Scottish Power £7k bill!

tightauldgit

I don't see how they can actually do an estimate on 8 weeks usage without any billing history - they must be using the previous occupant's usage history to do your estimate? Or they've made a mistake. 

Have you looked at the difference in readings vs what they are claiming? Does anything look like an obvious error? 

If not I would do as others have suggested and just say you aren't going to pay that estimated bill and require a bill based on your actual usage with the meter readings you have provided. 

MikeyPGT

Scottish Power are a complete and utter shambles - the more honest call-handlers will openly admit that there is no communication between departments and that they struggle as much as the poor customer to get information out of their colleagues!  I have the opposite problem to most in that my smart prepayment meter is showing that I have a credit balance of £200 more than I know is correct.  I have been trying since July to get this resolved and may just be making baby steps in the right direction...  As soon as the current energy bill scheme comes to an end Scottish Power won't see me for dust.

wild666

If your mother has the actual reading from the day she moved in, and as someone said, the reading isn't including the numbers after the decimal point then use them as the basis for the complaint. 
Maybe your mother likes the heating on 24/7, this will produce larger bills but nowhere near £7000, £875 per week. Even my son when he left the heating on 24/7 when I was in hospital and he thought he was turning it down only produced a £120 bill in a month back in Jan 2019. 
If the heating is electric it will cost more than gas and radiators for heating, but still it wouldn't cost the £875 per week I mentioned earlier.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

teamt84 said:

17th December (move in day) - Combined reading 77785 (Photo of this taken but didn't realise it was a split tariff meter so only have proof of the combined reading).

3rd Jan - Rate 4 = 55913
               Rate 1 = 22096
               Combined = 78009

8th Feb - Rate 4 = 55992
                Rate 1 = 22393
                Combined = 78385

so, how do these readings compare to what is on the £7000 bill?

teamt84

Thanks again everyone.

She hasn't actually received a bill yet. She's been after one for a few weeks now as had heard nothing from them and wanted to get everything squared away and up to date.  All she received was an automated text message at 5:15 Wednesday evening declaring she owed £7037.12 and that a bill will follow shortly.

She's finally been able to log on to her online account and it shows the £7k as owed. Suspiciously, in the messages section online there's one titled "New Customer Readings" but all the dates on the messages say "invalid date" and when you try to open them an error occurs. Likewise, when trying to open the "my usage" section of the site you receive an error message.

The sad thing is, she's been so terrified of electric heating costing a fortune in the current climate that she's hardly used it and chose to sit layered up and under a blanket when she gets cold! 

She has postponed the smart meter installation today and sent an email to the complaints address given to her and awaits any kind of bill to arrive.

Vegastare

You need to google e mail address Chief Ex Scottish Power and state all relevant details and request this be urgently rectified and add  you are looking to address this with your Mums  MP and that this is causing great destress to elderly mother who is now terrified to putting heating on.

I would need also find local MP office and speak with them and if in Wales the local Welsh Assembly member also.

Gerry1

Is your mother on the Priority Services Register?

teamt84

Just a quick update for anyone interested.

All appears to be sorted now thankfully. Some common sense was applied and meter readings are all up to date and a bill of £206 (after government assistance) was produced and paid.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to offer help and advice.