BT Basic Phone On It's Own Or With Broadband Cheap If On Certain Benefit's £10.07!

[nukecad]

We were having a similar discussion about wifi/broadband speeds over on bleepingcomputer yesterday.

ie. What you actually need vs what the providers marketing department try to persuade you that you need and sell you.

My comment was along the lines that you don't need to buy a sports car if you are only going down to the shops.
If you want to occasionally go on a racetrack at weekends then OK you might want a sports car anyway.
(Or you might just want to boat to your friends about how fast you could go theoretically).
If you want to go drag racing then you'll need something even faster than a sports car.

[StarBright]

Love it Nuke ..............

[nukecad]

LOL, got this in another email from Scottish Power this morning:

We’ve noticed that the recent bill we sent you appears to be higher than your previous bills. This may be correct as you may be using more energy than normal, however, we’d like to check that the meter reading used to create your bill is accurate to ensure you are only paying for the energy you’ve used.

Please check the reading on your most recent bill against your current meter reading. Remember you’ll have used more energy since we created your bill therefore your current reading will be slightly higher.

No kidding that it 'appears to be higher', especially since there haven't been any previous bills.
(Since 2017 but I didn't actually get that one either).

And just how I'm supposed to check the meter on a closed account at a place I don't live at anymore is a bit of a puzzle?

Not sure I'll even mention it in my complaint which is about ready to send off.

[beau]

When I had a complaint I went to Ofgem who made the company sort it out, that may have to be your next port of call.

[nukecad]

You have to complain to the company and give them a chance to putthings right before going to Ofgem.

Complaint has been sent and I've had an automated acknowledgement.

I was getting to the Ofgem stage with SP back in 2016 when they suddenly caved in, well they fiddled things by paying themselves the whole disputed amount from their own charity fund.
Not exactly ethical to do that, but it's their fund, and I ended up with nothing to pay so wasn't exactly moaning.

[beau]

Yes I did complain to the supplier first but got nowhere.

[StarBright]

Let us know how you get on Nuke, and sorry you had problems too beau

Had a text today saying Hi Starbright I'm Lucie from VM I'm in the area collecting VM equipment. Will you be home today?. Or if you prefer you can leave it outside & I can collect it from there. I'm around 10.30 - 5pm. Can you confirm the address in the email is correct & reply here as I can't access my emails. (Is that because she is with VM )

So I replied yes you can come today & the address is correct.

Then the only thing left in my home that's VM is the two box's on the wall. Just how I like it. Finally will be free of VM

[nukecad]

Let us know how you get on Nuke,

You are going to love this (I do).

I've been zonked out from 8 last night till noon today and just got round to my computer.

There are 2 new emails from SP.

First one timed at 15:56 yesterday, asking me to 'elaborate my query'.
Err, it's a complaint not a query, it says Official Complaint (Unlawful Billing) in bold letters at the top, and it is very specific in what I'm complaining about and what I want them to do.

That assertion that it was a query and not a complaint is probably explained by:

Second one timed at 19:05 yesterday, they have 'recently reviewed' my account.
Oh, so it's now their own review, and not my complaint at all.

Anyhow they have adjusted the account for the period 23rd August 2017 - 20th March 2021.

This is to ensure that you are invoiced for the correct amount of energy used, and that you are not invoiced for any energy used more than 12 months ago that you were not previously billed for.

ie. They have unlawfully billed for more than 12 months. - Exactly what my main complaint was.
I'm assuming that 20th March 2022 was when they issued this 'Final Bill' (which I havent seen yet) so it can't go back before 20th March 2021.

Now the most interesting bit:

What does this mean for you?
We’ve applied an adjustment of £3265.15 to your account. No further action is required.

What happens next?
We’ll send you an updated bill soon showing this adjustment and the correct charges that apply.

Complaint sent at 10.10, 'Final Bill' demand charges totally* removed by 19:05 the same day.
9 hours has got to be some kind of speed record for getting a complaint sucessfully resolved.

I do note that we are now in "Wait for your next bill" territory again.

Assuming that 20th March 2022 was when they issued a 'Final Bill' then they would be allowed to bill from 20th March 2021 till when I left on 2nd June 2021.
Of course that would have to be estimated because they don't have any meter reading from March 2021.
BUT - that amount would/should have been included in their 'Final Bill' demand anyway, so has now been waived by the 'adjustment'.

*As their'Final Bill' demand was for £2914.75 I calculate that following their 'adjustment' of £3265.15 they should now owe me £350.40.
I suspect that they are going to try and say that the bill from 22nd August 2017 was correctly issued and so still stands.
BUT- As that amount would/should have also been included in their 'final bill' demand it should also have been wiped out.

Their 'updated' final bill, if it ever arrives, should be interesting.

I'm also not discounting that there may be more emails to come from them yet, contradicting what they have said up to now.

SP's accounts department are one of the most 'creative' I have ever come across.
I suspect that they train at Hogwarts. They seem to be able to magic up sums owed to them, and then magic 'adjustments' that defy all calculation out of thin air as it suits them.
In this case I suspect that they have overcompensated to avoid being taken to the ombudsman, or even court, for unlawful billing.
If they don't get an official/court order to stop doing it then they can continue trying it on with those who don't know about the 12 month billing rule that is now law.
In fact by calling it a 'query' they can deny that they ever had a complaint about acting/billing unlawfully.

[StarBright]

LOL that was FAST!

But like you I think you will continue getting these.

Can you take it further keeping these emails & submitting them will show what SP are doing to you & get them stopped for good?

[nukecad]

Printing the emails as PDFs and keeping everythng.
(I recommend CutePdf Writer as a virtual printer, been using it for about 20 years now on different computers).

What SP do with billing is well known by customers/ex-customers, but they keep getting away with it.

Ofgem are pretty toothless.
And SP seem to be good at keeping things out of court by compromising before it gets that far.

(DWP could take lessons, although they have been doing similar with phone 'offers' ahead of PIP tribunals).

Let's face it- if they wipe out my electricity charges for the last 5 years am I likely to take them to court?
Even though only 3 months of thoes 5 years bills were lawful it's much less hassle to accept their offer.