scottish power

[tonyseventy4]

hi guys... wonder if there is anything i can do here !i have a friend single parent wiv 2 kids ! she received no bill from scottish power for at east 2 years !!! now they sent her a letter saying pay or else! she started paying them every month ... then one month cancelled the direct debit for financial reasons ! she then phoned them again to reset the direct debit up, they said she had to apy more because she defaulted !!! she said cudnt afford it.... and they said well we will cut you off and said they had exhausted all payment avenues with her unless she would pay 40 % of her bill( bill= 2000)! so after bout a month they sent an advisor( and charged 25 quid for doin so) he said she had to pay 40 % or else they wud b applyin for a warrant to cut her off ! after finally gettin thru to scottish power.... she has to pay 300 quid up front then up her monthly payments to 110 !!!!!! kinda unaffordable ! any help wud b appreciated ,

cheers

tony

[mutzi]

It's their fault if they haven't billed her but she's partly responsible for not finding out why. She still has to pay but if they are being unreasonable about at what rate refer your friend to energywatch. Just give them the details and they will take up the complaint on her behalf. Include all the facts, ie single parent, limited income. They are very sympathetic.

 

I would expect no less than a repayment schedule she can afford and a refund of the £25 fee. If your friend is lucky they might also reduce the total as a 'gesture of goodwill.'

 

Been in a similar situation. My thread from May: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/other-stores/5899-scottishpower.html

 

[riggers]

Hi

 

I had numerous issues with Scottish Power when I was a debt adviser for CAB. Advise your friend to seek help from CAB as they will help in this situation. Your friend should not pay £300 as she cannot afford to and needs to arrange reasonable payments. Any court would recognise that.

[jotty]

Wish I had read this sooner, I have had to deal with Grosvenor 'Legal' Services who collect on behalf of SP. This lot are incompetent idiots who have no idea of the law. Through shear panic I paid off £600 in one go (which was very hard) from a total debt of £1100, despite this they continued to threaten warrant etc. My mistake was that I presumed Grosvenor where in regular contact with SP and would keep them updated about payments etc. It appears they are not and only forward payments once a month en bloc.

I finall rang SP to find out that I was due in court 2 days after, only by some pleading was I able to stop this. They still made me pay £200 then and allow me to spread the balance over the year.

 

My advice is if you get letters from Grosvenor, ring SP and demand they take the debt back.

[mutzi]

Wish I had read this sooner, I have had to deal with Grosvenor 'Legal' Services who collect on behalf of SP. This lot are incompetent idiots who have no idea of the law. Through shear panic I paid off £600 in one go (which was very hard) from a total debt of £1100, despite this they continued to threaten warrant etc. My mistake was that I presumed Grosvenor where in regular contact with SP and would keep them updated about payments etc. It appears they are not and only forward payments once a month en bloc.

I finall rang SP to find out that I was due in court 2 days after, only by some pleading was I able to stop this. They still made me pay £200 then and allow me to spread the balance over the year.

 

My advice is if you get letters from Grosvenor, ring SP and demand they take the debt back.

 

You should still complain about this. Especially if you've been intimidated into paying more than you can afford.

[Neville145]

I have lived at my home for four years and only just recieved a bill for combined gas and electric. It is a new development and I eventually had to go to energy watch to find out who supplied me as they had all said it was not them.

 

Scottish power now say I owe 1450 which I do not dispute, however I cannot simply pay it in 7 days. I have offered a repayment plan to them via direct debit but they set up the wrong date and it got returned to them. They have now referred it to SPM collections who are actually part of SP. I am willing to go to court if I need to but it was there mistake. My serial number of my box outside was reporting to a house four doors down.

[ozzywizard]

They can only bill you for the last 2 years now, not before, if they did not send you a statment or bill. Now if you ask for a 7 day read (take a read every day for 7 days) they will work out your average consumption over a 12 month period. x this by 2 and that gives you 2 years consumption. Also then you can demand these 2 years be charged at the price per KWH that it was at 2 years ago because they never sent you a letter of notification of price increases. Dont let them charge you at the new rate for the full 2 years. Because that is what the system will try to do.

 

If the supplier is at fault, and the customer has not received a bill for more than two years, then from July 2006 any outstanding amounts due to the supplier that relate to energy consumption for more than two years will be cancelled.

 

Code of practice for accurate bills .

 

edit >>>>>>>

From July 2007, this will reduce to one year

[Neville145]

Thanks, have just phoned them and quoted that. Whilst I am not refusing to pay the bill, I have managed to spread the payments over a longer term.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Neville.

[ozzywizard]

No problem, glad to of helped. I have received heaps of help on this forum and its good to give some back and gas and leccy is the only thing I know about lol.

[Guest Zooman]

In that case Ozzy I have a question for you I will start a thread.

[ozzywizard]

No problem Zooman.