Deemed energy supply problem

kev100_2

Cardew wrote: »

Is it possible that the meter was historically assigned to No144 but always paid by No145? Bills for my daughter's flat when at university were sent to my address and I paid.

I have no indication at all that the account may previously been assigned to 144, and can see no reason why it should have been. Npower have confirmed thet the bills and the account were previously in the name and address of the previous owner, and now the current owner of 145 until this problem arose last month.

Its quite plain that the owner of 145 has seen that he is going to be spending £250 quid a year on a light for his tenents (as his tenents would not pay between them) in the passageway, and hes decided he doesnt want to pay it .. and trying to palm it off onto us.

kev100_2

So I have written to Npower requesting disconnection and removal of the meter, they have told me that because I have disputed the account saying that it doesn not belong to us then they cannot disconnect or remove the meter .. go figure.

Anyway I have written a letter detailing everything and all the points, taken a few photos and marked them appropriatly, and emailed this to the complaints department with a carbon copy going to the CEO email address and also a CC to the ombudsman too .. lets see if that will get things sorted out.

Oh and I flicked the fusebox off and took out the fuses just to p*ss off the neighbour, maybe he will now contact me. EDIT, having thought about this, I think I will put the fuses back .. dont want him accusing me of criminal damage or interference etc .. then again the account is in my name at the moment .. Hmm .. what to do

undaunted

kev100 wrote: »

What I cant understand is there is no procedure in place to confirm when an account name is changed, just needs a letter or email (if they have the email address) to confirm .. then again if they did things correctly how would they be able to rip off consumers and get away with it.

In theory suppliers are required to make contact with anyone they claim to supply under a deemed contract. In practice getting anyone interested when they don't do so is entirely another matter.

footyguy

kev100 wrote: »

So I have written to Npower requesting disconnection and removal of the meter, they have told me that because I have disputed the account saying that it doesn not belong to us then they cannot disconnect or remove the meter .. go figure....

If you are denying any responsibility for the meter, you cannot give instructions on the supply.

Or are you now accepting it is your responsibility?

The truth will out.

kev100_2

footyguy wrote: »

If you are denying any responsibility for the meter, you cannot give instructions on the supply.

Or are you now accepting it is your responsibility?

The truth will out.

Somebody in another post suggested I call Npower and get the meter disconnected, I did this informing them that I m in dispute and are NOT claiming resposibility for the meter or the charges, they told me that as I have informed them that I am not responsible for it then they cant come and disconnect it .. they have escalated the complaint to their complaints team and are looking into the possibility of reverting it back to the previous owner (owner of 145), but I can almost garantee its not going to be that easy. They said this was supposed to have been done when I called them the first time, but they didnt do it. Their customer service is a joke, I understand why they only get 35% score and come bottom of the customer satisfaction table.

kev100_2

Ok . Update.

Had a deadlock letter today from Npower after explaining yet again the situation on the phone yesterday, to quite a nice lady actually, (not like the idiot I spoke to before). saying that this is there final position and that the account is in our name and because of that we are responsible (I will just remind that we never had contact from the neighbour about this (we did tell the previous owner that we would not contribute to his bill for the passageway and he accepted that, proof bieng that he continued to pay the bill withough any payments coming from us, nor were we ever aware there was this meter), we never had contact, consultation and Npower never had any contact or confirmation from us that we use or are responsible for this account or the supply of electricity to the meter associated with this account)

Well if they think this is the final position they are mistaken, we will not acknowlege the contents of this letter as bieng true or this case bieng closed as they seem to want it. I would have thought for it to be closed then both parties would have to agree to that ????

So I am asking for help again, I am doing research now, but perhaps somebody already knows, or can point me to the regulations of the deemed contracts by energy companies, and inparticular to any regulations that state that they must consult, confirm, agree or have any contact with us before they can assign the account to us.

I find it really hard to believe that they are able to just take the word of a neigbour and without that contact with us just start billing us.

Cardew

For NPower to take that stance I can only think that somehow that meter has been tied to your house by the DNO in the past.


If that was the case(and I accept it is a big 'if') then who paid the bill, where the bill was addressed to, is irrelevant.


Even Npower cannot be stupid enough to transfer responsibility for an account to a customer unwilling to accept that account without proof that they are responsible.

However you said earlier that NPower will not remove the meter as you are disputing 'ownership'. Well they cannot have it both ways.


Get meter removed and go to Ombudsman about the arrears.

kev100_2

Actually I have decided what to do, I am going to pay the bill under protest, its only 40 quid, get them to remove the meter and disconnect the supply still making it clear we are not admitting ownership of the account.

Then will send them a county court claim to recover the money and let a judge sort it out, I have had small claims county court experience several times before with big copmpanies who think they can push us "little" people around with 100% success .. in fact most of the cases do not get to court and are settled by the companies.

You may be right that at some time in the past that the electricity supply may have been connected to our property as it is in the passgaeway between our 2 properties, but for certainly until a month ago for the last 19 months the bill has been sent to and paid for by the owners of 145, and we had no knowledge or been inormed that this meter existed from either the previous or current owners of 145 or Npower.

We are a private customers, whereas the bill is a business bill, obviously because of the rental business at 145 .. we have never had a business .. so another argument that how is it possible that the bill is ours.

Anyway .. lets see what happens .. may even send something to the dreaded Daily Mail haha .. i know they love these little stories of the big bullies trying to get money from pensioners on pension credit.

Cardew

I think that is the correct decision, although file a formal complaint with NPower telling them of your intentions.


Look forward to the outcome - these things only take a couple of years.

footyguy

Cardew wrote: »

...Look forward to the outcome - these things only take a couple of years.

Hearing is probably already scheduled for first thing Monday morning based on this user's story ... :cool:

This user has already eaten me out of house & home...