Scottish Power Price Rise - nearly 100% in 12 months!

summersnearlyhere

I am really fed up. Just over 12 months ago I was with Powergen who decided to up my standing order from £69 a month to £100 a month for dual fuel. I followed the rules on this site to check out the best deals and changed to Scottish Power who reduced my standing order to £65 a month. Over the last couple of years we have been more energy conscious and I tried to cut back on our usage. We were decorating at the end of last year and had no gas fire or heating for a couple of months which really reduced our bills towards the end of the year but we felt it. In January I gave my meter readings when asked and my standing order was upped to £89.50 a month and then last week I had to submit my readings again and the day after they emailed me to up my standing order again to £121 a month! This huge hike from £65 is not a 15% or 25% rise and not even a couple of 25% rises over the year this is one great big rise of nearly 100%! Is anyone else in the same boat because our usage has not jumped up to such an extent? The only thing I can think we have done differently is have more baths lately than showers and that's because we've wanted to get warmed up! Ha! Now we'll be dirty, skint and all sat in great big jumpers!

JohalaReewi

Not exactly a 100% price rise, more a doubling of your montlhy standing order payment. Are you on an online tarif or their standard rate? If you have got regular meter readings and can pretty much prove what you are likley to use, you can usually negotiate an acceptable monthly payment.

summersnearlyhere

I am on their online tariff. Yes I think I will get everything out and go through it and then give them a ring. It's just a ridiculous jump in my standing order especially when we feel we have been trying harder to use less of both fuels.

glasgow_DFW

standing order or direct debit? how did you get the oginal payment calcualted did you enter the amount that you were paying each month or the annual kWh?

Were you on a tariff that has come to an end (capped price an old version of the on-line energy saver)?

glasgow_DFW

p.s its not a price rise you have had its your payment amount that has changed

JohalaReewi

summersnearlyhere wrote: »

I am on their online tariff. Yes I think I will get everything out and go through it and then give them a ring. It's just a ridiculous jump in my standing order especially when we feel we have been trying harder to use less of both fuels.

If you are on the online tariff, you must have an active direct debit instruction. This is part of the T&Cs. If you cancel the direct debit (and say, change to standing order), this will also cancel the online tariff and you will be put on the standard tariff.

Are you sure you it's a standing order not a direct debit?

summersnearlyhere

Hi and thanks for the replies. I am on direct debit (sorry I put SO always get them mixed up). I went onto the original amount with the online tariff after putting in the annual KWh that we'd used and they worked out the amount. I was not on a capped rate that I knew of anyway. I really need to get all my old bills out and print off the last few months ones too to check whether the usage has changed that much (I will be really suprised if it has). I know the prices have risen and are probably going to continue to do so but when I've checked what our actual usage has been I will be giving them a ring to try to reduce the monthly amount. I don't really want to be in credit by £200 or £300 pounds if I can help it.

krisskross

I am with Scottish Power and read my meters every month, entering the figures online, although they suggest every 3. I can then generate a bill and will catch it very quickly if we are not paying enough. I feel for you with such a huge rise in your payment amounts.

I had a £250 overpayment accrued over a year, but Scottish Power were very quick in sending out the cheque when I requested it. I did not change the DD in case of rises in fuel costs this year.

GunJack

Also, when we moved into our new house last september, supplied by SP, we were told they re-assess the DD amount every quarter, so you pay more over winter and less in summer. They do not, apparently, average it over a full year's-worth any more (so I was told by cust serv). Was going to move supliers because of it, but SP still come out cheapest for us

Maybe you've fallen foul of this aspect. The upside is, I suppose, you never end up building too big a defecit, and then only supposedly for one quarter.

glasgow_DFW

Hy Gunjack,

I think you have had some one who duse no understand there own systems. They do now review accounts every quater but it is the pas 12 months usage (if availbile) that they use to calc this.

I was told that they run the review to prevent over payment and underpayment, like the usage going down cuaes people have left the house hold or there has been additions to the household (new baby for example)

If the staff cant understand the systems how are we suppost to?

GunJack

g-dfw,

with ours being a new build, SP have no previous history to go on, possibly why they are reviewing each qtr for now. We'll have to see what happens....