in too much you are due a credit refund, if you paid in too little they will either ask for more money, or more likely increase your direct debit over the next 12 months to make up the difference.
This can be made more accurate by providing your accurate usage over the previous 12 months.
Companies would rather the direct debit is higher, as they would prefer you to be out of pocket rather than them being out of pocket. (its much easier for them to give money back to you rather than demand money from you!)

What you are not factoring in with your assumptions is the actual cost of the energy. You do not know what tariffs your parents are on. They may have been on a cheaper tariff with one provider compared to another. Did they have more people in the house in a particular year, did they use more heating one year etc etc. There are so so many variables that you cant just say one credit amount being different to another means a mistake.
The fact that OVO refunded £1300 in one calender year screams that 
1. There must have been a lot of estimated readings. (did they install the smart meter at the beginning or in the middle of the contract? was it actually performing smartly?)
2. The original direct debit amount was grossly overestimated, probably not based on previous readings. Did your parents switch supplier after a doorstep salesman said "go to ovo we will save you money".

If you want to go down this road you need to do your homework and actually workout the usage. and not "guess" anything. Until then, no complaint will take you seriously.

Talldave

xlnc99 said:

@niktheguru
@MWT

Thanks for the advice and there is no doubt you know more about these issues then me. However i believe you are incorrect on the history and i will tell you my reasoning.

2013 - Mum paying SP around £282 per month. One year contact SP refunded £100 pound after one year.
2014 - Mum pay OVO £250 per month. One year contract OVO refunded £1300 after one year.

Everything else aside for one minute - this clearly shows that OVO refunded the correct amount because when you do the sums it works out about right. How can SP refund £100 after taking £282 per month for 12 months and OVO refund £1300 for taking £250 per month? 

The did not change any habits within those two months.

Furthermore the last 5 years the amount of money my mum has been paying to SP they have only refunded £400 in 5 years. It just does not add up.

OVO could have been half the price of SP, who knows.  Quoting amounts of money is meaningless, you need to see the corresponding meter readings and bills.  I don't understand why they pay so much and then get large amounts back, that's illogical.

Unless you can get all the bills, you're on a hiding to nothing.  SP obviously don't see anything wrong with pensioners using 10 times their monthly consumption in one month - at least that shows what level of competence you're dealing with.  But then after 31 pages of this thread I'm losing the ability to work out what's happening, the goalposts are moving faster than a government's Covid strategy.

What do you want to achieve?

niktheguru

Also, whilst this is all happening...
Please can you take accurate meter readings over
1. A 24 hour period
2. Over a week
3. Over a month
for both their gas and their elec.
So you can see an accurate representation of how much they use (granted the gas will be low at this time of year)

Vegastare

Ok my last thought is to call SP again and say you think the high usage in Jan being x amount cost and usage more than any previous or latter months needs to be investigated and as your parents are elderly can SP send a representative to view the meter ( is the meter external thinking Covid risk will be less ).  You are not happy with what you were told and irregularity stands out and needs clarifying as it is distressing your parents.  If they say they do not send folk out again name time and office and then ask to escalate the problem to higher customer service team dealing in complex issues.
Also ask why at no time were your parents made aware of the priority services register scheme as this would have enabled them to resolve this anomaly.  Do it while you have spoken to them today so you are showing your concern at once.

Robin9

Vegastare said:

Also ask why at no time were your parents made aware of the priority services register scheme as this would have enabled them to resolve this anomaly.  Do it while you have spoken to them today so you are showing your concern at once.

How is SP supposed to know how old or vulnerable anyone is unless a son/daughter asks on their behalf. ?  

I'm not with SP but my supplier has a website and that gives lots of advice but it needs someone to contact the supplier to get it set up.

rp1974

Just a thought,please dont think that this is having a dig,its not.You are now eleven days,thirty one pages later and really still not much further forward since you started.Theres lots of good advice here,if you dont understand it,however well intended its not helping you or your parents much.Maybe an option would be to get all the bills,statements etc together as soon as you can,then try to make an appointment with Citizens Advice Bureaux or Citizens Advice Scotland if their available to help.All thats happening here is your going round and round in circles,perhaps the CAB/CAS would be able to explain things differently and or in an easier to understand way,again best intentions here.