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water charges please help
clanhud1
Posts: 2 Newbie
in Water bills
Hi hope that someone can help
we had a underpayment with our water company, from when we moved house some years ago, we set up a Direct debit with the company of £10.44 which came out of our bank account with no problems for ages, then they stopped asking for the payments at the end of February 2010, we assumed that the amount had been paid off, which you would if they stop taking the money, untill yesterday when we were told there is still money outstanding. with further investigation with our bank we discovered, that the water company stopped asking for the money, we didnt stop the direct debit, this has been confirmed with our bank, and so in november 2010 the bank archived this direct debit as un-used as the amount was not being called for by the company.
My question is, we have now been taken to court for the outstanding amount, and have had charges etc put on top, which we are not happy about, there has been nothing from this company about the outstanding amount which we did owe, and they were taking, but just stopped asking for the direct debit, is there anything we can do about this, we thought that what we owed had been paid when the direct debit stopped. our other direct debit with the same company has been running since 2008, and they take that ever month, if there is a rise they write and tell us they will be asking for the new amount on the normal date, and every year it just continues. please help
we had a underpayment with our water company, from when we moved house some years ago, we set up a Direct debit with the company of £10.44 which came out of our bank account with no problems for ages, then they stopped asking for the payments at the end of February 2010, we assumed that the amount had been paid off, which you would if they stop taking the money, untill yesterday when we were told there is still money outstanding. with further investigation with our bank we discovered, that the water company stopped asking for the money, we didnt stop the direct debit, this has been confirmed with our bank, and so in november 2010 the bank archived this direct debit as un-used as the amount was not being called for by the company.
My question is, we have now been taken to court for the outstanding amount, and have had charges etc put on top, which we are not happy about, there has been nothing from this company about the outstanding amount which we did owe, and they were taking, but just stopped asking for the direct debit, is there anything we can do about this, we thought that what we owed had been paid when the direct debit stopped. our other direct debit with the same company has been running since 2008, and they take that ever month, if there is a rise they write and tell us they will be asking for the new amount on the normal date, and every year it just continues. please help
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Comments
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Sorry but the water company expects the customer to keep track of their bills and arrears.
There is nothing you can do about it now I am afraid.There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.
Robert Service0 -
Clanhud,
Write to Water Co and ask them why they took you to court, without informing you of the situation beforehand and when they had a valid DD payment authority. Which W. Co are you with?0 -
They took them to court because they could and proof of sending a letter works for court action with water companies so all they have to do is prove that they wrote to them and they would have.There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.
Robert Service0 -
we are with wessex water, as for us having to keep an eye on if we have paid the bill etc, surely if a direct debit is being paid, then stops, would you not think ok thats paid off then???0
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we are with wessex water, as for us having to keep an eye on if we have paid the bill etc, surely if a direct debit is being paid, then stops, would you not think ok thats paid off then???
No because I would know the difference between the balance outstanding and the amount taken by DD.
As you have found out with the CCJ the water company do place the onus on the customer and the court backs them.There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.
Robert Service0 -
Clanhud,
I can understand you not noticing whether or not £10 or so wasn't being debited from your account.
Did W. Co begin court action without informing you first? If so, Ask them why, and why they stopped taking money via DD. Did you attend the court hearing? Did you tell the judge by letter or verbally that W. Co had a valid Direct Debit authority that they just stopped using?0 -
They would have sent a letter to the OP, if they got it or not is another matter though.
One would have gone out ( in fact it is about 3 ) as the system does not allow the account to move through litigation without all the stages being met.
It is not done by human hand until it reaches credit control / litigation and to get to that stage the payment plan must fail and 2 reminders are issued.There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.
Robert Service0 -
Dear clanhud1
Please call our customer services team on 0845 600 3 600. They will happily investigate what has happened and give you a full explanation.
Kind regards,
I Drury
Wessex Water0 -
"One would have gone out ( in fact it is about 3 ) as the system does not allow the account to move through litigation without all the stages being met."
OP says otherwisewe have now been taken to court for the outstanding amount, and have had charges etc put on top, which we are not happy about, there has been nothing from this company about the outstanding amount which we did owe,0 -
OP says they never received anything which is a totally different thing........They might not have received them or opened them or bothered with them but that does not mean letters were not sent.
The computer system does not allow an account to move on without certain things being done.....that is a fact.There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.
Robert Service0
This discussion has been closed.
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