Overcharging

nomoremoney_2

Hi,

I am after a little advice, I have come back from uni to find that Lloyds TSB who supply my elderly father's electricity have overcharged him roughly 2,500 pounds over 2005/6. The payments went out on direct debit (he has no idea how much money is in his accounts). The original fault was not theirs, an incorrect reading was given. However, even after their meter man read it correctly they continued to use the (massively) higher reading on their system and so were overcharging to try to get the account to catch up with what they had on their system.

I realised at the beginning of the month what was happening, gave them a correct reading and have rung them probably 10 times this month to make sure that the refund will be on this month's bill. It isn't. This has really annoyed me as I am sure that if I owed Lloyds that much and didn't pay up I would be in a fair amount of trouble.

Can anyone advise me what to do? I was thinking of writing them a letter threatening to charge interest at statutory rate like the bank charge thing but I don't know if I can charge them from when they originally overcharged him or from when I told them they had overcharged him, or even from when their man read the meter and they should reasonably have realised they were overcharging him.

Any ideas (or does anyone know how to speed up their repayments)?

Cardew

Wecome to the forum

I think the sentiments in this thread apply.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=377245&highlight=write+recorded+delivery

Phone calls are just a waste of time in these cases.

anniecave

Put it in writing. I would expect it to take a few days even at the quickest for someone to sort this sort of thing out and get the revised bill out to you.

If you ask for a refund, that will also take a couple of weeks perhaps as this sort of value will go for authorisation, second authorisation etc etc.

If nothing is happening as regards a revised bill within a couple of weeks, then I would complain to Energywatch.

Choc

Tell them youve been on the phone to Ofgem, that usually works.

Melly31

Don't put anything in writing unless it's on this form:
http://www.energywatch.org.uk/help_and_advice/how_we_can_help/make_a_complaint/index.asp
You won't even get writers cramp!
It's an absolute disgrace what they have done to your father, you WILL NOT get anywhere ringing Lloyds, but you will get a response from Lloyds within 2 wks (TOPS) if you put the details on the above (linked) form-you really will.
Not only that-the response will be a favourable one.
I don't want to flood energywatch with complaints; but as it's the only time the trained monkeys these suppliers employ take an interest-why waste (not only) your time, but your phone bill & not to mention your sanity trying to reason with these imboseals? (You've more chance of the queen popping round for a brew!)

Anyway, hope you get it sorted, if you get time, let us know how you get on.
All the best,

Mel.

Melly31

Don't put anything in writing unless it's on this form:
http://www.energywatch.org.uk/help_and_advice/how_we_can_help/make_a_complaint/index.asp
You won't even get writers cramp!
It's an absolute disgrace what they have done to your father, you WILL NOT get anywhere ringing Lloyds, but you will get a response from Lloyds within 2 wks (TOPS) if you put the details on the above (linked) form-you really will.
Not only that-the response will be a favourable one.
I don't want to flood energywatch with complaints; but as it's the only time the trained monkeys these suppliers employ take an interest-why waste (not only) your time, but your phone bill & not to mention your sanity trying to reason with these imboseals? (You've more chance of the queen popping round for a brew!)

Anyway, hope you get it sorted, if you get time, let us know how you get on.
All the best,

Mel.

MissMoneypenny

nomoremoney wrote:

Hi,

I am after a little advice, I have come back from uni to find that Lloyds TSB who supply my elderly father's electricity have overcharged him roughly 2,500 pounds over 2005/6. The payments went out on direct debit (he has no idea how much money is in his accounts).

You will be covered under the direct debit indemnity scheme as the direct debits should not have been taken. Put a request in writing to your fathers branch, that you wish to recall these payments and see what they say.

When Bulldog took too much out of my student son's account and we got nowhere with their customer services, I eventually wrote to Bulldogs CEO, didn't get an answer, so got the bank to pay the money back into my son's account under the DD indemnity scheme.

garryhq

nomoremoney wrote:

Hi,

I am after a little advice, I have come back from uni to find that Lloyds TSB who supply my elderly father's electricity have overcharged him roughly 2,500 pounds over 2005/6. The payments went out on direct debit (he has no idea how much money is in his accounts). The original fault was not theirs, an incorrect reading was given. However, even after their meter man read it correctly they continued to use the (massively) higher reading on their system and so were overcharging to try to get the account to catch up with what they had on their system.

I realised at the beginning of the month what was happening, gave them a correct reading and have rung them probably 10 times this month to make sure that the refund will be on this month's bill. It isn't. This has really annoyed me as I am sure that if I owed Lloyds that much and didn't pay up I would be in a fair amount of trouble.

Can anyone advise me what to do? I was thinking of writing them a letter threatening to charge interest at statutory rate like the bank charge thing but I don't know if I can charge them from when they originally overcharged him or from when I told them they had overcharged him, or even from when their man read the meter and they should reasonably have realised they were overcharging him.

Any ideas (or does anyone know how to speed up their repayments)?

I had a similar problem when I moved house - Powergen debited over £400 instead of £104 from my Halifax account. I tried for over 9 weeks to get a refund. They said they had closed the DD arrangement and couldn't credit the balance so would send a cheque. It never arrived, nor did the 2nd cheque (after weeks of badgering them) so called in to local Halifax branch and asked about the DD guarantee and kind lady immediately refunded my £400+. 3 months later I got a letter from collection company, acting for PG, threatening court action for £400+. Rang 0800 number and explained incorrect amount and advised of correct amount, collection company actually agreed with my figures and said PG would send new bill. New (correct) bill didn't arrive - 6 months later new threatening letter arrived from same collection company for correct (£104) amount. Rang 0800 number paid £104 on Visa and that was the end of the matter.
What a kerfuffle!

MissMoneypenny

Here it is:D

Taken from The British Bankers' Association website

The Banking Code

"9.8 We will tell you about the Direct Debit Guarantee, which protects you if a direct debit you have not authorised is taken from your account. If any money is wrongly taken from your account under a direct debit, we will refund your account as soon as you tell us about it."


http://www.bba.org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=348&a=5326

Edited to say. When you get the direct debit money back, it might be best if you write to the section you have been phoning about the electricity and send it recorded. Just refer to your many conversations (with names if you have them) and tell them that you now have had this money they owe your father, refunded. I am usually writing to the CEO at this point as usually more gets done then.