Ask for help. LCS says I own EDF electric bill for my previous address

kidkid77

Hello, guys, I really need you help.

I received a letter from LCS saying that I’m responsible for a bill payment at my previous address. The bill comes from EDF Energy and the period of the bill starts from 2007 to 2011.

However, I only stayed in that address for 2 months with other six people, and I never have an account with EDF Energy.

Then I sent the copy of my tenancy agreement to LCS to prove my stay as they required.

After that I received an e-mail saying they have sent my agreement over to EDF in order for the account to be amended to the dates I were residing at the supply address.

Now I'm very worried about the following two things:

1. I never have an account with EDF Energy. I never received any bill letter from EDF. But it seems that I have. If someone used my personal information to open an account for the bill, how should I do?

2. If LCS sends me another letter in the future, and changes the dates on the letter to reflect when I was at the property with the same amount of bill, what can I do? Will they do cheating on the amount of the bill? Do I need to ask LCS for a formal bill letter to prove the amount of the bill?

3. If I receive another letter saying I need to pay this 2 month's bill, should I ignore them or need to pay them? I heard someone paid a bill to a DCA. But he then received lots of threaten letters because DOA think he is innocent.

Thank you very much for your help.

Battleaxe44

Have you contacted EDF Customer Services directly?

I don't know who or what LCS is so I treally can't advise.

Perhaps you can go to the CAB and speak to them and get some advice on how to handle this matter.

Who had the tenancy agreement if you were sharing with six others?

kidkid77

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

Have you contacted EDF Customer Services directly?

I don't know who or what LCS is so I treally can't advise.

Perhaps you can go to the CAB and speak to them and get some advice on how to handle this matter.

Who had the tenancy agreement if you were sharing with six others?

Thank you very much for your reply.

I have not contacted with EDF yet because I do not how to defense myself if I found someone really opened an account with my name.

LCS is a debt collection agency located in Leeds.
My agreement says 'one room'. But it does not show any information of other 5 people. I think my landlord has other 5 people's agreements.

Battleaxe44

Ah, DCA....I not be speaking with them on the phone at all, everything in writing and sent recorded delivery.

First thing send LCA the Data Protection Act Subject Access Request, I don't know where on the forum is the template letter, so I hope someone can point you to this. you will have to enclose £10.00 postal order and mark it this is NOT to be offset against what they calim is owed to EDF.

I would also head the letter ACCOUNT IN DISPUTE AND THAT YOU DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY DEBT CLAIMED BY EDF .

You need to see what EDF hold in your name. LSC will have to abie all the rules once you do this.

You will soon find out if you do owe this money or not.

Found the link for you..

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/963087

kidkid77

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

Ah, DCA....I not be speaking with them on the phone at all, everything in writing and sent recorded delivery.

First thing send LCA the Data Protection Act Subject Access Request, I don't know where on the forum is the template letter, so I hope someone can point you to this. you will have to enclose £10.00 postal order and mark it this is NOT to be offset against what they calim is owed to EDF.

I would also head the letter ACCOUNT IN DISPUTE AND THAT YOU DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY DEBT CLAIMED BY EDF .

You need to see what EDF hold in your name. LSC will have to abie all the rules once you do this.

You will soon find out if you do owe this money or not.

Thank you very much for your reply.

I was told that if I was living in that address, I would liable for the bill no matter I have an account with EDF or not. Is that ture?

Battleaxe44

I don't know anything about having a room in a house and how the utilties are paid for.

Seems a bit unfair, but if the others can't be traced I suppose they are going after whoever they can trace. Who did you pay the rent to? Did you have a tenancy agreement?

Have you got your rent receipts/bank statements from the time you lived there so you can prove the length of tenancy.

kidkid77

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

I don't know anything about having a room in a house and how the utilties are paid for.

Seems a bit unfair, but if the others can't be traced I suppose they are going after whoever they can trace. Who did you pay the rent to? Did you have a tenancy agreement?

Have you got your rent receipts/bank statements from the time you lived there so you can prove the length of tenancy.

Thank you for your reply.

I paid to my landlord. I was told that the bill was included in the rent and I never saw any bill letter during my stay. However, now it seems not.

Yes I have my tenancy agreement to proof that I have only stayed in that address for 2 months. I have sent the copy to LCS. Then they say they have sent the agreement over to EDF in order for the account to be amended...........

If LCS sends me another letter in the future, and changes the dates on the letter to reflect when I was at the property with the same amount of bill, what can I do? Will they do cheating on the amount of the bill?

Battleaxe44

Send the DPASAR letter and see exactly what EDF have on you.

Does the Tenancy Agreement state that your rent includes the utilities? if it does, it is the Landlords responsibilty to pay.

Don't do anything with LCS other than the DPASAR letter, send it today and make sure your have included the £10.00 postal order.

kidkid77

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

Send the DPASAR letter and see exactly what EDF have on you.

Does the Tenancy Agreement state that your rent includes the utilities? if it does, it is the Landlords responsibilty to pay.

Don't do anything with LCS other than the DPASAR letter, send it today and make sure your have included the £10.00 postal order.

I will double check with my agreement. I will find out the DPASAR letter....Wish this can be solved soon.

Last question.... if this goes to a court and I lost, will I be put into jail? Or it depends on the amount of the bill?

Battleaxe44

No you wont be put in jail if it went to Court and you lost..it wont get that far. these things take time. Actually playing with DCA's got to be a sport for some.

They can try to threaten, they think the can intimidate, they will if you let them. Do not play their games. Do not admit to owing any thing, do not acknowledge the debt, they have to prove that you do and if they haven't sdone things correctly and try to take it to court, this is where the Judge steps in.

EDF are claiming you owe the money, they have to prove you do owe the money.

It should be there in your Tenancy Agreement. If you have to pay the utilities, then it has to be done on what you consumed at the time.. a long way to go yet. Just keep everything in writng with LCS and send every letter recorded delivery so you have the paper trial. Oh never sign a letter, print you name only..I am a battle scarred old Battleaxe.

I pay what I owe, but I will not pay what I don't owe.

kidkid77

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

No you wont be put in jail if it went to Court and you lost..it wont get that far. these things take time. Actually playing with DCA's got to be a sport for some.

They can try to threaten, they think the can intimidate, they will if you let them. Do not play their games. Do not admit to owing any thing, do not acknowledge the debt, they have to prove that you do and if they haven't sdone things correctly and try to take it to court, this is where the Judge steps in.

EDF are claiming you owe the money, they have to prove you do owe the money.

It should be there in your Tenancy Agreement. If you have to pay the utilities, then it has to be done on what you consumed at the time.. a long way to go yet. Just keep everything in writng with LCS and send every letter recorded delivery so you have the paper trial. Oh never sign a letter, print you name only..I am a battle scarred old Battleaxe.

I pay what I owe, but I will not pay what I don't owe.

Thank you very much. I will never call them but only using writing. The tenancy agreement that I sent to LCS has my and my landlord's signatures. Wish this is not a big problem....