LCS debt collection

PSNautical

hi guys..

Basically i need your help:

the basics:

randomly got a letter claming i owed british gas 800 quid, from my OLD address which is lived at for only 6 months.. it was also a pre pay meter, which was reset when i moved in, by BG,

long story short, theyre claiming against me for 3 years, when i was only there for 6 months,

i have ALL my bills including final bills, council tax for the addresses, contracts when i moved for renting, so i have plenty of evidence to prove im not liable, even british gas themselves say the account is "closed and satisfied" and hasnt even been passed to LCS,

so !!!!!! is going on?

LCS trying their luck?

any templates to get them off my back?

cheers for any help guys..

kjsmith7

Surely if the "debt" has been passed to LCS then British Gas will be able to phone them and tell them there is no debt to recall the account?

Is it definitely British Gas? (I know Scottish Power deal/dealt with these guys too)

filbert_nutkins

I once had a non-existent 'debt' passed to a collection agency by British Gas. I don't remember what the agency was. I actually found the agency were very helpful when i phoned and explained and they almost immediately established that there had been an error and sent me a letter assuring me it was all cleared up and that there would be no issues with my credit rating etc. Meanwhile, British Gas didn't even contact me over the matter, not a word of apology. It's one of many reasons why I wouldn't touch BG as a supplier, no matter how much cheaper they are than anyone else.

PSNautical

Ive tried the agency and they were utterly unhelpful,

i called british gas lastnight, and they claim theyre going to call them off and confirmed there is no money owed on the account..

so we'll see what happens when theyre supposedly going to call me back on monday

mattcanary

LCS are probably really BritishGas - but pretending to be an collection agency because many people are more likely to be intimidated into paying if they think the debt has been passed to a credit collection agency (worried about being black-listed, bailiffs coming round to their home, etc). I know some utility companies do/did this.

Anyway, BGas' policy for prepayment meters is to write off any "debt" that accrued because prepayment cardmeters did not physically have their prices reset when they should have done (I'm assuming you had a cardmeter and not a keymeter?). If this is the case, I would say the debt is pretty much unenforceable - after all, the who0le point of a prepayment meter is to pay for the supply as you use it!

PSNautical

mattcanary wrote: »

LCS are probably really BritishGas - but pretending to be an collection agency because many people are more likely to be intimidated into paying if they think the debt has been passed to a credit collection agency (worried about being black-listed, bailiffs coming round to their home, etc). I know some utility companies do/did this.

Anyway, BGas' policy for prepayment meters is to write off any "debt" that accrued because prepayment cardmeters did not physically have their prices reset when they should have done (I'm assuming you had a cardmeter and not a keymeter?). If this is the case, I would say the debt is pretty much unenforceable - after all, the who0le point of a prepayment meter is to pay for the supply as you use it!

i had a key meter with BG for four months, switched to EDF on the key, then EDF credit at month five.. moved out because of chavvy neighbours..

ive still got all my final bills etc, and all my EDF bumpf confirming pre pay, so if they DID get me to court, theyd have no leg to stand on,

i called the debt agency again tonight just for lols, and they were more understanding, and said they would stop pursuit, but when i asked for that in writing, got a bit cagey and fob-offey.. so we'll have to see what happens..

i literally owe no one anything at this point in time.

even if i DID owe all this money, 99% of it would have been wiped out in my bankruptcy anyways! hahaha

PSNautical

no further suggestions or help on this one?

Fire_Fox

Deal with it in writing not by telephone, you need a paper trail of events, and send them a copy of your final bill. On the phone you almost always deal with customer service advisors who can't be bothered/ don't have the power/ don't know how to cancel the debt properly.

PSNautical

british gas have admitted their mistake, and are "recalling" the debt..

waiting for british gas complaints dept letter,

(if it ever arrives)
barring that, allegedly, this should be the last i hear of it.

and i have a paper trail a mile long, so if it got to court, they would lose,

I have contracts for electricity and gas, a letter form EDF (who i changed to after two months) saying "welcome to EDF pre pay", my final EDF bills, landlords contracts for the time spent there, council tax bills for the time spent there, and the ensuing bills for my new place,

etc etc..



of course, if this fails, im going to try the "prove i owe you money" and the "freeman NO CONTRACT route if need be"

thanks for the well wishes, i'll keep you all informed.

PSNautical

oh, but the debt agency said if i sent my contract for the old place, theyd null the pursuit,

erm , like im going to SEND you the ORIGINAL contract for my OLD flat, that has MINE and my landlords bank details within it..

like f00k!!

hahaha