British Gas pursuing me for previous owner's bill

cookiemoop

Hello

I moved into my property in Sept 2007 and have been having a nightmare with British Gas over my gas supply. The previous owner of my property didn't pay her last bill, British Gas sent bills, bill reminders and threatening letters to my address, all addressed to the previous owner. I returned all of them with a note saying she no longer lives at my address and phoned and emailed them also. Last week I received a letter from BG saying they had obtained a warrant to enter my flat (addressed to 'The Occupier' of my flat) to cut off my gas supply. I phoned them again and was told BG would send an engineer round to check my meter point number. I got home from work yesterday, BG have broken into my flat, installed a prepayment meter and left me with an emergency supply of gas only.

I called BG straight away, they said they thought they may have made a mistake and said they'd send round an engineer. 5 minutes after that conversation the Regional Operations Manager called me, admitting they'd made a !!!! up and promising to sort it out straight away. Had a call first thing today from someone else at BG to arrange for someone to come and remove the prepayment meter and he said they can't do it for another week. I have no gas.

There is another strand to this in that when I moved into my flat back in Sept 07 I switched my gas supplier from BG to NPower. NPower confirmed in writing the date they took over my supply, I paid BG's first bill for the gas I used before the change over happened but then continued to get bills from both BG and Npower, both of whom insisted they were my gas supplier. BG referred to a national list of gas suppliers and said they definitely supply my property so I paid their bill all the time keeping NPower informed of what was happening. NPower then sent demand letters for their bills. I then rang the 'national list' people myself who advised that NPower supplied my gas. I rang BG with this news, they called the national list people while I was on hold, and they subsequently admitted they had made a mistake and refunded my money for the last bill.

Every time I've called BG up about the problem over the previous owner's bill they go back to their point that they still supply my gas and have to relay this entire story to them over and over again.

I have sent them everything to show I am supplied by NPower. The threatening letters I have received in relation to the unpaid bills from BG all have the customer reference number of the previous owner, and not the number I had when I was with them so when they broke into my flat yesterday it was in relation to the unpaid bills of the previous owner and not any ongoing dispute over who now supplies gas to me. I have run out of ways to tell BG that the previous owner does not live here and although they now realise they have made a mistake, I am left with the knowledge that they have broken into my flat (using my toilet, leaving a light on and locking my cat in the boiler cupboard in the process). And now I have no gas as they say they can't take the prepayment meter off until next week even though they have accepted the mistake is all theirs. Has anyone got any advice?

seamanarts

Oh my goodness this sounds all too familiar.. Im getting the same letters to the 'occupier' even though Im getting bills in my name.. when I called them they told me that they will keep sending these to 'the occupier' until some one has paid the bill. Even though they have had proof that I moved in just recently and have my own account.. I just hope that this dosnt happen to me.. all I can suggest is that you complain at the highest level and push for compensation.. write to energy watch (just search for their address they are very quick to help) if you get no joy from british gas complaints department.. this is a dreadful story but its happening all over.. My daughter is having a simular problem and also my boyfriend which has been going on for over two years and is just getting to the end of it.. British gas very rarely admit they are wrong even when they do they drag their heels to fix the problems....

alleycat`

You might like to phone the manager back and point them to this:-

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/26/debt_collection/

They just settled out of court for a very similar issue and they are likely liable for harassment and possibly illegal entry.

I'd suggest at the least they should get a engineer around very very quickly or you could be pursuing them for a lot of money...

SwanJon

It sounds like there's nbeen some confusion with the meter points.
this can happen with new properties that are initially set up as plots, then changed to full addresses, often with no relation to the plot number.
Also common with flats where the numbers can get confused.
Each bill you get will have a meter serial number and an M number (or supply Number/MPAN/MPR). The meter serial number should match the one on your meter.
It sounds like npower have taken a different supply point than the one BG are supplying (not enough info to see who is actually right).
If BG actually supply you, they are within their rights to change your meter, if not the warrant they used will be invalid as it was technically for another address.
Do you still have any old BG/npower bills? Compare the details on these to see if they are different. as your meter has bene changed you won't be able to tell who was right (unless you checked before and made a note)
(PS - I work for BG but can't think of any more advice than above. Maybe write by recorded so you have proof it has been recieved.)

