Scottish Power ‘Live chat’ is quite dead

Yorkshire_Pud

Seeking a refund as per the law about credit balance and doing the obligatory meter read, bill,  and wait five days after any payment to my account instead of the former online request and action I now have to ‘chat’ with a bot which works quite well although some odd waits as if it’s a real person not a bot.

Then the problems really start as the bot hands over to a real human but they are  absent from the so called live chat, I waited nearly an hour looking at the screen for any reply which didn’t come. I time stamped a few replies, Scottish Power don’t. Eventually I had to stop and leave to do something.

I just checked my account and a reply was received since my last message, no idea the time though. A second reply because I wasn’t there there said if I replied within the next four hours it would be picked up tomorrow or if after four hours I would have to start another ‘live’ chat with someone who isn’t there unless I wait hours looking at the screen.

Imagine, another live chat that takes hours of uncertain absent interaction.

Hopeless really, you can’t phone them and get a timely response, their live chat is dead, presumably because the owners don’t invest in the staff numbers needed to administer their services and changing the way refunds are issued from simple online to having to talk to a computer bot and if you are lucky a person with indeterminate wait and then a deadline for ME to reply or lose the chat after they fail to reply in an hour or more.

I don’t suppose this will make any difference, the scarce staff at the front line are in the firing line but the MANAGERS AND OWNERS seriously need to change the way they treat customers but then they don’t care do they we are just the mugs saddled with these energy companies. 

Yorkshire_Pud

For what it’s worth, not much apparently I never did get my refund. Several days of ‘chat’ waiting for replies from Mumbai. 

Eventually gave up when told as I pay with a debit card I would need to phone them.

I pay and always have done for years by Direct Debit. Every time they had an opportunity to help and facilitate a refund they brought up a ‘technicality’ that was easily surmountable should they have wished to.

Hours of waiting in good faith for nothing.

Scottish Power don’t want to give refunds of credit if they can possibly help it in contravention of energy ombudsman rules.

thriftytracey

I called Coventry Building Society the other day - I was 67th in the queue.  When I finally spoke to an operator they advised it was because it was due to the popularity of their products!

[Deleted User]

I'd be surprised if Scottish Power were going to start applying OFWAT rules.

thriftytracey

I've just sat through the video sent to customers by Scottish Power.  Basically it boils down to the fact that you won't be able to speak to anyone at SP unless you are:-

1.  Vulnerable
2.  Off Supply
3.  Have an emergency

Yorkshire_Pud

Deleted_User said:

I'd be surprised if Scottish Power were going to start applying OFWAT rules.

Lol my mistake now changed!

But what a shower!

Yorkshire_Pud

My ‘annual review’ has come and gone, you know the one where Spanish Power pretend to refund everything above £5, one their options for refunds. Not once in nine years have they done this.

They have a complaints process online, 1. Phone them between 9-5 M-F, 😆 ok if you want to hang on the phone for a few hours and then get nowhere. 2. They use Resolver template, works but you have to sign up to a resolver account at the end to send complaint. Complaint made.
3. Ombudsman.

Note depending on searches there are several different complaint processes like it’s fastest to use our Chat service lol they obviously haven’t tried themselves. 

Spanish Power always demand an up to date meter read before (not) giving a refund so did this for the complaint so they couldn’t put another obstacle in the way.

Did this then tried refund request and joy, it’s back have they been 👂 probably not but they may monitor forums like this. Refund request made like the god old days although they weren’t happy to give everything over £5 contrary to their stated policy, so how is two months equivalent DD being kept, £5. Yet another falsehood from these folks. Never been in debt to them never missed a single payment.

Look at their feedback on Trustpilot, they seem to plumb the depths of customer satisfaction. 97% one star reviews tells you something but do they care?

Will see what happens with the complaint even though it may be resolved IF they make the refund. Will at least ask why they never refund the credit balance less £5 after the so called annual review. And point out the woeful performance of the ‘Chat’ service from Mumbai that still claims an average ten minute wait for a reply when in my case over several days it was anything up to ten hours or no reply.

Yorkshire_Pud

Now received a refund of the amount they allowed plus return of this months DD amount.

Going forward, as long as SP don’t remove the online refund option again should be alright. Will avoid the terrible Chat function at all costs and if necessary use the Resolver complaint process again where the reply was almost instant from SP.