EON and UDS Utility Debt Services

jalexa

E.ON_Company_Rep_Amanda wrote: »

(Including why we failed to update your new address which hasn't helped the situation at all)

I always post also for the benefit of others. The OP has posted this..."I therefore phoned your call centre to advise that I was moving and to give the date of ending the account and I gave my new address. However, the person who I spoke to did not seem very interested and may not have recorded my new address."

So for the benefit of others in a similar situation can you confirm whether it is a "script" matter to request, and take if provided, a new correspondence address? Is that "scripted" and taken when the contact is "advance notice" and not a closing read? Does the adviser's terminal have a similar difficulty accepting foreign addresses as (apparently) the online system?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

jalexa wrote: »

Anyway, and apologies for jumping on your thread (but it's an open forum), the E.ON company reps engage better than all other companies put together but I can't help noticing Malc was silent on "change of address" and ignored my bump on the issue. Shame Malc, this is not Direct Debit "Re-set" to be ignored.

Hi jalexa

Sorry to have appeared 'silent' but I've not been around since early Monday afternoon. Hence, Amanda's intervention. Certainly no intention to ignore you.

jalexa wrote: »

I always post also for the benefit of others. The OP has posted this..."I therefore phoned your call centre to advise that I was moving and to give the date of ending the account and I gave my new address. However, the person who I spoke to did not seem very interested and may not have recorded my new address."

So for the benefit of others in a similar situation can you confirm whether it is a "script" matter to request, and take if provided, a new correspondence address? Is that "scripted" and taken when the contact is "advance notice" and not a closing read? Does the adviser's terminal have a similar difficulty accepting foreign addresses as (apparently) the online system?

It's certainly standard policy to ask for a forwarding address when customers advise us they're moving out of a property. This applies equally if the customer advises before, on the day or after a move.

The process is, though, a little different when the forwarding address is outside the UK.

In these cases, a separate path is followed and these accounts are flagged and picked up by a particular area of the business.

Our online services are linked directly to our main computer system. As overseas addresses stand outside of this, it's not currently possible to input these addresses through our website.

I've fed back about this before but, at the moment, the demand is not sufficient to warrant an upgrade. However, should the demand increase, our technical guys will certainly look at this again.

Just a quick heads up Jalexa. At the moment, I'm not on the forums as regularly as before so may not respond as quickly as I would like. Consequently, either another rep, like Amanda, will pick up the slack or I'll return to a question/comment the next time I'm working the forums.

Malc

lloydyd

I have a question that I hope the EON rep can help with. I moved out of my house at the end of March. I totally forgot to provide a reading for the gas and electric and im now being pestered for almost £500 bill from UDS.

they keep threatening to come round and enter my property which we all know they cant do.

I will hold my hands up and admit how stupid it was to not take a final reading which i know means that EON have estimated my reading which has resulted in this massive "hike" in the price they are asking me to pay.

I just want to know if there is anything i can do about this as there is no way i have used £500 worth of energy in the amount of time they are suggesting?

lloydyd

And just to add to this one, I have just looked at my account and my balance was 0 before this estimated MONTHLY bill. EON took almost £1000 in 2 months to clear my supposedly in debt account....To be fair, i was not on top of my bills and rarely checked them as i was in a good job and earning good money. That has now stopped and this bill is massive and in no way representative of the fuel used....Surely EON must know this? It was a 3 bed house and if they think i could possibly use £500 worth of fuel in a month then they have got to be kidding?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi lloydyd

You need to talk to us about this.

I take it there's no chance you might have the closing readings? Would a letting agent/landlord have taken a note when you moved out, or maybe the new tenant?

If there's any way of providing the actual readings, we'll re-bill your account to these straightaway.

As you say, without accurate meter readings, we'll estimate the closing readings. These estimates will be based on past usage at the property.

How long were you in the property? During this time, were previous bills based on accurate readings or estimates?

If we have a good history of past usage over a reasonable period of time, the likelihood is the estimates will be fairly accurate. If not, there may be room to negotiate.

Sorry for all the questions but trying to build up a picture. As I say, you need to talk to us about this or we'll just continue down the debt follow up line.

Also, ask for a payment arrangement to spread the final balance over a more manageable period.

Hope this is of some benefit lloydyd. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

lloydyd

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Hi lloydyd

You need to talk to us about this.

I take it there's no chance you might have the closing readings? Would a letting agent/landlord have taken a note when you moved out, or maybe the new tenant?

If there's any way of providing the actual readings, we'll re-bill your account to these straightaway.

As you say, without accurate meter readings, we'll estimate the closing readings. These estimates will be based on past usage at the property.

How long were you in the property? During this time, were previous bills based on accurate readings or estimates?

If we have a good history of past usage over a reasonable period of time, the likelihood is the estimates will be fairly accurate. If not, there may be room to negotiate.

