Urgent help with rogue electric bill please

big_gus

Guys, I hope you can help...

Have just been hit with a Debt Collection bill for £870 (British Gas) for electricity used in a property that was empty for the period they are charging!!

To cut a long story short, it is my fault for not providing meter readings when my tenants moved out. They knocked me for the rent and I was too busy with police reports etc to remember to take a reading. They moved out in June '08 and I finally sold the property after 12 months on the market (and empty) in July '09...and THIS is the period (nobody living there) they are billing me £870 for.

What are my options?

I've phoned British Gas who won't do anything. For 20 minutes they repeated the same thing ("..your fault for not taking any readings... you cant prove it was empty for 12 months...we used Estimated readings.....the tenants may have been undercharged and that's why you're getting the large bill, but you should've provided readings.......we can't do anything....pay up").

I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW. I didn't provide readings.

I was sent this demand for the money by LCS Debt Collections in Leeds.....about a week ago... I haven't replied to it as I was unsure whether to acknowledge the bill.

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for any help, I really am in a bit of a hole.
Regards,
Gus

muckybutt

Firstly tell LCS you are in dispute with British Gas and get them to refer it back to them, in the mean time go and have a word with CAB

Premier_2

big_gus wrote: »

...I've phoned British Gas who won't do anything. For 20 minutes they repeated the same thing ("..your fault for not taking any readings... you cant prove it was empty for 12 months...we used Estimated readings.....the tenants may have been undercharged and that's why you're getting the large bill, but you should've provided readings.......we can't do anything....pay up")....

Follow the BG complaint procedure - details are on the bill.

There is some evidence to support your assertion the property was empty all that time - council tax.
Initial 6 months would be free because it was unoccupied. Remainder should still show as empty (no persons registered, but 100% tax due)

It won't get the bill wiped out, but may get it reduced if you are lucky. However, even if you prove it was empty, it doesn't mean you haven't consumed the energy they claim - thats why it was a big mistake not to take readings.
In effect, if you don't pay the money, you are saying your tenants used the energy without having paid for it (possibly because of low estimated bills)... and so should pay up.
How would you feel if you were the tenant who suddenly got landed with this bill with no proof it was their fault?

EnergyInsider_2

Hi

I work for a large energy supplier in an "Account Recovery" role. If I was investigating a situation like yours I would be asking for proof of when the property was vacated by your tenants and proof that it has been empty since that date.

Get copy bills to see If there was a debt existing prior to the tenants moving out, if so was the debt based on actual meter reads? if not and it turns out to have been based on estimated reads then tell BG they need to pursue the tenants not you. Also say that if they continue to harrass you then you will complain to the ombudsman (Offgen)

Good luck
EI

big_gus

Hi all, well all this time has elapsed and LCS are still chasing me. I did what was suggested in this thread and got in touch with LCS to say they should refer the matter back to British Gas. They emailed me back to say the account was put on hold whilst they did this.

That was several months ago.

Yesterday I received a letter through the post "Order of Settlement - Without Prejudce".... informing me they will instigate formal legal proceedings against me within 10 days OR I could pay a one-off fee (at a 30% discount) to clear the debt. This would bring payment down from £870 to £610.

I do not have the money and the point remains that the property was empty for the 12 month period they are claiming electricity for. (I'm assuming council tax records will prove this).

Can anybody help at all? I am stuck as to what to do. It isn't possible that almost £900 worth of electricity was used in an EMPTY property in this 12-month period.

Thanks for any input.

Caroline73_2

You are missing the point.

£900 worth of electricity probably WASN'T used in that 12 month period when the property was empty, it was probably arrears from your tenants. But because you didn't read the meter when the tenants left you cannot prove this.

I think you pay the £610 and consider yourself lucky for that discount.

Premier_2

How did you get on with your complaint to British Gas?

As well over 8 weeks have now passed, if they havn't resolved the matter you should have passed the complaint to the energy ombudsman - the last stage of the BG complaint procedure as specified on the bill