Paypoint mix up at Post office, PO and utility company unhelpful!

lindos90

Hope someone can help!

I took my mum out to get her pension and pay an electricity bill a few weeks ago. She paid at a local post office.

Today she has received a letter from the electricity company saying she has not paid. She called them up and told them she had, and got her paperwork and receipt out and confirmed it. He was very rude and abrupt with her.

Ive looked at the paperwork and it looks like the reference number has been typed incorrectly when she paid with paypoint at the post office!

Im very surprised that it has to be typed in to be honest, as its such a long number, and very open to a mistype.

PO are saying that they pay it on our behalf before asking us to pay them?! so unable to get a refund and tell us to ask the leccy company to make it right and transfer the money to pay my mums account.

Electricity people are saying its not their problem as they didnt make the mistake its down to the PO to sort out as they typed the wrong reference number in.

Now my mums faced with not getting her quick payment discount, and not sure if she should pay again. (Shes worried sick that she will be cut off over Christmas, although Ive tried to reassure her this should not happen, older people worry about that sort of thing, and dont take any amount of reassurance on board do they!)

What should we do? Both the PO and the electricity company are blaming each other and saying the other one should sort it, and we are in the middle.

lindos90

OOps, I realise this is perhaps more of a consumer issue than purely a utility issue, can this thread be moved please to the consumer rights board please?

Joyful

I would send in a copy of the receipt with the incorrect reference number on it and ask for a block to be put on the account until the suuplier can transfer the money to your Mums account.

lindos90

Joyful wrote: »

I would send in a copy of the receipt with the incorrect reference number on it and ask for a block to be put on the account until the suuplier can transfer the money to your Mums account.

Do you mean send the reciept to the utility company? They have traced the payment, they know where the money has gone and to which account, but they are not willing to move the money to pay my mums account, with or without a reciept.

Which account do you mean should be blocked? My mums or the account the money was paid to? Not sure what blocking means.

Thanks for your reply, I have PM'd a board guide to move this thread to the consumer board a few days ago, to get some advice but its not been done.

In the absence of my thread being moved I will start another one on the consumer board, I did try to get it transfered!:(

Joyful

The supplier should have no problems transferring from the incorrect account when they recieve the copy of receipt from you. It is also them that should block your mums account. This stops debt letters and reminders going out to you mum. Who is the supplier as they may have someone on this board that can help you?