Advice needed

manny247

I have just received a letter form Scottish hydro electric stated in beg red letters "Unpaid bill-legal action notice" for £469.63. This bill is for an address I haven't lived at since July 2010.
So I phoned the company only for them to tell me that this was a bill from August 2010 that hadn't been paid. This was the first I have heard of this unpaid bill and I was quite frankly shocked to receive it as this bill was set up in my flatmates name/address. The person on the phone who was quite rude stated that it had always been my address on this account. I explained to her that no it wasn't, all bills had previously been sent to my flatmate but she just repeated that as it was my address I was liable for the bill.
This is the first time I have ever had a letter from this company and I asked her if they had sent my old flatmate one to which she replied they hadn't as she had no forwarding address for her! I am completely at a loss as to what to do now because I do not know my flatmates current address (she moved back to england) and I do not have a number to contact her.
She said that she would pay my half of this bill as she owed me money for other utilities but she clearly hasn't paid this and now I am stuck with this bill that I cannot afford to pay which I should be stuck with!!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

manny247

Neither of us still live in this flat, we both moved out at the end of the tenancy in July. It was my flatmate who opened the account and everything was in her name. This is the first time I have ever received a letter from them as everything before was addressed to her. I had no dealings with this account as I would just give her my half when the bill was due. I have no idea if she told them we moved out but I dont know how the company now have my address when I was never, to my knowledge, the main account holder. I'm just really mad as she told me we moved out that a bill had arrived and that she would pay my half as she owed me money for other bills like tv etc which she obviously hasn't done. Also why has it taken 6months for them to send me this letter, if the bill was due in August it is now February?

sweetnorthenlass

manny this is what citizens advice do.... the guy in my local CA even phone eon for me as i didnt have the foggiest what they were on about with all there jargon... it made me realised how much they were making from me

Annouck

You were speaking to a debt collection agency and not to the energy supplier. They will try everything and anything to recover the money. Go and visit your local Citizens Advice bureau like sweetnorthernlass recommends and they will help you - they have Solicitors on hand. This is quite common so try not to worry.

Premier_2

Does the bill have your name on it? If so, you are liable for it

Were you named on the tenancy agreement? If so, you could still be liable for it.

Unless the answer to both the above is no, it sounds like a third party dispute to me. Pay the bill and sort out getting half from the other flat-mate.