first utility phantom supplier change

reme5969

A couple of month's ago i received notification from First Utility that they ha dbeen unable to take a direct debit payemnt for energy used from the bank details they held, they said the bill was £650.00. I emailed them na dphoned them to say they didn't never had nor never would supply me with energy. Enquiries commenced to conclude that they had what they called 'an erroneous transfer' saying they had received my details from uswitch in goodfaith and had been supplying energy to me without my knowledge for some 11 months. Due to some problems at their end they had not sent ANY notification to me until this invoice as above. I complained to the Company and at present all they are saying is they received the details in good faith and the £650.00 bill needs to be paid. They accept the normal billing process was interrupted due to their error but that it is up to me to sort the problems out with my previous supplier and or uswitch, and where's their money!! They are in the process of 'investigating the matter' but i am receiving red letters and threats of Court action. I definately did not ask them to supply me electricity and although i am guilty of being somewhat lax in checking my bank account direct debaits and not seeing that my proper supplier was not taking payments any more, because i had no notification of problems i did not know of the 'erroneous transfer' details they hold of my bank accounts and contact telephone numbers seem to be innacurate but they will not divulge these details due they say to Data protection reasons. I am struggling to know what to do now because of this £650.00 bill

uSwitch_company_representative

Hi,

Sorry to hear you've been having problems. If you could email us on editor@uswitch.com with your contact details, we will have a look into it for you.

Thank you.

Maya, uSwitch

HalloweenJack

you would have recieved letters from both the new supplier and old supplier , and quite likely a phone call from your old supplier asking why your leaving...


and none of this you thought ` why are they doing this`.....

dogshome

So you have been unexpectedly billed by FU, (On their record of service this is an apt abbreviation ) for 11 months of Power/Gas consumption.


"Erroneous Transfers" are not uncommon and the industry has a fixed way to deal with it - The customer is always sent back to the original supplier, and where the new company has issued bills that have been paid, they return all the money. The old supplier then bills for the self same useage - The only way the customer loses out is if there is a differential between the Old & New suppliers tariffs.

WRITE to FU heading the letter complaint, pointing out that you did not initiate a Switch and FU's intervention has disrupted your D/D arrangements with your chosen supplier, with whom you wish to stay, and that if you recieve any further cash demands whilst FU and your present supplier are sorting the matter out, you will immediately contact Consumer Focus - If you get any demands fron a Debt Agency send them a copy of the letter

reme5969

No letters or phone calls received from either party regarding the transfer to first utility, they accept this says a computer error was to blame absolutely no contact before the correspondence saying that money was owed and direct debit could not be taken. Obviously had I had correspondence I would have done something about it.

JC_Derby

are you still paying your original supplier a direct debit?