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June 24th, 2006

Scottish Power

From: dave at cartoonchurch dot com
To: contactus at scottishpower dot com

Dear Scottish Power,

Today I had a call from one of your Scottish Power salesmen asking whether I would be interested in switching over to Scottish electricity from the English variety I am currently using.

I was not too pleased about this, mainly because unannounced electricity salesmen are on my ‘10 most loathed’ list. The fact that he asked whether my parents were in (I am of middle age, though I maintain a youthful demeanour) did not help.

To tell you the truth I am very happy using the English electricity that I get through my wires at the moment. Unless you can explain to me why your electricity is better I can see no reason to change, particularly as it will mean the power has to be piped over a long distance (I assue you transport it that way rather than via fleet of lorries). Please do not say that your electricity is cheaper, as I am interested in quality not price. I am on the brink of making a fortune by being an internet cartoonist and so price is not an issue.

Perhaps you can send a free sample and we can take things from there.

There is one thing I need to say though. You really need to stop making these unannounced telephone calls as everyone that I know intensely dislikes companies who do that and will not buy from them on principle. Please reassure me that you intend to stop making the calls so that I can assure the readers of my daily internet column (who are being informed about this letter) that that is the case. If you do not stop making the calls I will have to inform my readers and I cannot see that it will do the reputation of Scottish electricity any good. I can see that my Scottish readers in particular will be ashamed that their electricity is sold in this way. Please spare them this embarrassment and change your ways for the good of us all.

Yours faithfully,

Dave Walker

11 Comments »



This is a single Cartoon Blog entry, posted by Dave on Saturday, June 24th, 2006 at 7:09 pm.

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11 Responses to “Scottish Power”


  1. Johann says:

    I believe your parents would have felt the same, but not written such a good letter, Dave, being old & infirm – if you are middle-aged!

    June 24th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
  2. Larry Day says:

    The sales training for these unfortunate people is so warped and devious that it makes some of them ill. Tragic really.

    June 24th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
  3. Arti says:

    This really made me laugh! Please let us know if you get a reply. Could you also write a letter for me to British Gas asking why I keep getting leaflets through my letter box offering reduced prices if I buy both my gas and electricity from them when we don’t have any gas mains laid on to any of the 80+ flats in the complex! Don’t they know where the gas pipes go?

    June 24th, 2006 at 10:04 pm
  4. Richard says:

    Actually, Scottish Power electricity isn’t cheap either – if you read BBC News Energywatch said they were the second most expensive supplier in Scotland after Scottish Gas (Scottish name for British Gas).

    To be frank, and as someone who up until January actually worked in the industry the whole doorstep selling routine is a joke, becuase I know how the system works, I can usually cut through the web of misinformation that the doorstep salesmen spout, unfortunately the figures on customer churn (people who repeatedly switch supplier) show that many people can’t.

    Of course the point to make is that whoever you pay for your electricity or gas, what you actually get through your pipes or cables is the same whether you’re paying Scottish Power, or Southern Electric.

    Actually, I’d take it as a compliment that he asked if your parents were in. Beth was really chuffed a few months ago when she was age checked when buying alcohol in Tesco. :D

    June 24th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
  5. Simon D says:

    Cracking good letter! We actually get our (Scottish) electricity and gas from the aforementioned company over the internet. No, I don’t understand how that bit works either. Presumably it is one of the add-ons you can get with Broadband, like telephone calls. (Curiously, at one point we were getting our phone calls through British Gas. No idea whether that is still the case as Mrs D looks after such things.)

    One of the problems we had with Scottish Power was that every few months we were expected to log in and give some meter readings to their recently upgraded website. Unfortunatley, the site proved almost impoasible to log on to, presumably as a result of all that gas and electricity rushing through my internet connection.

    Incidentially, I never buy from people who cold-call, though it can be good fum letting them waste lots of their time going through their script before you say you are not interested.

    June 24th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
  6. Tired&Emotional says:

    I’m a Scottish Power customer but chose to be myself. They are as bad and inefficient as all the rest, yet have one thing in their favour. You can sign up to their Green Energy tariff which gets its power from Hydro-Electric generators in Scotland.

    Remember that all is not as it seems though. Many of the competing companies are in fact owned by the companies they’re competing with.

    June 25th, 2006 at 9:45 am
  7. Nefertiki says:

    Too funny, Dave, and great comments too. All I know about power is that I prefer electric to gas. I know chefs prefer gas, but I am not a chef, just a not-too-good-cook.

    I am all for Scottish Power as a force for progress in the world, as it was a force in the making of America. But that was long ago. What have they done for us lately? (Or vice versa for that matter.)

    I always tell cold callers that they will never make a customer of me, especially when they try to sell me something. I was one of the first to sign up on the national Do-Not-Call-List. Unfortunately companies can still call if you are a customer to offer you more of their services or products. It’s hard to get off those lists but I have done it.

    Aw, Dave, I don’t think you are middle-aged, at least not for a couple of years yet.
    and “youthful demeanor” — I think that sounds good but is deceiving. Since demeanor means conduct or behavior, perhaps you mean appearance? I can definitely agree with “appearance.”

    Sorry, but you know I am a stickler. Also, I’d like to know if, in the UK, I tell an acquaintance, “I’ll call you,” they will look dismayed because they fear I mean that I will knock on their door at any old time.

    June 25th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
  8. Tiffer says:

    My poor wife, when living with two other students pre-married-to-me managed to switch suppliers twice in 9 months by listening to those blasted door to door salesmen.

    Annoying thing about scottish power is the way there are two companies, scottish power and scottishpower.co.uk This is just plain annoying.

    June 26th, 2006 at 9:26 am
  9. Martin says:

    Sorry, I know this is off the point, but Tiffer I’m really intrigued by these two students being pre-married to you. How does that work, and how many students are you allowed to be pre-married to? Do you need a pre-priest to get pre-married?

    June 26th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
  10. Serena says:

    Oh PLEASE tell me you actually sent that!!!

    June 26th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
  11. scottish power salesman says:

    Maybe if you go out there and try to do our job I will respect your point of view, it’s not all fun and games chapping doors 8 hours a day.

    July 31st, 2006 at 12:17 am