@sp_energypeople What action can Scottish Power take against me

[porrohman65]

Due to poor health, I had to take time of work, Jan and Feb,

 

now from my wages I make sure I pay my Mortgage, Payment to the Debt arrangement scheme, and Council Tax

 

Now I get weekly tax credits of £81, and

 

around the 15 Feb, I received my bill from scottish Power of £298.

 

Now from my tax credits, and working payments out on Excel, I have budgeted £30 per week to my account for Scottish Power,

meaning by 5 May account should be paid in full

 

On the 23 Feb, I emailed Scottish Power about my fiancial difficult, and included the payment plan for the account

 

Now a few days later, I received a email, requesting me to phone them to discuss any payment plan

 

I did this today, after receiving a third reminder this week, with

" IF WE HAVE TO COME AND VISIT, YOU WILL BE CHARGED £37"

 

Spoke to one of the Customer Service Advisors,

explained my problem,

have no suffiecent fund to make full payment as they requested,

 

now she wasnt any help, infact all she was interested in doing , was to ask me if I was interested in a prepayment meter...quite honestly I dont want this

 

Seems my problem is,

Im a quarterly payment, and payment is due xxx date, and they cant change anything, as it is all down to the computer,

 

I even asked before hanging up, if they would accept my offer of £30 per week for the next 6 weeks, but no

 

I have even today, emailed Scottish Power for a second time, and expressed my concern,

if I dont have the funds to pay of in full, but can at least budget £30 per week to my account, this should be good enough

 

I have also pointed out, I find this very stress full, and because of heart problems,

this going and coming dosnt help me, if we cant come to an arrangement,

 

I gues I will have to stick it on to my remaining debts,and up the repayments

[dx100uk]

thats not very nice

 

we have scottish power onboard here

 

i'd PM the REP

 

dx

[porrohman65]

Thanks Dx

[porrohman65]

Someone on here last Nov 2012 helped me set up a standing order for £75 every 4 weeks,

all was going well, until I received a letter dated Aug 2013,

with demand I increase my standing order from £74 to £104 every 4 weeks

 

This is something I cant afford, for me to pay this it means £29 less for groceries,

in anger I didn't increase my payments, as I see no good reason to, do so

 

The main reason in the letter for the increase, from scot Power was I was underpaying,

I don't believe I'm underpaying, if and when a bill is due, I owe less than £30-£50 , which isn't a lot to be owed

 

I now receive a second letter, for Nov 2013, telling me Im underpaying and to increase my payment,

at this time its not possible for me to increase payment, and there is an issue with tax credits,

and Im not keeping well, and have to take time of work sick, and have been of sick for the last 3 weeks

 

In the letter dated Nov 2013, it said I have underpaid by £56, but if you had waited until 15 Nov when I would next be paid,

I would have made my min payment, of £75 which then put my account into credit, and will enter my readings this weekend

 

If I agreed to the increase, this mean I would be overpaying, and by my reckoning, I would have a credit of £406, which is unacceptable to me

 

And this is one reason, in previous email, I have said I don't like direct debits, as you can change them to easily,

and by going on that, you trying the same thing with my standing order

 

I cant afford any increase in payment, and I think £75 every 4 weeks is a fair amount to pay to yourself

 

Can a Scottish Power rep please pm, so we can get this sorted out, as far as Im concerned I have financial difficulties

[citizenB]

Unfortunately we appear to have "mislaid" the Scottish Power Rep. Despite emails, private messages and a twitter alert we have not seen him/her for some time now

 

Do you know if you are on the best tariff they have to offer ? I will try and find one of the Site team who might be able to help

[porrohman65]

Unfortunately we appear to have "mislaid" the Scottish Power Rep. Despite emails, private messages and a twitter alert we have not seen him/her for some time now

 

Do you know if you are on the best tariff they have to offer ? I will try and find one of the Site team who might be able to help

 

 

 

 

Mislaid the Scot Power rep, that might explain why Im not getting any replies to emails which I have sent to the rep

 

 

The tariff isn't the problem, it the agreed payments of £75 every 4 weeks, which they now want to increase to £104

[citizenB]

I don't think that you have to increase your standing order, but if you don't, I think you will need to pay the £56.00 they say you have used over and above.

[porrohman65]

I don't think that you have to increase your standing order, but if you don't, I think you will need to pay the £56.00 they say you have used over and above.

 

 

I have just checked my Scot power bills online, and as of 12 Nov, I was £56 in debt, made payment on 15 Nov of £75 which now put me in credit of £18

 

 

I will enter my reading come tonight and see how things go for the next 4 months, 4 months @ £75 = £300, so if my biil is around this amount, £75 is enough, but don't know how they come up with a figure of £104

[citizenB]

If this is the case, then simply tell them you are not in a position to increase your standing order and that in view of the fact that you are showing as being in credit pretty much proves that it is not necessary.

 

Why not have a word with the Energy Ombudsman and see what they have to say

 

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/energy.html

[porrohman65]

To begin, 2 years ago a Scottish Power per here at CAG, helped me set up a standing order arrangement,

seeing I was in poor health, and my finances weren't that great

 

For the last 2 years, I have made payment of £75 every 4 weeks, and have not missed a payment,

about 12 months ago, SP got in contact with my self to increase payment from £75 to £104

 

This is something I can afford, due to a number of reason, which the SP rep understood, and helped myself

 

This is how things stand at the moment;

tax credits, now waiting to find out if I can finally claim for the disability element,

if this claim is successful then this will ease a lot of my financial difficulties

 

My working hours have been reduced, as I find it exhausting to work, as I was previously getting unwell,

so going from a 40 hr working week, I now work 25 hr per week,

and already have cut out luxury which I might have had this year, like holiday abroad

 

There are things I can do, to cut expenditure costs, but until the tax credit office get back to me,

some thing just cant be dealt with yet, mainly council tax, and my debt program

 

I am intending to write to SP this week to advise them I wont be increasing my payment, so will keep it at £75,

even though I know now im underpaying, but

 

Im not going to be leaving SP in the near future, this also includes looking at my finances in 6 months time,

hopefully by this time, tax credits, council tax and debt program will be sorted out

 

They already have contacted me by email, and there suggestion was, pay 25% of the outstanding bill, which is around £600,

and then set up a direct debit, which I previously told the SP rep, I don't like direct debit, don't trust them

 

What possible action could I face from Scottish Power; could they pass my outstanding balance onto a debt collector

[renegadeimp]

They could but a DCA would have no rights unless they bought the debt.

[porrohman65]

Last night updated my meter readings, now thought they would be very high, but no, only a small increase

 

 

Its been 3 months since I checked my account, and thank god I have, as my bills and payments don't add up, hoping its all down to a system fault, and will be sorted, but until then, these figures don't add up, as of 13 Feb. 2015 my bill should read £119.92 debit, it looks like not all of my credit is going onto my bill

 

 

13-Feb-2015 £ 239.05 (Actual) £ 142.44 in Debit Bill Pending 09-Feb-2015 £ 120.00 (Credit) £ 96.61 in Credit12-Jan-2015 £ 120.00 (Credit) £ 23.39 in Debit15-Dec-2014 £ 120.00 (Credit) £ 143.39 in Debit25-Nov-2014 £ 85.61 (Estimated) £ 240.77 in Debit18-Nov-2014 £ 120.00 (Credit) £ 155.16 in Debit