ScottishPower sent six cheques addressed to my late brother

ScottishPower has been sending cheques to the wrong addresses, including those of deceased individuals, despite being informed of their passing, according to multiple bereaved relatives who contacted the Guardian. [1] The company sent a debt collection letter to the home of JB, a London resident, demanding £130 owing on her late brother’s gas account. [1] JB, the sole executor, had already notified ScottishPower of the death. [1] The firm simultaneously owed a £430 credit on the brother’s electricity account, which it eventually paid with a cheque issued in the deceased’s name, rendering it uncashable. [1] After further emails, the company reissued the cheque, again in the brother’s name. [1] JB was told a third cheque would take four weeks to process manually, but has since received four more cheques, all in her brother’s name. [1] ScottishPower has now stopped replying to her emails. [1] BR of Fife reported a similar experience after his mother died. [1] He received a cheque for the £312 credit on her dual-fuel account made out to her, alongside a bill in her name for £191, a letter declaring the account clear, and a letter promising a £60 refund that never arrived. [1] “In my emails to ScottishPower, I was addressed variously as ‘Dear undefined’ and ‘Dear Customers Name’,” he said. [1] LW of London said that weeks after she informed ScottishPower of her husband’s death in 2018, the company sent emails to him complaining it could not collect a direct debit. [1] “What became clear was that the bereavement line appeared to not communicate with the rest of the organisation, and different departments did not communicate with each other,” she said. [1] ScottishPower stated that bereavement is “incredibly distressing” and it strives to provide “care and understanding.” [1] “Regrettably, in a very small number of cases, the level of care and understanding has not been met, and in each of these cases we review what we could have done better,” a spokesperson said. [1] The company acknowledged that issuing repeated uncashable cheques in JB’s case fell short of its standards. [1] It has refunded the credit balances in BR’s case and added £200 in goodwill. [1] A review of its failings has been promised, though it is awaiting the energy ombudsman’s investigation before offering JB a resolution. [1]