EDF Threatening Letter

matw2

Hi all, hope you can help.

Got home from work today to find a letter from EDF on my mat. When I opened it up it's a "Notice before transfer to a debt collection agency" for gas used at a property I moved out of in April 2012 - almost 3 years ago.

This is the first contact I've had with EDF in the last 2 years, likely longer as everything was settled at the time.

I recall hearing or reading that energy suppliers shouldn't bill you for energy used more than 2 years ago, but I'm not sure whether that was only for electricity.

It's a relatively small bill in the scheme of things but I'm not particularly impressed with this! I've had balance transfers come and go in the time since I last dealt with EDF :rotfl:

Anyway, I thought I'd post it here in case it's a repeat of the NPower situation but if anyone has any advice it'd be gratefully received.

Cardew

I recall hearing or reading that energy suppliers shouldn't bill you for energy used more than 2 years ago, but I'm not sure whether that was only for electricity.

You are confusing your case with the 'back-billing' provision where companies can only charge you for the last 12 months supply if the haven't sent you a bill and it is their fault; it used to be two years.

The position is that if it is a valid bill the company have up to six years(five in Scotland) to bill you. This the same for any valid debt.

They should of course justify the bill with detail of consumption and payments etc and you can dispute the accuracy if you wish. This is why we should all keep accounts for 6 years - although few of do so.

It might be worth writing in with a formal complaint about the time it has taken to send you a bill.

However the bottom line is you have to pay a valid bill even if they had made a mistake in their final bill for the old property.

matw2

Thank you for replying. Fortunately I do keep all my letters, bills etc. The last letter I have from EDF is dated 27/06/12. It reads:

We're sorry for the delay in finalising your gas account, this is because we are waiting for some outstanding information before we can process the final bill.

We will ensure any further delays are minimised and your final bill will be with you as soon as possible.

I'm not sure, if they never sent a bill for this energy, whether this now counts as a back bill?

neil-uk

Hmmm backbilling is cheeky - in the harsh world of business my view is that if you've miscalculated the invoice that (as a client) ain't my problem!

Can you be sure you don't owe the money?

If you can be sure the debt is mixed up, just ignore the letter. There is very little debt collectors can do apart from knock on the door - they just like to hassle you and have no legal rights..... IF the instructed bailiffs, you would need to attend a court hearing, at which point you can defend the claim based on the fact you don't owe the debt.

chanz4

so would you rather pay for the person befores bil then?

Bark01

Contact EDF and ask them what its about and what it covers.

Cardew

matw2 wrote: »

Thank you for replying. Fortunately I do keep all my letters, bills etc. The last letter I have from EDF is dated 27/06/12. It reads:

We're sorry for the delay in finalising your gas account, this is because we are waiting for some outstanding information before we can process the final bill.

We will ensure any further delays are minimised and your final bill will be with you as soon as possible.

I'm not sure, if they never sent a bill for this energy, whether this now counts as a back bill?

It doesn't count as a back-bill, but simply an outstanding debt for an unpaid account - although obviously you are not at fault.


I suspect that the latest letter was just computer generated and hasn't been seen by a 'human'. For a small amount, outstanding 2.5 years, it would normally be written off as a goodwill gesture.


In that case I would certainly submit a formal complaint letter.


I certainly wouldn't ignore the bill as suggested above. Although it is highly unlikely to end up in court, it could be a black mark on your credit record

dogshome

It's possible that EDF did send out a bill to your old address, and only now have caught up with your move to your present address.

However you are entitled to a fully detailed bill listing dates, meter reads and tariff calculations - A demand letter in the post doesn't count, and nor does a bill sent to the wrong address

Get onto EDF, preferably in writing, insisting that they send you proper bill