Atlantic Gas and Electric Treat Disabled People Like Crap

[BanditQueen]

Scottish and Southern Electric are rubbish.

 

Their meters are not correct and never will be.

 

Do not ever get a repayment meter and do not accept their readings or your usage on an ordinary meter.

 

We started off on a low tarriff as we are light users and except for the very cold spell last year always have been and within six months the tarriff trebbled.

 

Our arrears is not because we have used more; it is because of the high tarriff and charges and the escalator of 37%.

 

We have been threatened with disconnection three times despite being disabled and ill and we have completed a form to go onto a new tarriff which they lost and now I cannot find the copy.

 

They should have sent another one but did not and now are sending one six months later.

 

They claim to understand while using threats and blackmail and I am not paying any more than we agreed with them last summer which I have in writing.

 

They recommend if you please a direct payment from my benefits. Yea, just try it!

 

They recommend if you please a payment meter.

 

The CAB say no as the amount that we owe is in dispute and the meter is not correct and we cannot be forced into this.

 

We use 0 gas in the summer as we do not cook hot meals and we do not need the heating on!

 

We have not had the heating on for the last 6 weeks but they estimate our usage as twice that from last November in the snow and ice!

 

We are not budging on this one and not paying anything more until they move us onto to the social tarrif and back date it to November 10th which is when we filled out the last form.

 

I have copies but I cannot get to them as we have had to have work done for our health problems and have other more pressing needs like getting to the hospital all the time.

 

.... is sympathetic but I cannot forgive them for sending the police round last winter when we sent them a complaint as they were 'concerned about our mental health'.

 

I told them and the police to mind their own business and refused to give them any information.

 

It is not worth moving to a new supplier as we have done this four times and they are all owned by Scottish and Southern in any case and are as rubbish as each other.

[BanditQueen]

I have had enough about the greed of this company that treats disabled people like crap.

 

I am physically and mentally ill and my husband had to leave his job as he had cancer.

 

We moved to this company as they promised to place us on a social tariff and this is what we began on.

 

Then last year our costs went through the roof and the meter started to run away with itself, and even when no gas or electric was being used it was going potty.

 

Atlantic admitted a mistake at first and then offered to test it but only if they could take it to a lab.

 

The CAB told us they have to service the meter every two years and can test it on our property.

 

The company refused to do this.

 

....... is meant to be dealing with this but she has lost three forms to place us on a new social tariff and also the copies that we sent to her.

 

We are meant to get £50.00 credit for last November and it back dated to then and also on our March and June bills.

 

They already agree that we can pay £15.00 gas and £12.00 electric and we know this is what we can afford but they want instead at least £53.00 on each bill every month.

 

We get £301.00 every two weeks total income and have to pay all of our bills ourselves, and get no other help at all.

 

We pay our mortgage from this as well as our council tax and our food.

 

I have special needs and equipment and cannot get out of a chair or bed without electric as the bed is electric and a special bed

and we have equipment and medical equipment from the electric as well and they are aware of this.

 

We do not use any gas at all March to October as we have heat switched off and still it is as if we had it on all of the time all day every day and this is not the case.

 

We have been over charged by £600.

 

The last form we copied and sent to them at the end of May and they have not processed it.

 

Instead this stupid woman has gone on holiday for a month and it is sitting on her desk.

 

The only thing they have done about it is to send us two double bills, lost the last 10 payments, and send us now a termination letter for the gas and when we complained one for the electric.

 

They are going to cut us off instead of putting us on a social tariff and refuse to accept that they agreed to us paying £15.00 and £12.00 which we are paying on the cards each month.

 

I have complained to the head of customer services and they still have ignored me.

 

I have sent them several emails and they have not done as I asked them and call me at a specific time so as I do not have to pay for the phone call.

 

I called them twice: the first time I could not hear them and when I asked them to speak up they swore at me and put the phone down.

I got one call and told to phone a premium call number.

 

I phoned and was held on for half an hour before they cut me off again.

 

I have even threatened to turn the gas on and blow the place up if they come out to cut me off and I will do so,

but they still have not bothered to resolve this and to contact me or to help me in any way.

 

What am I to do? We are very ill because of this and very worried.

 

Thanks

 

Lyn-Marie

[dx100uk]

pers i think its time you contacted:

 

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/Pages/Consumer.aspx

 

dx

[BanditQueen]

/SIZE]I have been totally outraged by the fact that Atlantic Gas SSE coned me into thinking that I was being helped by them and that they wanted to help their more vulnerable customers. I was telephoned, several times over several days and told that they wanted to speak to me as they had a promotion to phone customers on Extra Care Plus and social tariffs and they wanted to help me to reduce my bills and arrears. They have a trust fund and can also replace some old appliances free of charge.

