Dumping Scottish Power

MikeyPGT

Help!  I've inherited Scottish Power as a supplier for my gas and electricity but I really can't bear to deal with them any more as they are the absolute pits.  Can I get another supplier to take me on even though they say tehy aren't accepting new customers?

pochase

Currently EDF and Octopus are still taking on new customers on SVT, but you need to call them. The other alternative would be Green Energy UK on a fixed tariff that looks better than the expected SVT from October, but you would start paying the higher rate now already instead of October.

brewerdave

Be aware that switching to Octopus is not easy - apparently if you are persistent you will find an agent who will let you switch but I failed on 3 attempts back in May.to get my gas and /or electricity switched.

milo_2020

brewerdave said:

Be aware that switching to Octopus is not easy - apparently if you are persistent you will find an agent who will let you switch but I failed on 3 attempts back in May.to get my gas and /or electricity switched.

I switched first time so I must have been lucky in June 

Ultrasonic

Do you actually currently have an issue with SP? Whilst I understand the desire to switch away from a company you've had issues with in the past, basically every energy company has examples of customers having issues and the very act of switching may cause an issue where there isn't one currently. I'm currently with SP and have had zero issues so far, including being able to helpfully adjust my DD amount via their website without issues. 

MikeyPGT

Ultrasonic said:

Do you actually currently have an issue with SP? Whilst I understand the desire to switch away from a company you've had issues with in the past, basically every energy company has examples of customers having issues and the very act of switching may cause an issue where there isn't one currently. I'm currently with SP and have had zero issues so far, including being able to helpfully adjust my DD amount via their website without issues. 

I have nothing but issues with Scottish Power since my first contact with them!  They set me up with 3 different accounts for electricity - all with the the wrong address.  I have been trying for the last 3 months to get them to change both the electric and gas supply addresses which were both wrong (but different).  I have at last managed to get them to correct the electricity but the gas is still wrong.  I have spent many hours listening to awful hold music, passed around departments, cut off and chatting to their unhelpful and only  marginally more helpful call handlers.  Currently my prepay electric smart meter is showing a credit of over £200 when I know the real figure is nearer £40, but I dread the though of trying to sort that out with them.  I really want to move, but suspect that until SP sort out the address issues I may be trapped in an unremitting hell!

Ultrasonic

MikeyPGT said:

Ultrasonic said:

Do you actually currently have an issue with SP? Whilst I understand the desire to switch away from a company you've had issues with in the past, basically every energy company has examples of customers having issues and the very act of switching may cause an issue where there isn't one currently. I'm currently with SP and have had zero issues so far, including being able to helpfully adjust my DD amount via their website without issues. 

I have nothing but issues with Scottish Power since my first contact with them!  They set me up with 3 different accounts for electricity - all with the the wrong address.  I have been trying for the last 3 months to get them to change both the electric and gas supply addresses which were both wrong (but different).  I have at last managed to get them to correct the electricity but the gas is still wrong.  I have spent many hours listening to awful hold music, passed around departments, cut off and chatting to their unhelpful and only  marginally more helpful call handlers.  Currently my prepay electric smart meter is showing a credit of over £200 when I know the real figure is nearer £40, but I dread the though of trying to sort that out with them.  I really want to move, but suspect that until SP sort out the address issues I may be trapped in an unremitting hell!

Yes that could complicate switching. Have you checked that the meter reference numbers you're being billed for match those of your actual meters?

[Deleted User]

Switching to a new supplier when there is an ongoing metering issue is likely to make things even worse. Suppliers cannot just change supply addresses on the two databases because of the possibility of a cascade effect. The three key things to bear in mind are that each property has an address; the property (not the address) will have a MPAN and MPRN allocated to it. The meters fitted to the property will be linked to the MPAN and MPRN.

Mis-registration of properties on the National Databases is very common. We desperately need to adopt the German system where all utilities are linked to a property barcode.

For electricity you need to do the following. Speak to your DNO and provide them with the meter serial number. Ask them to confirm that meter serial number is linked to your correct postal address. If not, explain the problem and ask the DNO to provide you with the MPAN that your meter serial is linked to. 

Contact your supplier in WRITING. Provide them with a photograph of your meter (showing the meter serial number); details of the MPAN and ask them to update the address on the Database. Your MPAN will then be linked to the correct property and your meter serial number will be correct. DO NOT allow your supplier to break the link between the MPAN and the meter serial number. If this happens, your neighbours may well not remain your friends.

MikeyPGT

Ultrasonic said:

MikeyPGT said:

Ultrasonic said:

Do you actually currently have an issue with SP? Whilst I understand the desire to switch away from a company you've had issues with in the past, basically every energy company has examples of customers having issues and the very act of switching may cause an issue where there isn't one currently. I'm currently with SP and have had zero issues so far, including being able to helpfully adjust my DD amount via their website without issues. 

I have nothing but issues with Scottish Power since my first contact with them!  They set me up with 3 different accounts for electricity - all with the the wrong address.  I have been trying for the last 3 months to get them to change both the electric and gas supply addresses which were both wrong (but different).  I have at last managed to get them to correct the electricity but the gas is still wrong.  I have spent many hours listening to awful hold music, passed around departments, cut off and chatting to their unhelpful and only  marginally more helpful call handlers.  Currently my prepay electric smart meter is showing a credit of over £200 when I know the real figure is nearer £40, but I dread the though of trying to sort that out with them.  I really want to move, but suspect that until SP sort out the address issues I may be trapped in an unremitting hell!

Yes that could complicate switching. Have you checked that the meter reference numbers you're being billed for match those of your actual meters?

Scottish Power claim that the meters are correct, but I have little faith in anything that they say or do ...  The electric one should be right as the meter is in the flat, gas is a bit more complicated as it is on the outside wall of the building - the prepayment card that I have seems to be working, but as I have yet to have any billing information from Scottish Power I can't be sure.