Default for water when Bill or reminder wasnt received?!

DesperateMan

Dear MSE members,

I turn to you in desperation after an issue and fruitless complaints to my water company (who shall remain nameless on this forum to ensure I keep to all the rules).

I moved to a rented house in mid-February (as I've relocated for work and it's a poor time to sell my own house elsewhere in the country) and the letting agent passed on my details to the water company as per the usual procedure.

I received a water bill dated near the end of February for around £45 (which I recall did not arrive until some time in March) which was duly paid.

Since then I have not heard a bean from the water company (although I'm used to being billed every six months for water, so this did not really raise a red flag).

However, yesterday, much to my surprise, I received a notice before referral to a Debt Collection Agency (dated 24 September) for an unpaid sum of around £380 (a year's worth of water). I called up immediately to try and understand what all of this was about, and it was claimed that the water company had sent me a second bill at the same time of the first bill (which is not referred to on the first bill at all) for the next year's water in advance. After doing some digging through managers, it appears this bill (and possibly another document - I had conflicting information on whether there were two or three documents) should have been stuffed in the envelope with the first bill. I still have the envelope with the bill (obviously opened) - nothing else is present other than the 4 pages of the bill that was paid.

The water company has gone on to claim that a reminder and a letter before default were also sent out to me at my current address, although mysteriously neither has arrived (and I'm absolutely certain of this as I open and file my bills carefully), and after doing some digging it appears two other letters (which don't relate to this bill at all - one of them being my welcome letter) have also been allegedly sent by the water company but have never turned up.

The two documents that have come through the post (the letter before referral and the original bill) have the correct address details, so I can't see how four successive letters all from the same utility company could all go amiss. I'm not aware of any problem with post in my area - everything else seems to come through (to be 100% fair, I'm aware of one letter from another party not arriving since I moved in, but that's it), but even if there were, it seems completely ridiculous and entirely improbable to suggest Royal Mail lost all of the letters.

As soon as I found out yesterday I offered to pay. The company asked for a direct debit and the sum to be split over the remaining 6 months, but I insisted on bringing the account up to date, so I was asked to pay the previous 6 months' charges in bulk and then set up a direct debit for the remainder, which was done there and then.

However, it has now come to my attention that a level 8 default has been registered in relation to the £380 on my credit file!

I therefore called up today and paid the next 6 month's water (something I had offered to do originally) so this debt is now completely satisfied.

But I had absolutely no idea anything was due. The situation seems completely surreal.

I have raised the matter with the Credit Reference Agency who is also investigating (but I'm sure they won't get anywhere if the water company stick to their guns).

I have complained to team leader and now manager at the water company by phone but to no avail - I was been told that as the sum was technically due they won't withdraw the default. They are insistent the letters were sent (although they appear to accept that they did not arrive), and I have requested digital copies of all the letters that should have arrived, as well as proof of postage as I understand that bills tend to be tracked by barcode these days. The water company have agreed to look into these requests, but on the main point of the default on my credit file, the water company will not budge, even as a goodwill gesture.

Is there anything I can do here? I'm about to attempt to rearrange my mortgage so that I can have a buy to let product and let out my house (and my current mortgage expires next year anyway). My near-perfect credit score in August has been completely trashed and I don't think I could even qualify for a small overdraft at the minute.

Also, does anyone know anything about whether utility companies are required to obtain consent before disclosing information with credit reference agencies (under DPA or otherwise)? I have never signed up or had any communication with the water company (except payment of the original bill through billpay, which makes no reference to data sharing at all)? I know consumer credit agreements always provide for such information sharing, but there was no agreement document with terms here, and anyway, as it now turns out, this is technically a "payment in advance" for your water (unmetered so calculated off rates anyway) deal, so there is no credit arrangement at all (if anything I'd be the creditor).

Please somebody come to my help. This ridiculous situation could force me to sell my house (which is still in a recovering area) at undervalue forcing me off the property ladder for good, and ruin my life. All over a measly £380 debt, that I had no clue about and paid in full within 24 hours of discovering it.

Thank you all in advance for kind time in reading my post.

Kind regards,

DesperateMan

DesperateMan

Sorry the thread title should be "Default for water when no Bill or reminder was received?!"

Kind regards,

DesperateMan

Dear all,


I'm really sorry to bump an old thread, but I've had no joy in the last 3 months on this.


I don't suppose anybody can offer any assistance on this at all can they?


One particular query I haven't gotten to the bottom of is the information a company is required to provide to a customer before sharing their data with credit reference agencies. I understand that is appears consent is not required, but that the customer should still be informed?


I also can't get an sense out of anybody on where an Experian "level 1 late payment" ends and a "level 8 default" begins.


Many, many thanks and my apologies again


Kind regards


DesperateMan

Thrugelmir

so I can't see how four successive letters all from the same utility company could all go amiss.

Unfortunately that's the base point that the Water Company will use for it's argument. They'll have a record of generating said letters in their system.

Lodge a notice of correction on your credit files.

Also use a mortgage broker when next applying for a mortgage. Explain the situation to them. An immediately settled default for a water charge not need be the end of the world. Taken in the context of 6 years history on your credit file.

enfield_freddy

sorry you have not progressed far,


It seems the water authorities are a law unto there selves.


I finished work late in 3013 , my water rates were paid up in full , may/june 2014 I got a letter TELLING me they were going to deduct them from my sickness allowance (how did they get my NI number etc?)


funds were removed every 2 weeks , last week I got a demand for arrears (and a default notice on my files) , I rung them asking/saying , "you are taking money , have been , and still are?
last payment taken by them , march/april last year , I did not notice this stopping as my benefits were amended and the yearly rize.


contacted job centre , "they asked for arrears and ongoing , but allowed us to stop payments when arrears were paid off"
NORTH WEST UTILITIES deny this ,


so I have now got about 7 non payment markers due to NWWA and DWP


no one will accept responsibility for this.

PaulW922

I think it is a bit rich defaulting for for not settling advance payments in any respect. As this sis not a credit agreement I am afraid I think you are probably stuck with the ombudsman/regulator route.

JournalGirl

DesperateMan, your story sounds like one to go to somewhere like Times Money or another financial journalist. Particularly if you can show how meticulous your filing of bills etc is.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

DesperateMan wrote: »

Sorry the thread title should be "Default for water when no Bill or reminder was received?!"

Kind regards,

In that case, may I suggest that you edit the title?

DesperateMan

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

In that case, may I suggest that you edit the title?

I can do that???.............I have just tried it by editing the IP and it let me change the title in bold at the top of that, but not the actual thread title - is there something I am missing? I am used to such privileges being in the thread tools if they are bestowed on members instead of being reserved for moderators?


Kind regards,




DesperateMan