 

So what do I have to do? Answer a few simple questions on the phone for a few moments. Fine but please not longer as it is too hard and painful for me to remain on the phone for long. 20 minutes later she was still wittering on about the trust fund and how it worked and had not taken any details.

 

Sorry have to go! She rang again and this time asked for a meter reading. Sorry we cannot physically give you a reading. She then went on about the account which has been in dispute for two years and started on about them coming out to test the meter. Fine but they have been going to do this for the last 12 months, when are they coming? Then she told me I was entitled to the trust fund and I said fine send me an application form and I will get back to them. Then they cannot do anything to help me unless I agreed to them taking the damn meter for testing. Fine. When? She will put it in an email.

 

Two weeks later and no email or anything else so I complained. Got a response from Alan Ward, putting my payments doubled to what we pay now and double what we can afford. What for and where is the help please? Cannot do it in a form as a form does not exist have to do it over the phone or not at all. I cannot do it over the phone it takes too long and have asked no contact by phone so how do they have my ex directory number to phone me 20 times in one day in the first place?

 

Mr Ward now aware I am on ESA support group and puts it back to my current plan but says they will give me no help unless I agree to the meter being tested. I have already given permission but I am not sitting around for six hours I want AM or PM. They can only come at 8 in the morning. In that case, no it is not convenient.

 

Agrees to leave the meter testing until the customer liaison person comes out and will arrange for them to apply for me. I agree but as my father is seriously ill in hospital ask them to leave it for two weeks as we are arranging some home and personal care for him. This request was not conformed with and I get a demanding email from Mr Ward, demanding a response by return to confirm a time and date that we will be able to have a visit from the liaison person a month later. Mr Ward has gone on holiday for 10 days and wants an instant response! Told him we cannot give him an instant response. Get another email from someone else demanding that we choose one of 3 days at 8 in the morning at the end of the month and that we let them know at once or they cannot help us. The liaison person is not coming to help with our trust fund application but to tell us how to cut down on our consumption. That made me see red!

 

Our consumption is very low and it is there faulty meter that it to blame and they are coming to tell disabled people not to have the heating on or to stumble about in the dark. And what about respect for my wishes! I told them to go to hell.

 

Mr Ward also did not return the payment plan back to what it was and what he agreed and it is still double what we can afford. We have told them this is all that we can afford and are now complaining to the Watchdog. These people are just fond of chaos and cons. They have not helped me to apply to a trust fund they have doubled my payments and now unless I agree to have the meter tested they cannot help me further and without the person coming to the house they cannot give me any help or put on the account the assistance that I am entitled to.

 

All they had to do was to leave me alone for a couple of weeks and instead they hounded me and have caused a lot of upset and trouble and stress. My father came out of hospital for 10 days and then went back in for another 3 weeks and these people have just made absolute terrors of themselves demanding this that and the other at a time we need space and support. And now my dad came home and we have all the support in place and then he has died over last weekend and Alan Ward is still leaving me emails asking me to phone them and demanding a time and date. I have already told them to leave me alone it is now a complaint to the Watchdog. I got it put up further but they have totally failed to deal with it and just made threats to take me to court and to send the account to debt collection. Well let them! I cannot afford to pay anything more than what I pay and as far as I am concerned there is nothing they can do about it.

 

I am really angry and feel cheated and ill used by these people and even my husband lost his cool with them and I had to tell him to calm down. Why can't they just have sent a form? Why not leave me alone for a couple of weeks and put the account on hold until they had applied the discounts from the trust fund application? Are these people complete morons?

 

Yes, and now they are going to learn what it means to treat people in this way.

[stu007]

Hi

 

I can understand totally where you are coming from an in the process of fighting SSE on behalf of a Disabled Veteran as they are refusing to put him of there Careline and when questioned by myself the excuse is:

 

* He is not entitled to Careline as he has "to much income".

 

When quized about this they say the Disabled Veterans income of Service Attributable Pension and War Pensioner with High Rate Mobility and Care take veteran over the set limit. I argued with these idiots that these are not income and are Disabled Benefits that even the Government cant Tax so how are they income.

 

They stated its policy so I asked for a copy of this policy and guess what it aint materialized how surprising as i bet they are wrong.

 

So have now been advised to report them to: Equality and Human Rights Commission here is the link: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/

 

So will be reporting them on Monday and see what happens would advise you report your issue to them as well

 

I know its really hard but try not to let it get to you and you are in the correct place for help and advice.

 

The way the Veteran looks at thing is Dont get Mad Get Even.

