Advice need on Scottish Power Debt

[Reidy82]

Hi everyone

 

I am wondering if anyone could give me some advice as I am at my witts end.

 

I am a customer with Scottish power and have been struggling to pay my monthly payments after they shot up from £50 a month to £80.

 

To give you a little bit of information (This maybe very long so I do appoligise in advance)

 

My father passed away last june

I had additional costs (ie: funeral costs and other changes to income)

i struggled to pay everything and ended up getting into debt all over.

I went to pay plan who forward me to a company who entered me into a trust deed in july of 2011 and I was on a very tight budget but I just managed to make it.

 

in september I became severely ill and was in and out of hospital every few weeks

my partner was dealing with all the bills as best he could but none of the companys when he called them would deal with him

as he wanted to explain about me being in hospital and he did not have access to my bank account

and was making payments from his own money as best he could.

 

When I got out of hospital I checked my bank account in order to pay the bills and found that money had been taken by another company

and it had overdrawn my account at one point

 

it meant when my next benefit money went in it (I am disabled) this swallowed it and I was then charged for unauthorised overdraft.

I fought this out with the bank and it has taken me a while to get it sorted,

 

I was only out of hospital about a week when I received a letter to say I had been kicked off of my payment plan,

then another saying I owed £200+ on my bill.

 

I contacted Scottish power and explained the situation and they confirmed my payments my partner had made but they felt i was not paying enough to cover my usage,

he asked me for a meter reading which obviously calculated and that added another sum onto my bill making it even higher

and said he could call me back after speaking to someone else about my situation to see if he could provide me anymore assistance

but then proceeded to tell me about a nectar card and nectar points and went totally of subject.

I waited allday and never received any call back from the gentleman.

 

I decided to call back the next day to find out if there was anymore information as I thought this was a little strange

as my bills had never came in previously more than a £150 in the whole 3 years I’ve lived at my address and ive done nothing different than i have in previous years and i only live in a little 2 apt not as if it’s a big house.

 

I told the lady I spoke to about the problems I had with my bank and that I could not make a full payment this month

and she said to me she would change my plan and I could pay it at the start of the following month (Which was two weeks from the date of when I called 4th of the month).

I said ok and thanked her.

 

I continued to pay the rate of £50 a month but never received my monthly bill like I had previously.

I thought this was strange but continued as normal.

 

in November I received a bill and noticed it was quarterly and for a full payment of the bill at £250.

I called the customer services again in a panic and told them I could not pay the outstanding amount left on the bill in one full go

and did not even know it had been changed to quarterly as that’s something I would never have agreed to

as that’s would have just made things more difficult for me to pay out a lump sum after 3 months.

 

She told me she would put me back on the monthly plan.

I asked her if it was possible to pay by fortnightly direct debit only for her to tell me Scottish power did not accept weekly or fortnightly payments by direct debit

but she could send me out a card and pay it by pay point.

I told her because of my disability this would be a little more difficult as I have problems walking and don’t always get out.

She said I could online weekly though and I said fine.

 

She asked me for a most recent meter reading and that was fine.

£

Then in decemeber I got a letter saying they were upping my payments from 50 pounds a month to £80.

 

In a panic again realising I would be scrapping bottom of the barrell

I called them again explaining this was a problem as I am disabled and on a low income and about my trust deed.

 

She kept trying to get me to change to a pre-payment meter

but again as I explained this was going to cause more problems as I don’t always get out and I because of my illness I need regular electricity usage for shower,

bed lift and other adaptions for my disability and I know for a fact I would be paying much more fortnightly with that than paying as I was.

 

She told me to think about it and said i could keep giving them regular meter reading to keep an eye on my usage

as I stated I thought it was strange how high it seemed to have jumped.

(I know there is price rises all over the uk but mines seem overly high)

 

I then asked her what tariff I was on and she said standard and I asked her if there was any tariff relating to people who are disabled

and on a low income and she said no

(The reason I asked this is because I get a tariff for my gas with another company relating to my low income and being disabled which is much lower than standard tarriffs).

 

I asked her if there was any grants or help I could have if I provided incomes sheets and she told me she would find out

and send me the information but also said she would have someone else call me back to go through ways of saving.

 

She took another meter reading from me and then said I could again start paying as the start of the 4th of the month weekly.

 

Since then I have been struggling to pay the £80 pounds

but I then recently got a bill in at the end of February saying I owe them £270 pounds.

I called again but the person was so unhelpfull I came of the phone in tears.

I have managed to pay the £80 in February and then £50 this month but am struggling to pay the extra £30.

 

I decided to take advice from a debt advisor after I got the bill in February who told me he felt I should contact my trustee of my trust deed

and ask to be discharged or ask him to step down to as my trustee so I could apply for Sequestration (Bankruptcy) as this would be my only option.

I asked how this would effect my gas and electricity accounts.

 

He said because I was in debt with the electricity account it would obviously clear this as I can not pay it but when I asked how it would affect future payements

He told me they may allow me to continue with my regular method or put me on pay meters. I explained this was again going to be a problem.

 

He then said if I did not want to apply for Sequestration I could write to Scottish power explaining of my situation and asking for a more manageable payment option

until I get on my feet because ofgem requires energy supplier to consider circumstances and ability to pay when agreeing to a debt repayment plan.

 

I printed out two letter and sent them to the two available Scottish power address I found on there site

as I was not sure which one they had to be sent to but have still received no response to either.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions to what I can do now as I said i have made a payment to them this month

and its reduced the bill to £211 but I am still going to struggle to pay the other £30 pounds and then my next 80 payment will be due again on the 4th and I really don’t know what to do.

 

Ive tried to speak to Scottish power on various occasions and it always seems to make things much worse

and I am really at my witts end and it is really scaring me that I will be cut off and putting stress into my illness.

If anyone has any suggestions I would be much appreciated

 

Thank You

Lou

[dx100uk]

god thas a long waffle...........

 

we have scottish POwer on board here

 

i cant see why you cannot be put on the social tarrif meself.

 

dx

[ScottishPower Company Rep]

Hi Reidy,

 

Please private message me your details and i can check your account and what tarriff you are on.

 

Marie@scottishpower

[ScottishPower Company Rep]

Hi Reidy,

 

Please private message me your details and i can check your account and what tarriff you are on.

 

Marie@scottishpower

[dx100uk]

please dont forget new CAG members cannnot use the PM facility

 

you neeed to provide ann email AD .

 

dx