Raw Deal: ScottishPower finally resolve five year meter problem

Violet Guignet had problems with her ScottishPower bill (Chris Austin / DC Thomson)

THERE is nothing worse than an itch that, no matter how hard you scratch, you cannot get to go away.

The same is true when it comes to a problem you cannot get to the bottom of, despite your best efforts.

That is just the scenario that befell Violet Guignet with regards to her energy supplier, ScottishPower, at her Lanarkshire home

Pensioner Violet had been struggling for five years to get the power giants to rectify a problem regarding her billings and meter at her flat in the village of Forth.

Her troubles began in July 2011 when she received a bill from ScottishPower for £557.03.

As a single person living in a flat she was astounded as to how they came about reaching this figure.

She contacted her supplier but could get no answers from the firm on the subject.

This was despite the fact that she’d been paying £81.97 by Direct Debit and had indeed had those amounts taken on April 27, 2011, May 17 and once again on May 31.

At this point Violet asked to have a pre-payment meter installed and this was done. However, that was far from the end of her troubles.

For she continued to be billed with actual readings and estimates despite feeding the pre-paid meter to the tune of £40 per week.

In the last year, Violet paid out almost £3000 – yet she had to sit wrapped in blankets as she had to turn the heating off.

At the very end of her tether with ScottishPower, Violet emailed Raw Deal telling us that she had explored every avenue in a bid to get this matter resolved.

ScottishPower had reimbursed Violet to the tune of £2374 but they said she still owed them £875.

She could not comprehend how this could be and asked us to investigate as she had now been prescribed anti-depressants due to the stress of the matter.

We contacted ScottishPower and almost immediately it had things sorted.

A spokesperson told us: “We apologise to Mrs Guignet for any inconvenience this matter has caused.

“Firstly, the Direct Debit taken in 2011 was refunded. When we transferred Mrs Guignet’s account to another system the transfer reading was wrong. Unfortunately, this resulted in the debt building up on her account.

“In addition, her meter had never been reset since 2010 with any price changes, so the meter was under set and under collecting.

“We have updated the account and, by way of an apology, we have written off the debt owed which was approximately £700.

“Mrs Guignet is satisfied the matter has now been resolved.”

A delighted Violet said: “Thank you so much for your help. This is absolutely fabulous.

“My complaint with ScottishPower has now been resolved thanks to Raw Deal.

“I can now enjoy sweet dreams instead of the living nightmare I have had to endure for the past five years.”

Do you have a problem?

To get in touch with Raw Deal please email your address and daytime/mobile number to rawdeal@sundaypost.com or write to Raw Deal, Suite 6, Skypark, 8 Elliot Place, Glasgow, G3 8EP (please include SAE).

Briefly outline the problem and how you would like it resolved. Include contact details of the other party and any customer ref/order numbers.

By requesting Raw Deal’s assistance you agree for your name, location and a photo to be published.

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