Water Board cancelled my DD without my instruction, without my consent!!

lynettehg

Hi. Was just wondering if anyone has had a similar problem.

I have just found out that the water board cancelled my direct debit back in 2007, as they were informed by a Letting Agent that I had moved and someone else was now renting my property.

I have contacted the said letting agent who have denied letting the water board know and have stated that they have no records for my address.

The water board have said it will take 2 weeks for them to pull up the original letter from the letting agent.

They are now requesting I pay the back payments of £793.

I don't feel I should have to - I never called saying that I had moved and I wasn't the one that cancelled the payment instruction.

Has anybody eles had a similar problem???

To be honest I am more concerned that anyone can call and say that they are living at your address or that you have moved out. No security was asked. When I questioned the water board (who I might add made me answer security questions before they could access my account) they said this is normal procedure with all utility companies and that they will take anyones notification???

HELP!!

samba

Why do people always look to profit from the mistakes of others? I hope you never make a mistake that leaves you at the mercy of someone else...

As far as I can see, you are justified in asking them to arrange an affordable payment plan to pay the arrears, but you still owe them the money and should make every effort to pay it.

lynettehg

I am not looking to profit - far from it - I'm guessing you have £700 spare should someone make a 'mistake' with your money???

I think you will find it's the water company that is profiting - they have received payment for this address from the person that they said moved in??? so if I pay as well they will have doubled their payments on the 1 property!

As far as I was concerned I was paying this every month - I have a seperate bills account which pays my bills mine and partners money goes in and the bills get paid - never previous to this recent letter have I received anything from the water company telling me that I had moved???

I had been in this property since 2005 2 years of paying my water rates when they took notification from Jack or Bill at a letting agent that I had left the property!!

This is not my fault and yes I do make mistakes but I do not let the victim suffer because of it!!

Cardew

Did you not notice for 3 years that you were not paying for your water?

Did you not get any bills in the 3 years?

Yes of course you owe the money.

I have lots of DDs. If I got someone to ring up and cancel them all with the various companies, wouldn't it be great if the companies had to write off any money I owed.

lynettehg

No I didn't as I said - I have not received any letters from them apart from this one in Aug (addressed to the Occupier) - if I get mail addressed to another person I return it stating not at this address which I guess they do nothing about as any letter addressed to the occupier I would have opened. As I stated it looked like the person that the letting agent stated that had moved into my house was paying the rates - so according to myself and the water company there were no problems for my address.

Yes that is exactly my point I am more concerned that 'anyone' can call up and cancel your direct debits - I have started paying the water again this time via Standing Order so that I am in control of the payments and not the water company...I have also added a password to my account as an extra security check and put a notification on the file that they should not accept anybody eles authority to cancel/take a change of address apart from me!

I have learnt a huge lesson, but will not be paying for the mistake of the waterboard/letting agent on something that I thought I was paying! I do a quick check of my bank statement but I did not notice this ONE direct debit not going out.

shellsuit

If it hasn't been paid, then you owe it I'm afraid.

It's upto you to keep tabs of your incomings and outgoings, nobody else.

Gothicfairy

Which company is this ? As I am afraid with some (most) the password system is worthless. Also a note on the file will not help as hardly any phone agents will read the whole history if an estate agent phones up and say's there is a new tenant in the property.
To be honest water companies like most utilites will take landlords/ letting agents words as they are the ones who do call and register new tenants or put properties into void. That is a fact of life, a lot of tenants wouldn't bother so the water companies take what they can get.
The problem with this is that really it is your fault that you did not notice a DD had cancelled. It is not down to anyone else to make sure these get paid and dealt with. If way back you had noticed you could have sorted it all out with one phone call and no hassle.

Cardew

lynettehg wrote: »

I am more concerned that 'anyone' can call up and cancel your direct debits -

I am puzzled why you feel this is a big problem.

If anyone had any malicious itent, it would hardly damage someone to cancel their DD.

Even the mistake by the letting agent is not a big deal. In fact it is most surprising, and to their credit, that an agent gets involved; normally they leave it to incoming and outgoing tenants to sort out utility bills.

macman

The water authority can't cancel a DD-only the account holder (you) can do that. All they can do is fail to take the payments. If you look at your bank account (which it appears you haven't in 3 years) then you should see that the DD is still active.
I don't quite see what you are complaining about, as you have had 3 years interest free credit.

Andy_WSM

lynettehg wrote: »

This is not my fault and yes I do make mistakes but I do not let the victim suffer because of it!!

Well you are partly to blame for not noticing that you haven't paid your water bill for 3 years!

Surely you check what is going in & out of your bank account? How do you know someone wasn't taking money they weren't entitled to? I'd notice if I had too much or too little from my budget account (the one I pay the bills from) and would be looking to see where the error had occurred and putting it right. The most I could have gone without noticing is 6 months in the case of the water as that is how often they bill me.

treasuretiger

lynettehg wrote: »

No I didn't as I said - I have not received any letters from them apart from this one in Aug (addressed to the Occupier) - if I get mail addressed to another person I return it stating not at this address which I guess they do nothing about as any letter addressed to the occupier I would have opened. As I stated it looked like the person that the letting agent stated that had moved into my house was paying the rates - so according to myself and the water company there were no problems for my address.

Yes that is exactly my point I am more concerned that 'anyone' can call up and cancel your direct debits - I have started paying the water again this time via Standing Order so that I am in control of the payments and not the water company...I have also added a password to my account as an extra security check and put a notification on the file that they should not accept anybody eles authority to cancel/take a change of address apart from me!

I have learnt a huge lesson, but will not be paying for the mistake of the waterboard/letting agent on something that I thought I was paying! I do a quick check of my bank statement but I did not notice this ONE direct debit not going out.

they take notification from new occupiers and agents because not everyone will call up and say i've moved. some people will leave it years till they are getting chsed by debt agencies , they never bother to call then wonder why they get chased.