Scottish Power Debt Collectors – Should You Pay?

If you’re worried about dealing with Scottish Power debt collectors, you’re in the right spot. Every month, over 170,000 people come to our site for guidance on their debt worries. Citizens Advice reports a record number of people seeking help for energy debts, with almost eight million borrowing money to pay their energy bills in the first half of 2023.¹

We know how scary it can be when you can’t pay your energy bills, but don’t fret; we have a lot of handy tips and advice for you.

In this guide, we’ll talk about:

• Who Scottish Power debt collectors are.
• What happens if you don’t pay your Scottish Power bills.
• How you might be able to make some of your Scottish Power debt smaller.
• Ways to be active, gather information, and keep a diary.
• How to deal with debt legally and safely.

We’ll also cover other ways debt collectors might try to get in touch with you and how to find free advice on dealing with your debt. We understand that this is a hard time for you, but remember; you’re not on your own.

Let’s dive in and discuss your options.

Are they legit?

Yes. With so many people out there looking to scam the vulnerable, it’s important to make sure you know exactly who you are dealing with. 

Often, people will pretend to be representing a major company like Scottish Power and pose as Scottish Power representatives to scam you out of money for a debt you don’t actually owe. You can see why this could be an issue for a vulnerable Scottish Power customer.

It’s good practice to make sure you are dealing with a legitimate and trustworthy company. However, all debt collection agencies must adhere to debt collection laws in the UK that are set and upheld by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The best way of doing this is by heading over to the Companies House website. All legitimate companies in the UK will have a page on Companies House. 

Scottish Power Debt Collectors themselves don’t have their own page, but their parent company, Scottish Power, do. You can find that here.

Scottish Power Limited has the company number SC193794, and their registered office address is 320 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland, G2 5AD. This means they are a legitimate company and you should take their letters seriously.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Do you owe them?

Getting in touch with them can answer any questions or queries that you might have about the debt they say you owe. You may not think that the debt is yours. 

Unfortunately, debt collectors rarely send these letters out in error, so it is likely that you owe the amount they say you do. As soon as a Scottish Power customer owes money, they will get onto the case to retrieve the money. That’s why a letter is often not sent out in error, and you should take all correspondence seriously until proven otherwise.

There have been cases, however, of people receiving bills and debts from Scottish Power Debt Collectors that they didn’t owe in the first place. There have been many instances where people have received a letter from a debt collection firm addressed to someone else.

This could be because the energy firm hasn’t been updated that a previous tenant has moved, but it’s important to let them know they have the wrong person. You may want them to prove the debt, which you can do with a ‘Prove the Debt’ letter. In one of our other articles, you can find some great templates for ‘Prove the Debt’ letters.

This is the best way to confirm the debt is yours. Simply follow the template and send it to their registered office address.

What happens if I don’t pay?

Ignoring a debt won’t make debt collectors give up, so by not paying Scottish Power the debt you owe, you can expect to continue receiving correspondence from them. This could include letters, phone calls, or even bailiffs turning up at your door.

While debt collectors have a right to try and retrieve a debt you owe, they do not have the right to harass you in any way. You can take steps to avoid this by:

• Letting the debt collector know when you’d like to be contacted, and specify how (eg, phone, letter, email)
• Keep note of when they are in contact, and if they are aggressive, report them to the Financial Conduct Authority.

Handling debt harassment sooner rather than later will help reduce stress your end too.

Also, having a debt collector chasing you will negatively impact your credit score. This means you will find it much harder to obtain credit.

Your best bet is to get in contact with them to arrange a solution that works for everyone. While a repayment plan or other debt solutions will also affect your credit score, the sooner you sort it, the sooner your credit score can be repaired.

To learn more about potential energy debt solutions, please take a look at the table below.

