HELP! Demand for momeny - not my supplier??

EllaMinnowPea

Hi everyone,

I'd very much like your thoughts and advice on the situation I've found myself in.

I've just moved house and have received a letter from EDF Energy which is a final demand for payment relating to my old (rented) address.

They say I owe them £441. I am completely baffled; I never consented to them being my supplier (it was British Gas when we moved in, and we're not allowed to change suppliers without the consent of the landlord, so we just left it) AND they never once contacted me AT ALL the entire time I lived there.

I've contacted them via email from their website saying all of the above, because I can't ring them as their offices are all shut up for the weekend/Bank Holiday.

I am completely confused and worried! Ant help gratefully received.

Cardew

Did you pay BG for the whole time you were there, - up to the final meter reading?

Is this for Gas? Electricity? or both?

EllaMinnowPea

I paid BG by direct debit, but I don't know if they stopped taking it out - I haven't got any bank statements to had that i can check unfortunately. I just assumed they were

This is for Gas. The electricity was with BG too but I've not heard anything about that - assume it's fine.

t0rt0ise

Did you give British Gas final meter reads when you left? You should have done and then received final bills using those reads. If you haven't then you need to call British Gas sharpish and see if they were your supplier all along. If they weren't then you will need to get the money you paid to them back so that you can pay the real supplier.

EllaMinnowPea

OK - I'll look into that.

Is it legal for a company to just take over the supply without my permission, and for them not to notify me or anything??

t0rt0ise

No, they can't just take over your supply but you don't really tell us enough to determine whether British Gas were your supplier in the first place. If you contacted British Gas when you moved in to open an account and give opening meter reads then fair enough, they were your supplier and should have been when you left. But it seems that you did not tell them that you were leaving and give final meter reads and you don't appear to have seen any bills while you were there, so I'm a bit lost.

EllaMinnowPea

Oh they definitely were - I was paying them quite happily for months. They were the suppliers of both gas and electricity when we moved in, we just took over the accounts from the previous tenants. Then at some point it seems EDF took over!

DCFC79

Is it possible the LL changed it without telling you

EllaMinnowPea

No. I've checked with him.

backfoot

Ask for copy bills say over the last 18 months from each supplier.

This should give you a trail of who is responsible for your supply and what payments have been credited against each account.

EllaMinnowPea

ok, that's a good kicking off point - thank you.