Scottish Power facing Ofgen probe after litany of complaints

Scottish Power is facing an inquiry by the energy watchdog after a Money Mail investigation exposed the firm’s shambolic service.

Last month, this paper sent a dossier of complaints to Ofgem after we were inundated by letters from angry customers. 

In the worst cases, some had been made to wait up to a year for refunds of hundreds of pounds.

Probe: Scottish Power is facing an inquiry by the energy watchdog Ofgem after we exposed the firm’s shambolic service

Others had been hounded by debt collectors they did not owe or had their bills hiked for no reason. When they complained, they were often ignored.

Ofgem has now opened a ‘compliance case’ and warned the company could be fined millions of pounds if it does not improve its services.

The watchdog says it has become ‘increasingly concerned’ about the supplier’s ‘resolving of critical issues’, adding: ‘We have seen slow complaint resolution times leading to customer dissatisfaction, and have been concerned with the lack of ability to identify, understand and resolve the root causes of known issues to prevent further similar complaints.’

Ofgem also says it is ‘disappointed with the lack of progress made by Scottish Power’ in reducing complaint resolution times and the volume of referrals made to consumer bodies.

Scottish Power, which has more than five million customers, received the most complaints of any Big Six supplier last year, with 8,441 cases referred to the Energy Ombudsman in the 12 months to September 2019. Inaccurate bills and customer service issues were the most common complaints.

Among Scottish Power’s disgruntled customers is pensioner Brian Field. He has been sent ten cheques made out to his late mother, Barbara, who died in September with her account £320 in credit.

Every time he receives a cheque, he calls the firm to explain that her accounts have been suspended and asks for it to be made out in his name instead.

Brian, 65, says: ‘It is the same story again and again. When I call, Scottish Power is very helpful and apologetic, and promises to fix the problem. But then a few weeks later I get another cheque in my mother’s name.

‘When cheque number seven arrived I contacted the Ombudsman, which is now involved, but when I returned from my holiday in February two more cheques had arrived made out to my mum.’

Brian, who formerly worked in the oil industry, says he has spent hours on the phone trying to get the issue resolved. 

His mother’s house in Montrose, on the east coast of Scotland, has now been sold, but Scottish Power still owes him £320.

He says: ‘Scottish Power’s customer service is diabolical. How hard can it be to change a name on a cheque? Let’s hope Ofgem raps it over the knuckles and solves the problem.’

Abbie Redford, 41, has been desperately trying to resolve her account issues with Scottish Power since November to no avail. 

The supplier has increased her monthly bill from £89.20 to £1,126 without explanation, and she has been lumped with four accounts, three of which were opened by the supplier by mistake.

Scottish Power, which has more than five million customers, received the most complaints of any Big Six supplier last year, with 8,441 cases referred to the Energy Ombudsman

Scottish Power, which has more than five million customers, received the most complaints of any Big Six supplier last year, with 8,441 cases referred to the Energy Ombudsman

Despite sending meter readings every week and keeping on top of her payments, Scottish Power says she also owes almost £200. 

When she then questioned the supplier, it said it could not tell her where the debt had come from and which account it applied to.

Abbie, who works in insurance, says every phone call to the firm takes an hour, and she has had to take time off work in order to wait for callbacks that never come.

She cancelled her direct debit when it was increased by more than 1,000 per cent, but she continues to pay around £90 for her energy.

She says: ‘I honestly do not know what else to do. I have had sleepless nights over this and have ended up in tears.

‘When my contract ends in May, I will be moving supplier. But what happens if it is not sorted by then? None of the staff have been sympathetic and at times have made me feel it is my fault.’

Ofgem says it is yet to make any findings against the supplier.

A Scottish Power spokesman says: ‘We take complaints resolution seriously and we’re working hard to improve how we respond to customers’ complaints.

‘As Ofgem’s announcement notes, we’re intensifying our focus on this area.

‘We’ll continue to share the improvements we’re making with Ofgem in a transparent manner.’

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