MSE News: Ofgem orders Scottish Power to shape up or stop selling
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MoneySavingExpert
Chair, Martin Lewis · Editor, Marcus Herbert
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I've been worried all year that they were going to take the DD twice, although they never did. I rang them several times to try to sort it, and was greeted by a very unenthusiastic "sure we'll do that". It never happened, then I used the contact us email several times and the most I got from that is we'll let you know in 5 days!
Finally looked at my account at the end of October to discover that they were about to refund all the credit and so I rang. Couldn't stop the repayment, but spoke to a lovely lady (in Wrexham I think), who has moved me to a cheaper tariff as I requested & I explained to her my problem re the accounts & she could see what I meant!! Next morning it was sorted. A pleasure to speak to and capable too! My next problem of course will be that they have refunded all the credit because they have changed my end of year from April to November and reduced my DD by £45, which is totally insane.
The only reason I can see for these changes is that there is no penalty for leaving early on the new tariff so the payment changes are bound to leave me owing quite a lot of money at the end of winter - too much to be able to move maybe? So am I right, cynical or paranoid?
I did that at 0801 yesterday, and the whole call was 4 and a half minutes, including selecting menu numbers, a slight wait announced in advance as 1 to 3 minutes, and a conversation confirming details about 2 subjects.
They just don't know what they're doing. Why are they refunding me my entire credit balance at the end of november as well? I dunno.
Also, I live in a house but according to them I live in a flat :-)
I moved from a flat to a house, and when I re-registered with them at a new address they've obviously looked up my old details and over-written them with my new address - except where I left fields blank or N/A (like flat number) for my new address the old values have been kept and merged into my new address :-)
So my billing address reads Flat 3f1, *my number my road* - it still arrives I suppose. I mean that's really simple data entry stuff they're getting wrong. I've told them but it hasn't changed, they're probably scared to touch it.
The EOS have upheld my complaint about Scottish Power. Scottish Power accept that their increase of my direct debit was not at my request, despite them claiming at the time that I had requested it. Scottish Power are also being asked to apologise for ignoring my written communications, not setting up my account and not being contactable by phone.
My account is I'm told one of many that is affected by the Scottish Power 'billing block', that is they are unable to set up the account or finalise my account.
It has been recommended that Scottish Power refund the credit on my account within 28 days, given I've now escaped to EDF, if they don't they will need to provide an update as to what is happening.
I am being offered a £75 goodwill payment.
It seems that if Scottish Power don't refund my credit within 28 days, then provided they give me an update (and then another update 28 days after that and so on) they can argue that they have met the Ombudsman's recommendations without ever refunding the credit on my account. However the EOS have assured me that if they don't refund the credit within 28 days then that information collated with that of other cases will be given to OFGEM.
I have decided to accept the offer in full and final settlement.
Have been impressed by EOS's handling of this. Initially they set up two complaint references for my case which meant they were asking for everything twice and it was starting to get very silly! But when they realised that was what had happened they were very efficient about putting things back on track. And they phoned me to run through their decision today, which is much more consumer friendly than just writing.
So my advice to all those who are having problems with Scottish Power is to put a complaint in writing to them and take the matter to the EOS when it is not resolved in 8 weeks.
We have written to them - repeatedly - tried to ring but they never answer the phone, tried to request call backs - but they never do even tried to report them to the ombudsman but even that seems to have fallen on deaf ears as we have had no request from them to forward the correspondence we hold.
We would welcome any ideas anyone may have about getting a reply for all of our problems. Scottish Power seem to have left the planet
The ombudsman then said they would make SP send me a goodwill gesture, I received a letter from SP dated 29th October saying they had been notified by the ombudsman to pay me a goodwill gesture for the poor customer service, I contacted the ombudsman last week to say I still hadn't received it, they have contacted them to get it sorted, but I am still waiting. I won't stop till I get it.
They are truly incompetent, never again will I use SP, nearly a year to close an account and get a goodwill gesture, and the only thing getting me through is knowing I wasn't on my own.