Scottish Power incompetence

[longshot]

Some advice needed please.I had my meter changed in may 07 from economy 7 to a standard meter. Nov 07 i received a statement from Scottish Power that said i was several hundred pounds in credit. So i contacted them to ask for the money to be refunded by cheque. This windfall was great news to us as i am disabled and have other health problems.

I queried the credit on three occasions and was told each time "yes we owe you the money" this was by three different representitives.I did this before accepting the payment. The cheque was duly sent and cashed. I was then informed by Email (i still have the copy) in Mar 08 that they had made a mistake and they appologised. Scottish Power agreed to keep our payments the same for three months so we did not struggle to repay the mistake and to then review the account.

Now they have increased my direct debit by 59% and say they may not be able to accept a lower payment as we have to pay back the money.

I explained it was their mistake and i queried the amount at the time and they should accept payment on my terms for an amount i can afford.

I realise i am responsible for the debt and it must be paid back but its not my mistake its Scottish Powers. What rights do i have when

negotiating repayments ? I cannot pay the amount they want i just dont have the funds.

[noggsy]

Hi Longshot, yet another case of a Utility company getting it wrong. In reality I am not aware of any legal rights you may have as regards to negotiating repayments, but as a rule the Company would look to recoup the overpayment in 12 months, in my experience. If this was not affordable to you I would advise you put in writing to them a payment plan which you can afford, and start making the payments. If you look from Scottish Powers point of view, the only recourse they have is to install a pre-payment meter, which if you refuse, they would require a Magistrates Court Warrant for, which if you object on the grounds you have given, will not be granted by the Magistrates. You also have the right to involve Energywatch who will take up the matter on your behalf and are sometimes quiet effective. Hope this helps.

[longshot]

Thanks for the reply noggsy.I have told SP i will pay an extra £20 pcm and not a penny more but it will take quite a while to pay back i am waiting for a reply. This lastest problem is only a part of a continous catalogue of mistakes. First they were unaware the meter had been changed then they failed to change the unit rate and lost the new meter reading.They also took two payments in one month and when i gave a meter reading in Dec 07 they entered it incorrectly.Scottish power blamed me and said i read it wrong lol i have read hundreds of meters it used to be part of my job.Finally the incorrect refund. I would not mind so much if i had not questioned them about the refund so many times.