EDF energy: instead of revising a bill, they pass it to debt collection

sebtomato

Hi,

I switched energy supplier in April, and the final bill from EDF energy was completely wrong (£60 over expected amount).

I called them and they said I should pay it anyway, and then get a refund from my new supplier. Obviously, I didn't do that, as I am not going to pay a former supplier more than I owe.

After pushing them, they said they would investigate and send a revised bill. Then, they started sending me payment reminders quite often, so I called again and they had forgotten to put a hold on the due payment. They told me nothing was due until the revised bill was produced.

Heard nothing from them for 3 months. Last week, I started to get many calls from EOS solution, on my landline and mobile phone. At first, I had no idea who those people were, why they were calling, and they wouldn't tell me until I disclosed some personal details (such as date of birth), and also being rude. For obvious privacy and security reasons, I don't disclose personal information to people I don't know or have never heard of.

Eventually, they send me a letter, and EDF had sent the unpaid bill to EOS solution, a debt collector...

I am now seeking compensation from EDF energy, as I have done nothing wrong, spent hours on the phone with them to resolve their issue, and was then harassed by their debt collection company. This could also affect my credit rating.

Just a great story about EDF energy and how their internal processes are broken...

Now, their escalation department is cancelling the final bill, and offering £50 compensation, but I think I will do a small claim, and will surely get a lot more than that.

Seb

dogshome

Hmmm - Have I correctly understood from your post that EDF are cancelling the Final Bill, and also giving you £50 compensation ?

You haven't given the true value of the Final Bill, but even so it seems to be a very good deal to me

sebtomato

That's correct, yes: they are cancelling the final bill (£90) and offering £50 compensation for the trouble.

This might sound like a suitable outcome. On the other hand, I must have spent:

* 4 hours on calls with them (including waiting time)
* 2 hours with their debt collector
* 1 hour to fill in complaints about their debt collector to the ICO
* Another hour writing various emails
* Probably another 2 hours to check my credit records in the next few months, and ask EDF to remove wrong information

So, in total, I will have spent about 10 hours to fix their issue, and £50 for that is not much money...

StuC75

If they are cancelling the final £90 that you do actually owe, then you are getting £140 compo..

sebtomato wrote: »

That's correct, yes: they are cancelling the final bill (£90) and offering £50 compensation for the trouble.

This might sound like a suitable outcome. On the other hand, I must have spent:

* 4 hours on calls with them (including waiting time)
* 2 hours with their debt collector
* 1 hour to fill in complaints about their debt collector to the ICO
* Another hour writing various emails
* Probably another 2 hours to check my credit records in the next few months, and ask EDF to remove wrong information

So, in total, I will have spent about 10 hours to fix their issue, and £50 for that is not much money...

sebtomato

StuC75 wrote: »

If they are cancelling the final £90 that you do actually owe, then you are getting £140 compo..

Not really, their final bill was £90, but should have been £30, so I only owed them £30. £30 + £50 = £80.

For the trouble they have created, and harassment from their non-compliant debt collector, not a lot of compensation...

insanegloss

sebtomato wrote: »

Not really, their final bill was £90, but should have been £30, so I only owed them £30. £30 + £50 = £80.

For the trouble they have created, and harassment from their non-compliant debt collector, not a lot of compensation...

From the sounds of it, I'd say its a pretty fair amount.

Also, and its worth remembering this, it's not 'compensation', it's a goodwill gesture. They are not legally required to give you it.

Mallotum_X

sebtomato wrote: »

Not really, their final bill was £90, but should have been £30, so I only owed them £30. £30 + £50 = £80.

For the trouble they have created, and harassment from their non-compliant debt collector, not a lot of compensation...

What do you think would be fair?

Personally I don't think its worth the hassle. Take what's on offer and get on with something more interesting.

sebtomato

insanegloss wrote: »

From the sounds of it, I'd say its a pretty fair amount.

Also, and its worth remembering this, it's not 'compensation', it's a goodwill gesture. They are not legally required to give you it.

Sure, it's a goodwill gesture, although it's their best interest to compensate for the trouble, otherwise I could take legal action (small claims).

sebtomato

Mallotum_X wrote: »

What do you think would be fair?

Personally I don't think its worth the hassle. Take what's on offer and get on with something more interesting.

Makes not real difference to me, whether it's £50 or £200 (I have asked for at least £200, and they haven't said no). However, I like companies to behave properly, and when you ask for a larger compensation, then they have to take note and improve their processes.

zerog

How much do you think small claims will award you? What if you lose?

sebtomato

I won't lose: EDF have admitted that their processes didn't work, and EOS solutions (debt recovery) have admitted in writing that their staff didn't behave properly on the phone and that their processes didn't work. I would just get less compensation than requested, but wouldn't lose the case.

Given the length it went for, the hours spent, impact on credit rating, and harassment/abuse from EOS solutions, they could probably award £500 to £1,000. However, EDF would most likely pay before this goes to court.