Google Spark Energy complaints - there's plenty to read. Do you have, or are you able to get from the landlord, the meter readings when you first moved in? If so, you can work out how much power/gas you have used up to the current meter reading. I would advise you check this before accepting this company's opinion of what is owed. They are a shambles.

I believe Barclays Cash Card account is a good alternative to Co-op - you could give them a try?

I"ve already been down that route and had all those letters that tell you absolutely nothing. They just string you along. I lodged my complaint with Citi last October due to a payment made by debit card not being credited to my account thus going into arrears and having charges added due to alleged non-payment. It was a no brainer to investigate since my bank account statement clearly showed the payment had been taken by Citi Card and a letter from my bank also clearly confirmed the payment had been taken and not returned to my account. As of today, 6 months later, I have made zero progress. My complaint has obviously been put in the "too difficult" box and Opus are now saying (having accepted responsibility for the complaint) that it is Citicard's responsibility to deal with the complaint. Well I am not giving up - this is going to cost them a damn site more than the value of the missing payment, I'll make sure of that.

It would appear to be Bank of Scotland. Opus as a seperate entity does not exist although their staff will have you believe that is the name of the company even though their own letter heads say no such thing. Just another ruse dreamed up to put obstacles in the way of people complaining about the rip-offs and crap "service".

PS to OP - Have you considered issuing a Section 10 Notice under the DPA? I have successfully used this section against British Gas to remove false information from credit reference files.

Hi, I'm interested, if not surprised, to hear that I'm not the only one with problems arising out of the CitiCard/Opus transfer. I too had an outstanding complaint with CitiCards at the time of transfer to Opus - missing payment that shows up on my bank statement as having been paid by debit card and which my bank has confirmed was paid to CitiCard in October 2010. Since then, despite knowing the account is in dispute, Opus has busily continued adding charges and interest and their collections team has been mithering the hell out of me. Pity their complaints department isn't has clued up but so far this complaint has been running 5 months and I am not further on than where I was last year with it. I contacted the FOS yesterday after 2 frustrating phone calls with Opus collections dept. I actually wanted the complaints dept. but they don't take phone calls apparently! I asked the collections dept. several times to name the company behind Opus which I pointed out from their own correspondence is just a trademark name. They insisted there is such a company called Opus even when I referred them to their own letterheads. I understand from the FOS that it is actually the Bank of Scotland operating this card and contrary to what I had been told by "opus" staff over several months, Bank of Scotland has informed the FOS that they have NOT taken over existing disputes with CitiCard - those remain with them to sort out. So my initial complaint to CitiCard remains with them and that is who I need to complain about to the FOS when I send the form in. I have complaints anyway about the way Opus have mishandled the complaint and how BOS have nmanaged to confuse everything by using these meaningless names to hide behind. Opus also uses a Box Number rather than a proper address - handy to avoid getting recorded and special delivery post which can't be sent to PO Boxes. I believe the Royal Mail have to provide the true address behind a box number if its requested but how many people know that? But I'll be sending all my legal stuff to BOS as well as "Opus" in Sheffield now. Will be interested to follow this thread. Good Luck.

I have had a Cashminder account for about 2 years. Its not my main account. If you transfer funds out of your account using online banking it usually reduces the account balance immediately. If you use the debit card, it doesn't show up until maybe 3 days later. One other thing its as well to be aware of where the Co-op is concerned - they order the transactions by debiting first and crediting second. I was very annoyed to receive a snotty letter and bank charges one day because I had gone into overdraft even though I knew I had paid in more than enough money to cover what was going out. When I complained I was told its in the rules that any credits have to be in the account 24 hours before they will get credited first before the debits. So in my case, because I'd paid in money first and then paid it out on the same day, I technically overdrew the account. I really hate banks - money grabbing cheaters.

Tom, I have to tell you that getting them to pay up was like drawing teeth and took 5 months. I deliberately kept my post short because otherwise it would have gone on and on. Personally, I feel that if I didn't know as much as I do about how to go about dealing with this kind of situation, I would never have got the money back. And as Forrest Gump would say - that's all I got to say about that.

As a new member to this site, just wanted to let people know that I recently obtained a full refund from TE amounting to £420 regarding a parking ticket. Their bailiff failed to provide a breakdown of the fees demanded, failed to deliver the demand in a sealed envelope per the National Code of Conduct as I wasn't in at the time, in short failed to do a lot of basic stuff including failure to respond to a SAR. I would have taken them to Court and made it clear to them that was going to happen if they didn't put things right. Final demand for repayment in 7 days or court action without further notice produced the refund in the form of a cheque stuffed in an envelope, no covering letter or even a compliment slip! I recommend people being tenacious and not giving up when up against bad practices. Task Enforcement (and others) don't make it easy to communicate - use of PO Boxes etc. Don't be fooled - ALWAYS send SARs by recorded delivery to Head Office address - you won't be able to send recorded delivery to a PO Box number. This is important because TE initially denied receiving any SAR but I was able to produce a copy of the signed receipt printed from the Royal Mail website so put paid to that nonsense from them. I'm quite disappointed they paid up really, I would have loved to put them under the cosh and claimed even more back in compensation but maybe next time eh? ;-)