Eon and Wescot

mr-grumpy_4

I moved out of my flat last december owing around £366 to Eon. I moved out of the flat becasue I could no longer afford to live there after my split from the girlfriend. I informed Eon I could not afford to pay the amount in one go and set up a monthly standing order from my bank to Eon for £10 a month. Not a lot I know but they had previously agreed £10 a month on top of my usual payments to clear my arrears, and this was now just arrears. I have been paying this since I left the flat and have never missed a payment.

Last week I started to get daily mulitiple phone calls from different numbers, including withheld numbers, at all hours from morning till night. I googled all the numbers and they were from a firm called Wescot. The genral concensus on the messageboards about Wescot was to ignore them. So I did.

Although i do not have a permanant address since leaving my flat, I use my brother's address as a c/o for any mail. The only people who know this address are my employer and my bank. Somehow Wescot have got hold of this address and sent me a letter to that address demanding full payment of the Eon account and informed me that Eon have added an extra £67.26 on top of this debt for non payment. But Im still paying £10 a month to Eon. I logged in today and all my payments are there recorded. While looking at my payments I noticed Eon charged £10 in April for something called 'Ancillary Charge', i have no idea what that is.

I cant afford to pay the arrears in full. I am paying what I can to Eon and as far as I knew they were accepting this.

What can I do about Wescot sending demand letters to my brother's house? I dont want debt collectors turning up at his door just because he gets my mail.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

if you're not on the electoral role at your brothers address, just return to sender, not known at this address. Wescot will have to pay for returned mail so they soon get the message.

chanz4

You need a formal agreement with eon, this will be the reason for chasing a quick call will sort

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi mr-grumpy

Sorry for the late reply, only just spotted your post.

I do understand you're making regular payments but, as chanz4 says, without a formal payment arrangement we'll continue to chase the debt.

You don't need to talk to Westcot to set up a proper arrangement, though. Just contact us and we'll advise what options are available.

I suspect, from what you've said, the ancillary payment relates to the outstanding balance. Again, this wouldn't have been applied if a formal arrangement had been in place.

Hope this is of interest.

Malc

mr-grumpy_4

Contacted Eon and they say they want a minimum of £28 a month before they accept a payment plan from me because they only allow 12 months to pay the arrears off. I cant afford this. They said they will continue to accept £10 a month without a payment plan but will eventually pass it on to debt collectors. They've already passed it on to debt collectors.

How can they pass it on to debt collectors for non payment when they are accepting monthly payments?

It might not be the payments they want, but it isn't non payment.

mr-grumpy_4

This is for a balance from your previous property?
Yes


Did you provide us with the dates you moved out and the meter readings and forwarding address?
Dates and meter reading yes, but no forwarding address as I dont have one. I only have a c/o address for my mail so it all goes to the one address.

If we didn't have an address this maybe the reason you haven't heard anything until now.

Or did you have an online account? If so you would have had your bills showing on there.
I used my online account to send and receive messages. Eon never replied to the offer I made and therefore never objected to the payments I offered.

We would normally expect a final bill to be paid on receipt of this, or if there has some problems with the account then we may offer a longer payment plan, but you would need to set this up with us officially on the phone.
You wont set up a payment plan because I cant afford the repayments you want.

It sounds like there isn't a payment plan in place and this is why the debt collection is in process.

I would suggest contacting us and setting something up, if it is a really large balance then we maybe able to offer an extended agreement, but we do need something in place.
You refuse to set up a plan for the amount I can afford. Yet you are still taking payments off me as well as sending a debt collection agency after me.