[BanditQueen]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the link. Before having even read the whole thing I was thinking these are disability benefits and do not count as income. High and Middle Rate Care Certainly are not income; any one who deals with disability matters or any official matters knows that. The sad thing is: most people so called workers and advisers on sections in companies dealing with disabled customers are not fully trained or informed and most of them are not disabled either, and have never met a person with disabilities, or had any rights training or welfare training or even sensitivity training. These people with SSE even make me feel sad to be a Scot. Scots are normally more caring when it comes to community matters. These idiots have no idea. Good luck with your complaint. Unfortunately, I have not been back to my computer for a few days and will not be doing anything for a time as I buried my father yesterday, and still got an insensitive email from these people wanting me to make a decision as to if the customer service person can come to the house or not. Just what part of the word No is not understandable? I would swear at them in Gaelic, but they may understand it.

 

Take care.

 

Lyn-Marie

[BanditQueen]

The goons at Atlantic SSE have reviewed my case:

in about 3 hours from when they decided and they have now concluded that they cannot help me at all and the decision stands and told me to go to the Ombudsman,

which I have done, but I am not going just let them off in the meantime.

 

I have an agreement in writing from Alan Ward, which was not enacted although he said he had asked them to do this, prior to my complaint.

 

I am not going to allow them not to honour putting my payments back to what they should be as I have this in his email

and letter and they will get emails after emails until they do so, outside of my complaint, even though it is now deadlocked.

 

At lease they have no excuse such as we did not know that I did not agree with their decision or the rate they want it paid at.

I have challenged why they know I am in fuel poverty, admitted to by their phone call on 25th January 2012,

and they admit I am only on benefits and they know I can only afford what I pay now, so why are they insisting that I need to pay double.

 

Needing to pay something and being able to are two different things: and I cannot be forced to pay money that will make my situation worse.

If they think that by sending out a schedule that is different to the one agreed and my not being able to pay it they can justify then hounding me with bailiffs and stuff,

they are very much mistaken.

 

I am a vulnerable class customer and am registered with them on Extra Care Plus and a social tariff, so just what are they going to do?

I have extra protection from the law that states that they cannot cut me off and I am sure that the courts will not force the issue beyond what we can afford to pay.

 

Even if you force someone onto a payment meter: the money that is set at has to be what they can afford, so does taking it direct from benefits!

The amount of money we have is not going to magically increase in the meantime and I am prepared to take whatever action I deem fit to keep them out of my property

and if that means using force to stop them, I will!

 

I am past caring what these goons can do and say and I am not going to sit here and allow them into my home or anyone else for that matter to force me into anything, not without a fight!

 

If the courts will not back me up; I know someone else who will!

I just wish I could win some money and get rid of them and everyone else or change: and may-be I will, arrears or not!

 

Fight these mobsters in our fuel industries and all fat cats. It is the only way to send the message that we are not going to be bullied, stamped, sealed, filed or processed. I am not a number, I am a free human being, I have rights and I intend to enforce them!

[stu007]

Hi Bandit

 

Just something to consider have you checked SSE Website and have a good look at the "Warm Home Discount" as the categories for applying for it recently changed and more people are now entitled so something to consider.

 

Who can apply for it is on the website and you can download an application form.

 

I only found this out recently with veteran i help as he never used to be entitled to it but as the categories for applying changed he is now entitled to this.

[BanditQueen]

Hi Bandit

 

Just something to consider have you checked SSE Website and have a good look at the "Warm Home Discount" as the categories for applying for it recently changed and more people are now entitled so something to consider.

 

Who can apply for it is on the website and you can download an application form.

 

I only found this out recently with veteran i help as he never used to be entitled to it but as the categories for applying changed he is now entitled to this.

 

Thanks, yes have downloaded an application form and will be filling it in over the weekend and asking for it to be back dated as they should have told me about this in the phone call in January. I remember from an older email that they told me I would automatically be moved to something like this, this year, but again they have not followed through and it is up to the customer to scroll through forums and websites to find things out, as if we do not have anything better to do. But yes, I will be asking for this discount.

 

Cheers

[stu007]

Hi Bandit

 

They cannot back date the Warm Home Discount as i thin the cut off period was 28th March 2012 so new applicants wont get it till next year.

 

Also just remember with your energy provider there big boss is SSE

[2Grumpy]

Hi Bandit

 

They cannot back date the Warm Home Discount as i thin the cut off period was 28th March 2012 so new applicants wont get it till next year.

 

Also just remember with your energy provider there big boss is SSE

although you might be able to make a case for them to do so out of their profits in recognition of the way you have been treated.

 

Why didn't they advise you to do this themselves? They obviously know your position. Don't they have a duty of care. You could say that a necessary adjustment that they should make in view of your disabilities is to advise you of all discounts and benefits that are available to you (disability discrimination act)