Energy Debt Solution	How It Can Help Pay Off Your Energy Bills
Installment Plan	Pay in smaller and more manageable monthly amounts until the debt is cleared
One-Off Payment	Reduce debt, and possibly get a discount, by paying a lump sum
Appealing for a Bill Reduction	Get a reduction by providing evidence of errors in your energy bill or a detailed explanation of your situation
Negotiate Contracts	Ask for a temporary reduction in tariffs, a pause on payments, or a longer-term payment plan
Switch Providers	If your current energy tariff is too high, consider switching to a cheaper provider
Energy Supplier Hardship Funds or Schemes	British Gas Energy Trust EDF Energy Customer Support Fund OVO Energy Fund Scottish Power Hardship Fund npower Energy Fund E.ON Next Energy Fund
Government Grants and Schemes	Winter Fuel Payment Warm Home Discount Scheme Cold Weather Payments Local Council Support Child Winter Heating Assistance Breathing Space Scheme
Support for Alternative Fuels	If you utilise alternative fuels like oil, LPG, wood, coal, or biomass to heat your home, you may qualify for extra financial help. Speak to an adviser or check with your local council for potential grants or schemes.
Seek Advice from Debt Charities	Debt charities offer free advice and practical solutions – they can help you understand your options, negotiate, and set up payment plans with energy providers.

Are there any other ways of contacting them?

One of the best and most useful steps toward dealing with Scottish Power Debt Collectors is to get in touch with them as soon as you can. 

If you want to contact Scottish Power Debt Collectors by post, then you should address all your correspondence to their registered office address above. They do offer several other methods of contacting them on their official website.

You can call them up at 0800 027 0072 from Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 7pm and on Saturdays from 8:30am to 1pm. As well as calling them, Scottish Power Debt Collectors also offer an online chat service that you can access.

Next Steps

So there are the basics on Scottish Power Debt Collectors. We’ll go into the next steps you should take when dealing with them:

Follow our ‘prove it’ guide with letter templates and get them to prove that you owe the money.

Be active

You should reach out to them as soon as you can about your debt. Stay on top of all their calls and letters, and you may even get a reduction in the outstanding debt you owe. 

Gather information

From the moment you get the first letter or piece of correspondence from Scottish Power Debt Collection, you should start going through any previous pieces of correspondence you can find.

These should also have evidence of your debt, and you should carefully cross-reference the amounts. If they have made any mistakes, you may not have to pay them.

Keep a diary

Carefully note down the dates and times of all the letters and phone calls that Scottish Power Debt Collectors make. If you can, it’s worthwhile getting the names of everyone you speak to as well. This will serve you well later down the line if there is any confusion. This will also serve as proof if the energy company debt collectors don’t treat you in a fair and reasonable way. They cannot:

• Call at unreasonable times
• Use complicated, abusive or obscene language
• Visit you at your place of work
• Enter your property without your permission

If you have a debt repayment plan, make notes of all of your completed payments so you can’t be accused of missing one.

Don’t ignore them

You may think that ignoring Scottish Power Debt Collectors will make them go away. Debt collectors don’t give up so easily though.

They will keep on contacting you until they get some sort of response, so to avoid unnecessary letters and calls, make sure you respond to them.

Other Debt Collectors to look for on your Credit Report

There are hundreds of debt collectors in the UK and they each collect for different companies.

It’s surprisingly easy to not notice that you’re in a debt collector’s crosshairs.

I’d suggest you spend time checking your credit report. If a debt collector purchases any of your debt, it will appear on your credit report.

Some of the biggest to look out for include Cabot, PRA Group, and Lowell.

So if you see anything relating to their names, then you’ll need to investigate further.

Scottish Power Contact Information

Post:	320 St. Vincent Street Glasgow, Scotland G2 5AD
Phone:	0800 027 0072 0800 092 9290 0800 001 5400
Opening hours:	Monday to Friday 8.30 am until 7 pm Saturday from 8.30 am until 1:30 pm
Email:	[email protected]

Free advice on how to deal with them

Dealing with debt collectors can be an overwhelming experience, but there’s plenty of available help out there. In my experience, getting in touch with debt charities like StepChange, Citizen’s Advice and National Debt Line is a great place to start.

We answer some of the more commonly asked questions about Scottish Power Debt Collectors, and debt collectors in general.

References

1. Citizens Advice – Record numbers seek help for energy debt before winter even hits