[Closed] Fun with Scottish power

I have it in writing that there will be no charges for electricity until they replace the meter

why are you bothering then?

You have tried and they have failed.

I thought one last go - morals and all that. that will be the last time I try tho

I remember having issues trying to get my first bill from scottish power when i bought a new flat in Edinburgh in the late 90s. I kept chasing them requesting a bill but they never seemed to care and i was worried about the bill racking up. Ended up going to the ombudsman to complain and finally got it sorted.

I think there’s a statute of limitations of 12 months re paying elec bills. They can’t backdate any payment past twelve months if they haven’t billed you previously as long as you haven’t done anything unreasonable ( ie not let them in). Presumably your tenant is responsible officially for the energy charges/ contract though?

Tenant is responsible under the lease but my name is on the bill because I thought it would be easier to sort

Scottish Power suck, we had a meter switch installed which we believed would be an end to going 2 doors down to full the fuse. Turns out to replace the meter they need to pull the fuse as the installer never bothered their arse installing one at the same time. Mind you, you'd think he'd been personally inconvenienced by the whole job when he came to do it. Planning on selling up at some point so with luck it'll be someone else's problem by the time it gets sorted out.

Scottish Power are a bunch of ****s.
Luckily I followed the advice of people on here and had a successful outcome.

All the utility companies suck.

I think there’s a statute of limitations of 12 months re paying elec bills. They can’t backdate any payment past twelve months if they haven’t billed you previously as long as you haven’t done anything unreasonable ( ie not let them in).

18 months, backbilling regulations, for google purposes.

As long as you have made "every reasonable effort" to pay and have not attempted to deceive them in any way.

Make an official complaint as soon as, get it on record, they then have two months to sort it or face a fine for failing to adhere to regulations.

Most recently the complaints handler closed the complaint because I refused to discuss it by phone

If that was an "officially" raised complaint then take this straight to the ombudsman, SP have to reach a satisfactory conclusion, not just close it because they CBA.

It is an officially raised complaint. first raised 2 years ago and renewed a dozen times

I don't think I will do any more as its free electricity

The senior handler closed the complaint as I would not speak to him on the phone only by email. I don't think he realised they are not being paid

I had Scottish power before and it was Ok until I left.
Did the whole final reading and got a small refund from them.
And then for the then next six months I got kept getting letters that alternated between "you owe us money" and "we owe you money". I did phone for the first couple but then gave up

I think there’s a statute of limitations of 12 months re paying elec bills. They can’t backdate any payment past twelve months if they haven’t billed you previously as long as you haven’t done anything unreasonable ( ie not let them in).

This may be the case but won't stop them writing endless threatening emails & attempting to recover monies not due to them when they wake up. It also won't prevent the inconvenience of them hounding you & potentially trying to recover money they think you owe. It could be energy sapping, I'd phone them and make sure it gets escalated to a level where it can be properly dealt with.

Turn a bedroom into a cannabis farm 😁

They really are a bunch of clowns.

I've never deliberately used them, but they were the provider of last resort I was transferred to after another energy provider folded.

In the 3 months I was with them my bills went up about 20%. I switched to a new provider with my account well in credit. They still managed to find me owing £67 after I closed my account, which i was certain was incorrect but they chased me for it.

4 weeks after I paid them the £67 i "owed" they sent me a cheque for over £100.

Pretty minor in the grand scheme but I consider it a lucky escape.

Mine bitcoin

I’d phone them and make sure it gets escalated to a level where it can be properly dealt with.

I will NOT phone them. they lie and then deny it. all communications in writing / email only and I have escalated it as high as I can anyway.

I have it in writing that there will be no charges for electricity until they replace the meter

why are you bothering then?

You have tried and they have failed.

If the lights still come on when you press the button then this.
.

Too late for you now but I have had success in using Resolver, it the Martin Lewis complaints management tool. Companies seem to respond much quicker and you get a neat online case file / chronology of all of your contacts. Highly reconmended.

They're probably not used to people phoning to complain they haven't been billed. It's not on the script for the call centre staff to follow so they get all confused.

I have been above the basic call centre level for 18 months. This was a senior bod who closed the complaint - because I refused to talk to him over the phone.

18 months, backbilling regulations, for google purposes.

Out of interest, how could they provably bill that without a working meter?

"Sorry lads, since the meter packed in I haven't used any electricity at all aside from the fridge-freezer. Shall we say twenty quid?"

Also,

Meter aside, why aren't you still getting estimated bills?

