300% price increase on monthly direct debit with scottish power (Scottish Power)

Member Name: phoenixleo

Product:	Scottish Power
Date:	06/04/09 (262 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: let your imagination run wild

Last year my boyfriend and i moved from a student house into a nice two bed terraced house. eveything was perfect and when the letting agency showed us the amazingly low monthly direct debit of £17.00 for gas and electricity that scottish power offered, things seemed even better. and for 6 months we were happily oiving in the belief that the world was indeed filled with puppys and kittens and eternal sunshine. however, yesterday scottish power decided that it was time to burst that bubble. the "gas and electricity statement" informed us that we had accumulated £515.03 worth of debt with them because our monthly payments were too low. to remedy this problem, our monthly payments have now gone up to £125.00. the lady on the phone was less than helpful but i got her to send out a meter-reader to check and discuss my issues.
now, funny enough, the meter readings they have estimated seem fairly accurate, however, the price just does not compute in my mind. before we switched over, southern electric charged us £45.00 for four months of electricity usage and £95.00 for four months worth of gas. that seemed adequate. but £125.00? we were using less than that living in a bigger house with two extra people...how does that work out?
i am baffeled and angry at the way in which scottish power use a low entry rate as bait for you to sign up to them, only to then up your payments by almost 300%. i shall be having a good discussion with the little man coming to my house this thursday and if that does not appease my worries, i shall be back with a nice man form trading standards....
do not use scottish power. i am concerned with the way in which they conduct busines and even more so because i have read complaints by people who ended up with monthly payments of over £200.00. i am a student, i simply cannot afford that. i wish i had stayed with southern electric. they are not particularly cheap but at least they don't go crazy with their increases! i swear scottish power have also increased their charges per kwh.... the average in the Uk is said to be 7p per kwh....scottish power charges 10p on their secondary tarif and 15p on their primary tarif (secondary being in the evening and primary during the day it seems).
DO NOT GO FOR SCOTTISH POWER!!!

i only gave one star because there was no zero star option!!!

Summary: deceptive and useless