Elderly Parents getting Ripped Off

xlnc99

Talldave said:

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?

THe switch i can handle. I found some good switches so that is fine.

I need to work out the last 5-6 years of SP and if they have done my parents over. Regardless of wrong meters given etc. I have given examples of my parents overpaying so something is wrong.

xlnc99

niktheguru said:

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)

Sure - Please tell me how and i will gladly do so

Robin9

You keep talking in £ and DD. Stop it.  You refuse to accept that in 2013 and 2014 OVO was cheaper per unit and standing charge than SP.

_"The tariffs cannot be that more expensive that justifies such a large bill."  Oh yes they can 

xlnc99

Vegastare said:

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.

I got the e-mail address and will have to e-mail them. Phone calls are recorded and if they put me on the spot then i wont have an answer because i dont know what im talking about. At least on email i can ask you guys for advice before responding on email. 

JGB1955

Do you not agree something is off?

No... they may have overpaid in the past but they've had a refund.  If the current meter reading is 50,000 Kwh - that is what they have had to pay for.  You need to look at the ACTUAL meter readings.... nothing else.

xlnc99

rp1974 said:

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.

I dont take it as a dig and you are correct. There has been lots of progress, i.e switching company, complaint to SP. I may not know what im talking about but to the advice on here i am moving forward. I have seen that priority register is also available and i am registering my mum on that as she is eligible. Thanks for pointing that out @Gerry1. So there has been alot of progress on this thread

xlnc99

MWT said:

We can guess, and we can point at the unfeasibly high usage in January, but frankly it could just as easily be a correction for an inaccurate earlier refund due to a switch from the correct register to the incorrect one in 2016...

I'm done for now, but if you ever manage to get the bills from the start of this current phase with SP in 2015 feel free to tag me and I'll come take a look, but without those bills we are never going to be able to get to the root of the problem.

I will get the bils shortly. They have been requested and i will tag you once i have them

Thanks

xlnc99

Robin9 said:

You keep talking in £ and DD. Stop it.  You refuse to accept that in 2013 and 2014 OVO was cheaper per unit and standing charge than SP.

_"The tariffs cannot be that more expensive that justifies such a large bill."  Oh yes they can 

So you think that OVO was that much cheaper that after my parents paying OVO 3k they refunded 1300. Whereas my parents paid SP around 3200 and got only refunded 100 pounds. You believe that is totally plausible and allowed? I thought the government cracked down on energy companies ripping off customers like this.

JGB1955 said:

Do you not agree something is off?

No... they may have overpaid in the past but they've had a refund.  If the current meter reading is 50,000 Kwh - that is what they have had to pay for.  You need to look at the ACTUAL meter readings.... nothing else.

As per my comment above - you believe that refund is correct?

xlnc99

Gerry1 said:

xlnc99 said:

Would like to make a point that i have been following all advice on here to the letter so not sure about the comments on here saying i havent been.

Congratulations on switching their gas to Robin Hood Energy, So Energy or whoever, and getting them on their Priority Services Register !

• Er, you have, haven't you??

Switch in process and Priority Services Register in process

elsien

xlnc99 said:

Robin9 said:

You keep talking in £ and DD. Stop it.  You refuse to accept that in 2013 and 2014 OVO was cheaper per unit and standing charge than SP.

_"The tariffs cannot be that more expensive that justifies such a large bill."  Oh yes they can 

So you think that OVO was that much cheaper that after my parents paying OVO 3k they refunded 1300. Whereas my parents paid SP around 3200 and got only refunded 100 pounds. You believe that is totally plausible and allowed? I thought the government cracked down on energy companies ripping off customers like this.

JGB1955 said:

Do you not agree something is off?

No... they may have overpaid in the past but they've had a refund.  If the current meter reading is 50,000 Kwh - that is what they have had to pay for.  You need to look at the ACTUAL meter readings.... nothing else.

As per my comment above - you believe that refund is correct?

Energy companies use inertia for people who are on poor deals but don't know enough/don't bother to swap. For the same reason they go onto much more expensive tariffs when fixed deals end. It's not unlawful and is really very little different to insurers giving new customers a better deal than existing ones.
There is now something in place whereby utility companies have to contact people before the end of any  deals that they will be moved to a more expensive tariff if they do nothing. I suspect that's what you are referring to when you said the government had cracked down. 
Your parents, for whatever reason, chose a more expensive tariff. Even if you do work out they are owed some back, the chances are they may still lawfully have been paying over the odds because of the choices they made at that time. So yes it is allowed and comes down to customer choice and initiative. Talking about rip-offs, unless your parents have given inaccurate meter readings or have a faulty meter, isn't particularly helpful because it clouds the issues.