Sorry for all the questions but trying to build up a picture. As I say, you need to talk to us about this or we'll just continue down the debt follow up line.

Also, ask for a payment arrangement to spread the final balance over a more manageable period.

Hope this is of some benefit lloydyd. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

Hi Malc,

Stupidly I never gave EON meter readings (pathetic i know), but it wasnt something i ever worried about. I had "loadsa" money and just allowed the bills to be collected. Im sure EON must have come and taken a gas reading as this bill got massively lower (and the meter was outside) but Elec was always estimated hence the £500 DD that they used to take monthly.

We were at the house for around 18 months and ALL estimated bills.

I know you said they will be pretty accurate but £500 per month on electric? I did raise this once with EON and they agreed that it was almost impossible that a house of our size would generate that much usage even with every light and TV on all day. We had a good combi boiler so we know it was efficient.

Sadly we did not leave on good terms so the Landlady is very unlikely to help us out here.

I have contacted EON using the Online form and explained all of this and i am awaiting a response. Im happy to clear the account but not the amount being requested, so im hopeful that they will offer me some kind of settlement figure which i will borrow to pay in full (im trying to get a better credit rating so dont need another default on my account)....

Do you think its likely that with everything i have explained that EON will assist?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi lloydyd

From your last post, it seems the gas has been billed accurately but the electricity has always been estimated.

If this is the case, £500 a month electricity only for the type of property you describe certainly seems a lot.

We have a specialist Consumption Team and I would suggest having a talk with them. Give them details of all the appliances you had in the property as well as info about the property itself. Things like heating and levels of insulation.

They'll go through everything with you as well as looking at how we've estimated both past bills and the final bill. If nothing more, they'll help you understand how we've come up with the estimates used.

Malc

Boothy1957

On January 1st 2013 I was obliged to leave my temporary home of 28 years, due to my (now) ex-wife's continual bad behaviour and infidelity. I am still living in temporary accomodation while I try to fund an eviction order.

Unfortunately my ex-wife lied to EON, telling them that I was living in my house until 31st March 2013, in order for her to avoid paying a quarterly bill of £168 that she had run up.

Despite my supply of various documents to EON proving beyond a doubt that I was not living in my house during the three months in question, including court papers, EON continued to press me for this money, and I contacted the energy Ombudsman, to complain. I also sent this body copies of all of the documentation that I sent to EON, and over the last nine months have repeatedly emailed, telephoned and written to EON and the Ombudsman, who both seem unable to sort this out.

Unfortunately over the last two weeks EON have seen fit to arrange UDS to telephone me, several times a day, at different times, asking me to get in touch with them, regarding the EON account. I rang them back initially, and tried to explain the situation, but was told they will continue to try to contact me.

I have informed UDS, EON and the Ombudsman that this matter is now in the handsof my solicitor (named), and asked them not to contact me further, as I refuse to be liable for energy not used by me.

Any thoughts, comments or advice please? EON and UDS are treating me like a criminal, and out of principle I would rather give the £168 to a good charity than let EON (how much profit do they make?) or an exwife enjoy my hard earned money!

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Boothy1957 and welcome to the forum.

I'm sure you had more on your mind than us when you moved out, but did you let us know about the change at the time? If you did, the account should've been closed down at this point and a final bill sent to you up to this date.

A new account will then have been opened for your ex-wife to cover usage going forward.

I'm assuming the account was in your name up until 31 March 13. Who told us the change happened at this time?

If this was your ex-wife, then it's more than likely this will be treated as a third party dispute.

The energy used does need paying for and if we cancel your charges these will then need to go to your ex-wife.

I do understand you've sent us documents disputing the end date but I suspect your ex-wife may also have claimed a different date.

You're doing the right thing in following our complaints route. Once the complaint is over 56 days old, the Ombudsman will give an independent ruling.

You say you've been in touch with the Energy Ombudsman. Have they ruled on this yet? If they have, their ruling is binding on us and we'll take whatever actions they stipulate.

Sorry for all the questions but not sure what stage this is at.

Malc

KarlH

Hi I would like to add my story into this conversation.

So I received my latest bill on the 10th Jan of £392

I made payments of

£192 on 17th Jan
£130 on 14th Feb

I emailed Eon to explain I would be paying the outstanding amount on the 14th March

On the 25th Feb I received a reply stating this was accepted

However on the 6th March I had a "Gentle Reminder" letter dated 2nd March. When logged onto my account to contact Eon I noticed they had also added £10 to my bill.

I again emailed Eon on the 6th March explaining I had already made an agreement date with them and that I would pay the £130 on 14th March. I also asked that they removed the £10 charge.

I have had no response to this email.

I paid the £130 on the 14th March

Today I received a letter from Utility Debt Services. With a Final Demand of £10. Threatening to disconnect me if I did not pay.

It is to my understanding that as I had contacted Eon with a payment date and paid on that day, I do not have to pay this £10.

Am I correct?