Id phone them and let them know you are recording it.
Or just stop trying 2 years is more than enough chasing it.

Its a prepayment meter. You pay to have credit put on a chip and put it in the meter. You don't get bills with this setup because you pay in advance

I am pretty sure that SP do know how much electricity is being used tho.

This is the last attempt I am going to make hence sending them this

HI

the complaints handler seems to have dropped this completely since I refused to have any communication that was not in writing

You do realise there has been no electricity bills paid on this property for over two years and I have it in writing that there will be no charges until the new meter is in place

Your move

Its a prepayment meter. You pay to have credit put on a chip and put it in the meter. You don’t get bills with this setup because you pay in advance

Oh, right. So it's just not expiring whatever the last credit you applied was?

Hard to see how they could justify backdating bills on a prepay meter.

The meter is blank. Nothing on the display. As a safety feature if the meter fails you still get supply. thats where we have been for over two years

I worked in the world of prepayment electricity meters as one of my first jobs out of uni, over 20 years ago. Its a massive mess, it was back then and i bet nothing has changed.

Keep your paperwork safe as this could go on a long time......

Have you considered setting up a crypto mining operation/ganja farm with all this delicious free electricity you're getting?

Given that it's free, why not both?

Keep your paperwork safe as this could go on a long time……

everything on email. Nothing by phone as they lied to me several times.

I am not doing any more chasing. My bet is I get a pghone call next week from them where we do the dance again "I have some security questions for you" " "I am not giving you any of my details - basic security" " I cannot discuss the case then" " good - now go read my file where it tells you email only"

You Have made every effort to contact them.
You are still getting power (without adding extra funds)
If the meter isn't showing usage, then along with your recorded agreement that you are paying nothing until it is sorted, I don't see what else you reasonably need to do.
Other than say 'Thank you' for free electricity.

My friend had a similar situation where the provider changed with his Gas (BG to AH) letters from both parties, agreed change over date, final reading for BG and first reading for AH.
A letter from AH 3 weeks later saying they were no longer taking on the supply, it would revert to BG.
Half a dozen letters to BG, all responses saying 'No, we no longer supply your gas' a couple of letters to AH and the response that they 'have never supplied him with gas' he just put the money aside for the remaining 3 years until he sold the house.
He wrote to both BG and AH when he moved, heard back from both parties saying they didn't supply gas to that address, he kept the money for 18 months then bought a new kitchen for his new house.

As far as he knows, his friend who bought the house still hasn't paid a gas bill in over 10 years.

sounds like an opportunity to set up as a EV charge point!

40 m in the air? Nice idea but an attic flat!

Long extension flex....

I'd be leaving it now. It's their mess!

everything on email. Nothing by phone as they lied to me several times.

I am not doing any more chasing. My bet is I get a pghone call next week from them where we do the dance again “I have some security questions for you” ” “I am not giving you any of my details – basic security” ” I cannot discuss the case then” ” good – now go read my file where it tells you email only”

When i worked in this field there was a massive issue with prepayments were there was no process that alliged the payment to a card to teh actual supply to a house. So if you and your neighbour had the same meter and you both used the same card branded SP, it would work, but one house might be supplied by SP and one by BG. So the fact the meter works doesnt even mean the right supplier is getting paid. They basically all rely on the fact that the meters work and people want to pay the supplier.

If your meter doesn't work yet shows on there system that its prepayment - they will just assume someone has to be paying. They have enough problems keeping on top of aligning; supply - meter - payment method.

Aye - Im giving up after this attempt.

the flat is actually in my ( deceased) partners name, I have never lived in it. I only put the bill into my name as the tenants do not have english as a first language and could not sort it

As expected - total silence from Scottish power after the acknowledgement of the complaint and a request to phone them.

I give in at that.

Turn a bedroom into a cannabis farm

Or use the strong lights to grow exotic fruit. Plus you can claim compensation from the police when they smash in your door thinking you have a cannabis farm in there 😀
Needing a new front door ?, and maybe a bit left over for a new shiny bike bit.

Absolute silence from them since that email.

I give up. free 'leccy it is. Nice for my tenants

why are you bothering then?

I had exactly the same with water to my previous house - I chased Yorkshire Water more than once to actually have my 100 year old house recognised as a house yet all I ever got was a minimal 'land drainage' fee each year. There's only so much you can do!

Teej, you know that when you call it may be recorded as a standard thing they do, right?

yes but I do not have a record of it and I do not trust them an inch given the amount of lies from them