Scottish Power increase dd

Squirrel29

I have been with Scottish Power now for a couple of years - dual fuel online account. I have been paying £42.50 for both fuels and am currently £6 in credit, my direct debt is due to go out next week therefore I will be around £46 in credit.

However, Scottish Power have just sent me an email saying that my direct debit is rising to £60 per month. There are two of us living in a 2 bed semi, I have gas central heating currently on twice a day for approx 4 hours total, electric cooker. I have changed my bulbs to low energy and am careful to turn applicances off at night, I use the tumble dryer a couple of times per week during the winter.

It seems crazy that they are increasing my payments by £18 per month when I am in credit.

Would I be better off switching to paying quarterly and putting the money aside in a savings account, or is it cheaper to pay by direct debit. I feel they are just trying to gain interest from me!

jeannieblue

They've just done the same to me!! Well a few weeks back and i've not got round to moaning at them. If I'd not seen your thread I would have forgotten.

I'm in credit - mine's going up around £20 a month - will have to check the details - can't go into study at this hour as will wake up son, but will look in the morning.

They've done it to me before - tried to blame the fact that we'v e got a pond on higher elec prices. Ponds been there for years. Think this is something they do every 18 months or so.

:mad:

jem16

EDF tried to do the same to me a few weeks ago wanting to put my gas up from £40 to £60 per month even though I was in credit.

I phoned them up and they looked at the figures still suggesting that over the next 6 months ( as it was winter ) I would use more gas so it needed to go up and then when it came my annual review in May I would not be owing anything.

I played them at their own game and quoted actual usage figures which they agreed with. This meant that I was using around £50 per annum less than I was currently paying and if I put up the DD by an extra £20 per month for the next 6 months I would be in credit by £170.

At that point they finally agreed that my DD was correct, changed the annual review to November and left it at £40pm.

Cardew

With on-line accounts you get a false picture of credit balances.

As a theoretical example:
My last bill produced on 30 Sept showed a credit balance of £10.

I pay £60 a month on the 1st of each month. So with the 3 payments on 1st of Oct/Nov/Dec if I look at my account today I will be £190 in credit.

However tomorrow a bill for £250 will be debited and I will be £60 in debit.

Freddie_Snowbits

Mine has just gone down from £64 to £58.50. I get reviewed every December and if I have a credit balance, I get a reduction, if I have a debt balance, it is readjusted the other way.

I have no complaints

hflower74

SP tried to put up mine to £70! When i was paying £46. I rang them up and said NO. Im always in credit anyway. They just try it on, dont let them, keep the money in your bank account not theirs!

The.D.G

I had an email from SP on Dec 20th advising me of a 10 day window to submit meter readings. When I logged on yesterday, the 29th, I saw that an estimated bill had already been generated and that my monthly payments are going up by £16. Of course I've submitted accurate readings now that show I'm £150 in credit and overpaying by £20 a month.

By their own Ts and Cs they're not giving customers enough time to submit readings and generating extortionate estimated bills as a result. That stinks. If it's not resolved I'll be onto OfGen faster than you can say 'fradulent business practices'.

Horace

I have been crafty with SP - I refuse to pay by DD preferring to pay by standing order and currently pay £25 per month for my electricity (no gas). I am always in credit.

Squirrel29

Thanks Horace, I may well consider doing standing order, at least I would feel in control. I know prices have risen but I have been more careful this winter than ever... energy saving bulbs, had double glaxing installed etc, obsessively switch things off....

tanith

They put have just reduced my monthly payment by £17 from £55 to £38 I am in credit and this will work out about right for the coming year so I am VERY PLEASED.... considering its dual-fuel Its not bad....

Snuggles

The.D.G wrote: »

I had an email from SP on Dec 20th advising me of a 10 day window to submit meter readings. When I logged on yesterday, the 29th, I saw that an estimated bill had already been generated and that my monthly payments are going up by £16. Of course I've submitted accurate readings now that show I'm £150 in credit and overpaying by £20 a month.

By their own Ts and Cs they're not giving customers enough time to submit readings and generating extortionate estimated bills as a result. That stinks. If it's not resolved I'll be onto OfGen faster than you can say 'fradulent business practices'.

The exact same thing happened to me early in December. I got a snotty email from them telling me they had estimated my bill, as despite reminders, I had not submitted my readings and was therefore not meeting the terms of my contract. I was livid, as it was only 8 days since they had sent me the email telling me to submit readings within 10 days. I submitted a complaint and received the following reply, but obviously nothing has changed:


Thank you for your email.

I am sorry to hear you have experienced difficulty with our online service. May I take this opportunity to thank you for bringing this to our attention as we hope to resolve this matter for you as quickly as possible.

I can confirm that we have had a few instances reported re the email request for meter readings not giving enough time for our customers to enter the readings on line before a follow up email is then issued.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

We have passed the information on to our IT Department who are working on the problem and advise that this will not happen again.

I can confirm that your meter readings have been entered and your account balance is shown as £203.90 credit.

Once again

I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

I trust the above meets your requirements, should you wish to call me direct, please call on telephone number 0141 568 6424 during office hours of 08.30am until 4pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards,


Kate Hussein
e-Contact Centre
ScottishPower
www.scottishpower.co.uk