33 Months paying someone else's debt, Am I entitled to compensation?

k9food

In 2007 my father purchased a property which was being supplied by SP, after ringing them to inform them he was living there they set up direct debit payments. In Feb 2009 my father moved out and I moved in, we rang SP to inform them. Soon after a bill arrived in my name, I was shocked to see I had used £1700 of gas in my first 30 days in the house and laughed as I rang SP to get the error sorted.

I was informed that it was based on a recent reading by Accuread and therefore my bill. Hours of calls led to nowhere and they would not believe that I hadn't used that amount. I was eventually offered a choice, be cut off and pursued for the outstanding bill or have a prepayment meter fitted and pay it off weekly. With winter over, I opted for the meters.

I then asked SP to have the old meters independently tested, they did this and confirmed they were working fine.

I was informed that I'd be paying 70% of my card top ups towards the debt. In real terms, I can survive on £3 a day which means I have to put £70 a week credit on the card.

The last 2 winters have been a nightmare, I've been cooking on a camping stove and living in the box room to keep warm. I've had the costs of frozen pipes to repair and the effects of damp to deal with.

Last week in despair I rang SP and asked if they could help me out as the weather getting colder and I'm worried about the coming winter. The operator I spoke to investigated the account and mentioned I'd been a customer since 2007. The penny dropped, I only moved here in 2009, it turns out they never closed my dads account and never opened a new account for me. For some reason, they had changed the name on the account from my dads to mine. They had not been reading the meter since he moved here so his direct debit was not in line with his usage. They had simply transferred his debt to my name.

The operator admited it was their fault and everything is logged in the history, He agreed I did not owe them anything and was due a refund, they would have to contact my dad to send him a bill. (My dad is happy to contest it!)

They have arranged to reset my meters and have opened me a new account, they are transferring all the payments I have made using the prepayment meter and will work out what they owe me, however when I mention compensation and interest on my money, they say they are not liable. Surely after putting me through nearly 3 years of hell I deserve something? Also what about the fact that I have been trapped on a high price tariff for all this time?

Can anyone advise?

rogerblack

I would suggest firstly itemising any costs that are strictly attributable to their billing error - this would be any costs due to frozen pipes, damp due to not being able to heat, cost of camping stove, fuel, excess cost of electricity, and any time off work you may have had to take due to this.

Send them an invoice for this, and if not paid, have a go in the small claims court.

k9food

Thanks Roger, they did the same with the electric account but that didnt have such an effect as it was only about £200 owing. It has meant I've been stuck paying them for their error. As you mention, I've used far more electric than normal trying to keep warm with a 2000w heater and through the minus 15 we had I had nothing but the campstove. Its really angered me that I have suffered for so long and this multi billion pound company cant even say sorry. I see people on this forum complaining about having no heating for a few days, I'd like to see the CEO of SP survive a thousand days in my house without heating.

JC_Derby

why would your dad contest his bill?

k9food

JC, hes a pentioner and very cautious about energy costs, he has rarely had the heating on when he lived here. What SP are suggesting is that he has used over £4500 of gas & elec for the 2 years he lived here. (taking into account his direct debit payments during that period)

undaunted

It seems to me that it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a nominal goodwill gesture for your loss of interest etc.

I don't see much hope beyond that personally unless you can find independant evidence that the frozen pipes / damp were attributable to their error.

Whilst they may have treated you badly it seems incredible to me that you didn't realise what was going on here / contest the claimed bill at the time. Ringing companies of any kind these days is a waste of time in my opinion - if you have a complaint always make sure you put it in writing!

k9food

I did contest the debt on several occasions, hence the meter being independently tested, each time I was convinced by them that there was nothing more they could do. I'm not so much concerned about the burst pipe issue even though I was a few hundred quid out of pocket. What annoys me most is that all along I have been telling them I don't owe this money and as a result of their ignorance I have had temperatures of minus 10 in my bedroom!! I also want to know if they have affected my credit rating, I am waiting for my latest experian report.

JC_Derby

k9food wrote: »

JC, hes a pentioner and very cautious about energy costs, he has rarely had the heating on when he lived here. What SP are suggesting is that he has used over £4500 of gas & elec for the 2 years he lived here. (taking into account his direct debit payments during that period)

ah ok. does seem excessive!

davidgmmafan

JC_Derby wrote: »

ah ok. does seem excessive!

As does a 1700 quid bill for thirty days, I think this was the bit people find strange that you didn't query but what's done is done. I'd certainly complain if you feel wronged, not sure if the ombudsmen would be any help, but you have that option if you aren't satisfied with the companies response.

They'll possibly offer more money to avoid it going to the ombudsmen...

spiro

Didn't you notice that your annual statement was in your dad's name?