>>.The trick is to get past the first line people who have limited authority and are expected to dispose of calls quickly using template answers.
This morning. Scottish Power.
On 9th April 2019 our house was rendered uninhabitable by a fire. That night, the gas transporter, Cadent, came out and "put a disc" in the meter, preventing any use or escape of gas. Subsequently I called SP and asked them to close my accounts (gas and electric) which they did, and I have paid final accounts.
I have subsequently had the gas supply and meter removed (we don't need gas for the new house). In order to get the meter removed I had to go through Scottish Power, still the registered gas supplier for the address.
Last week I got a bill for £234 being essentially 2 years of standing charges. I rang this morning to remind them of the history. After over an hour of waiting, explaining, holding and being cut off once, they said the reason is that the "national database" still shows I have a meter, and told me I will have to telephone "the national database" to get them to update it.
My argument that I had arranged the meter removal with SP and it should be they who sorted the records out fell on deaf lugs.
This not a one off. It's pretty much what I have been though before with SP, also with Thames Water. Nobody has anything resembling a customer service function. I allow 2 hours for interactions like this and, as this morning, it isn't always enough.
They really need to try and either resolve the call, or say why they aren't going to. The nonsense of having front line CSRs with no ability to resolve calls doesn't seem to have occurred to these people - an approach that seems guaranteed to create more cost than if they sorted it out.
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 11 Jun 21 at 15:26
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