Cardew

I would immediately see a solicitor - don't worry about their bill as BG will pay!

I assume you can heat using electric fires - buy some as BG will pay, also for the electricity used.

Start planning your next holiday - BG will be paying!

cookiemoop

NPower sent round an engineer to check my M Point number and they have the correct number. I have also stood at the meter and read the M Point down the phone to the national list people and they agree NPower supply me. BG admitted they had the wrong number over a year ago when they refunded the money I had paid them.

Today I've been contacted by BG's Regional Manager, Area Manager, Debt Recovery Manager, Engineering superviser and a Customer Relations Manager all of whom have apologised, the last one admitting they had made a mistake on my voicemail so I have a recording of it.

I work for a law firm and have been told to report it to the police in addition to suing them. Cannot believe a company can be so utterly dreadful. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!

Vestra

cookiemoop wrote: »

NPower sent round an engineer to check my M Point number and they have the correct number. I have also stood at the meter and read the M Point down the phone to the national list people and they agree NPower supply me. BG admitted they had the wrong number over a year ago when they refunded the money I had paid them.

Today I've been contacted by BG's Regional Manager, Area Manager, Debt Recovery Manager, Engineering superviser and a Customer Relations Manager all of whom have apologised, the last one admitting they had made a mistake on my voicemail so I have a recording of it.

I work for a law firm and have been told to report it to the police in addition to suing them. Cannot believe a company can be so utterly dreadful. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!

Can you let us know how you get on in future? a lot of people post things like this but never keep updates.

cookiemoop

Yes, no problem. There seems to be a lot of people who BG chase for the payment of previous property owner's bills so I've no qualms in pursuing this as far as possible.

Fire_Fox

I agree: please keep posting as we'd like to hear the outcome.

doctor_benway

please do-- and best of luck

they should arrest the BG employees involved for ; conspiracy to break and enter, breaking and entering, destruction of/damage to property, falsifaction of documents to obtain a warrant, lying to a magistrate, demanding money with menaces, extortion, mail fraud, and failing to practice archery on a sunday [:p an oldie but still a goodie :rotfl:] etc because until there are serious consequences for such abhorrent behaviour, it will certainly continue.

BG are just a dreadful company run by dreadful people

cookiemoop wrote: »

Yes, no problem. There seems to be a lot of people who BG chase for the payment of previous property owner's bills so I've no qualms in pursuing this as far as possible.

Spanish898

:exclamati
They sent you a letter saying someone was going to go to your house to 'break in' to your property,
and then 1day you came home and foundout someone had broken in???! :huh::rotfl::huh:

Im sorry, but i did A-level law, work in a law enforcement career, and have many years of various business experience of a whole level of businesses...,
And i just find it EXTREMELY hard to believe any of this nonsense you have written, as from any legal of business view point it would simply be passed off as nonsense.


1stly i dont like BG anymore than anyone else,
But at the end of the day they are a huge high-profile energy company who have millions of customers all across the country.

So i just dont believe that they would be stupid enough to 1stly post you an offical letter saying ''Hi we are going to send someone to your house to commit the criminal act of breaking-and-entering/trespassing/burgulary/vandalism'',
and then to go ahead and the boss at the local department to say to one of the blokes who works as an engineer ''Ok today your task is to break into this persons house, if the police come and arrest you though your gna have to take the blame and go to prison for B&E and have a criminal record and so will lose your job with us and will never get a job anywhere again, or if the person is inside and they attack you for breaking into their house and you get hurt you have to accept that too''!! :rotfl::T:rotfl:


If you going to makeup odd stories for attention try to make them even a little bit more plausible and believable,
instead of trying to proclam that British Gas has gone from being an industrial energy company, to now roaming around the country as a violent criminal organisation who breaks into peoples houses and abuses their pets! :rotfl: