ScottishPower gas charges

[mike]

Hi everyone I got my gas bill today and it makes for some instresting reading, If I am right. This this a way to bill all customers a pound or two more on their bill. My bill reads

Start date 05/09/05 meter reading 4594(actual read) end date 16/10/05 meter reading 4703( estimted) units used 109 @1.554 makes =A318.91 for 42 days

Then the price goes up

start date 17/10/05 meter reading4703 (estimated) end date 04/12/05 meter reading 4927 (actual read) units used 224 @1.764 makes =A344.12 for 49 days

My point is I know that I used 333 units over the total 91 days but not that my gas use almost doubled after the price rise. Seeing that at the date of the change over point for the price rise ,Scottish Power Manweb had no ideal how much gas I have really used until my meter was read on the 04/12/05. In other words I think I used more gas at the lower price and less gas at the higher price.

Mike Cole

[EricP]

Tell them you have been plotting the daily use of your gas and just happen to have the exact meter reading for that day as a result. :))

[Matt]

Write back and dispute the bill, tell them that the house has been unoccupied from 17/10 - 4/12

:-)

[Jonathan Pearson]

Mike Cole

I'd contact the regulator - I'm sure they would take a very dim view of this sort of underhand practice! Jon

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

It was an estimation, and probably by someone who can't add up, the correct standing bill will be formalised when he submits his own reading.

This is why I like using prepayment meters...save the hassle of missing the meter reader and getting in touch with the supplier and recieving paperwork

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Set Square]

That's not what he said. The start and end of the quarter were *actual* readings. What was estimated was the reading on the date when the price went up part-way through the quarter. OP claims (but probably has no direct evidence) that the actual reading on that date would have been higher than the estimate - so that more of the quarter's consumption should have been charged at the old lower price and less at the new higher price.

The fairest way to make an estimate may be pro-rata with number of days - but that wouldn't really work in the spring when consumption is going down with time.

[Andy Wade]

Why is it underhand? Price change readings are almost always estimated; it's perfectly standard industry practice. To demonstrate malpractice you'd have to show that the estimating algorithm being used was unfair.

Over the dates given by the OP, it was very much colder during the second period then during the first, so it's entirely plausible that the daily gas consumption would be much higher during the second period. But it's just not worth getting worked up about, because any error only applies to the difference between the old and new prices. I calculated, roughly, that if the OP had had an even rate of consumption, the bill would have been about £1.40 less, even after adding 5% VAT.

In any case, IME, if you can supply your own more accurate (and plausible) figure, it will be accepted.

Oh, and the OP seems to have a metric meter.

[Steven Briggs]

In message , Set Square writes

Or in this case the autumn quarter, with consumption rising through October and into November. TBH, I think the OP's bill was fine, I would expect mid-October-November consumption to be at least twice that of September-mid-October.

[Jonathan Pearson]

Rubbish!!!

Scottish power has 5million customers, hence if everyone is chraged an extra £1.40, then that makes them an additional £7400,000 for trying it on - hopefully the regulator will throw the book at them!

Jon

[Colin Wilson]

The chief exec now gets over =A31M per year. Customers need to be milked=20 a little every now and then :-p

--=20 Please add the word "newsgroup" in the subject line of personal emails

**** My email address includes "ngspamtrap" and "@btinternet.com" ****

[Set Square]

Quite. The point which I was trying to make - maybe not too successfully(!) - was that if a price increase had occurred in the spring quarter, where the daily consumption was going *down*, the OP would have objected to an estimate based on a flat rate of consumption. But he would have accepted a flat rate in the autumn when consumption is rising. He can't have it both ways!

[Jim Gregory]

Start date 05/09/05 meter reading 4594(actual read) end date 16/10/05 meter reading 4703( estimted) units used 109 @1.554 makes £18.91 for 42 days

Then the price goes up

start date 17/10/05 meter reading4703 (estimated) end date 04/12/05 meter reading 4927 (actual read) units used 224 @1.764 makes £44.12 for 49 days

My point is I know that I used 333 units over the total 91 days but not that my gas use almost doubled after the price rise. Seeing that at the date of the change over point for the price rise, Scottish Power Manweb had no idea how much gas I have really used until my meter was read on the

04/12/05. In other words I think I used more gas at the lower price and less gas at the higher price.

Mike Cole

SP maths do look inflationary but surely the second period would have been a bit colder. IMO, as long as the gas provider has a trustworthy (meter staff) reading once a year, can be whenever, its accountants are happy. As you regret being fleeced for gas by SP, you ought to move away to taking up a dual-fuel direct-debit plan with nPower promising an annual payback. They apparently guarantee no rises nor fuel-price hikes till 2007. And yet these passed-on bulk price rises would affect the whole of Europe's energy customers. We're happy.

[Jim Gregory]

Oops! I was so wrong about no price rises! Just heard today from nPower about their -new- prices for credit customers as from 1 Jan 2006 ... Elect Standard - over 728 kWh pa - will charge @ 7.85p per kWh unit (if under, @ 15.18p) Gas Standard - over 4572 kWh pa - will charge @ 1.80p per kWh unit (if under, @ 3.45p) So if you use less energy than index, then it's nearly double the price. all prices excluding VAT Annual discount for monthly Direct Debit dual-fuel increased to £60. How does this compare with next year's Scottish Power ManWeb prices? Jim

[Set Square]

Don't know about the latest prices, but I'm on a Scottish Power tariff which has frozen prices until the end of 2006. I am paying: Gas: 1.326p per kWh and a standing charge of 56.34pa Electricity: 4.82p per kWh and a standing charge of 63.24pa

These prices are *inclusive* of 5% VAT, and subject to a total annual dual fuel/on-line discount of 10.50pa

The equivalent Npower prices from above (inc of VAT, and calculating effecting standing charges are: Gas 1.89p + 79.21pa Electricity: 8.24 + 56.03pa

I know which I'd rather have!

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

New prices for Npower is Quarterly... Elect : inc of vat £31.02 at £7.96 Gas : inc of vat £17.41 at £2.15

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite