Been sent a Gas bill for a place I've never lived in !!

claudeballs

Hi,

I received a letter a few days ago from a Debt Collection agency who are obviously working on behalf of British gas. It says that they are chasing me for an outstanding bill of £656 - this is for gas that was supplied to a house that I have never even lived in !!

What should I do, as the letter from the Debt collectors was quite intimidating?

amiehall

It's in your name? You should WRITE to the debt collection agency stating that you are disputing the fact that you have any debt owing to BG. Mention that you have never lived at that address and advise that they shouldn't contact you again without proof that you are responsible for the debt.

claudeballs

Yes, it's in my name. As I said, I've never lived at that address. Shouldn't I speak with British Gas first and ask where they have dreamed up this rubbish claim from? I am concerned that this could be ID theft and that I should maybe inform the police.

PS. I can provide evidence to BG of all my previous addresses if they don't believe me.

amiehall

You should deal with this issue in writing so you have a record of everything that is said. You should also remember that it is up to THEM to prove you owe the money, which is something I'm sure they'll struggle to do....

Your first step is to alert the debt collection agency that you are disputing the debt. They will alert British Gas of this. You should simply write, state you never lived at the address, that you don't owe BG any money and that you require proof of the sum owed before you will discuss the issue any further.

You can send a copy of this to BG if you wish but make sure you send one to the DCA otherwise they won't know you dispute the debt and will continue to hassle you.

Terrylw1

On top of the above, ensure its a complaint to Bgas to get the attention it needs.

Has it affected your credit file? If so, that's something else to complain about and get them to sort out.