Utilita will not pay outstanding debt

weakpassword

The charlatans and money grabbers at Utilita are just ignoring the debt outstanding to us.

We changed energy billing company and the change over zeroed the credit on the pre-pay leccy meter. The new company's letter started saying it was important to put the new key in ASAP, then after the page was turned over it said to only do that once the credit had run out.

My energy billing company said we had to go to the old one, Utilita, to get the money back. We sent an email to them and it was naturally ignored for a week. After chasing the matter up an email arrived the next day, in breach of how Utilita may handle personal data (but they have placed junk calls, keep posting marketing junk, will not stop sending marketing/spam/deceit/dishonest content with other communication, and just do not seem to care about people's statutory rights. Utilita make Talk Talk look like decent data handlers).

In the email asking for the vanished credit back we were clear the refund for credit must be supplied as a postal order as we have no bank account. They acknowledged that and then offered a cheque only, because all the people who run Utilita are a bunch of anti-social !!!!!!s. Because there is a debt outstanding Utilita have to pay with legal tender (a cheque is not that) or however we agree the debt is to be settled. We asked for a postal order or cash, they offered a cheque, and now are not responding to contact after being told that is not good enough.

What can I do about this? We only deal with these pricks because they had probably defrauded the previous tenant, door-stepping or something to become the billers for this address. When a meter broke they got an ex housemate's personal details. Because of all the personal data abuse that has happened I am loathed to actually contact Utlita myself, and our exhousemate wants nothing more to do with this awful company, either.

David Waller at this organisation was the last person we heard from, he is the !!!!!! that represents a big rich organisation, a brand of a globalised corporation, who will not consider acting lawfully when it comes to settling a debt. These kinds of scum would get our credit rating's lowered if they thought it would help them profit, and would not hesitate to get thugs to invade our homes are take stuff if there is a debt, but the inverse? No, they won't even humour the idea of acting in a socially acceptable way, and of course they are being all snooty and pseudo-self-righteous and acting like we have been an immense !!!!!.

Sorry Utilita, I didn't realise that only some form of !!!!!!!! would want you to settle your debts!

What complicates things is how the services are in the name of an exhousemate and they now want nothing at all to do with the steaming turd that is Utilita. Taking Utilita to small claims court would be the easiest to get the debt cleared, but I think they will just refuse things if things get formal, or perhaps even accuse this household of fraud. I know what the spam and other data abuses will be like and so simply want nothing to do with them, too.

Perhaps I should call a really really vile and scummy debt collection company and just sell the debt to them? Get them to visit the homes of some management or shareholders..... like a debt collection company would act in that direction


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naedanger

If the services are in the name of your ex-housemate then you should chase them for repayment of any money you are owed i.e. your share of the refund due to your ex-housemate from the utility supplier. (They in turn can chase the utility supplier.)

I cannot see how you can force the utility supplier to pay you directly as you have never had a contract with them so they don't owe you any money.

If your ex-housemate does not want to get the money back from the supplier that is their choice. But your ex-housemate should still pay you your share of the refund.

weakpassword

The money on the meter was not paid by the exhousemate, and so the same things that allow for a deemed contract when you move into a place should apply to me. For the household now there is now not any contract in place for the meter with Utilita, we have changed billing company.

The billing company has the money, it is due back to this household, we should not have to argue between ourselves over this situation. A situation only created because of the energy billing companies pushing things so that they do not have to take responsibility for their profit-seeking actions.

naedanger

weakpassword wrote: »

The money on the meter was not paid by the exhousemate, and so the same things that allow for a deemed contract when you move into a place should apply to me. For the household now there is now not any contract in place for the meter with Utilita, we have changed billing company.

The billing company has the money, it is due back to this household, we should not have to argue between ourselves over this situation. A situation only created because of the energy billing companies pushing things so that they do not have to take responsibility for their profit-seeking actions.

Utilita will want to ensure that they repay any overpayment to the correct person. I think you will have a problem proving that you are the correct person as you are not named on the contract.

You say "we should not have to argue between ourselves over this situation". Why not?

weakpassword

naedanger wrote: »

You say "we should not have to argue between ourselves over this situation". Why not?

Because they get the privilege of a deemed contract when someone moves into a place. If we had moved in and just changed supplier the money would not come back to the old tenant.... or would it? Our exhousemate does not owe us any money, the meter controller does.

But perhaps you think the money should come back to the old tenant, which would be an anti-customer attitude, the very problem endemic in the energy billing industry.

Not that the whole exhousemate thing matters, the crux of the matter is a debt is outstanding and they are offering a cheque. They know a cheque cannot be used but offered it anyway. Cash or a postal order is much more flexible, and whilst a PO is not legal tender we will be happy to take that to settle the debt.

They are offering the money back, just in a knowingly unusable way.

tberry6686

No company is going to send you a refund by cash in the post and I don't know of any company that would use postal orders either. A cheque is the normal method used (or bank transfer) but for some reason you have decided not to have these facilities. I think that Utilita are being perfectly reasonable and that it is you that is making things difficult.

naedanger

weakpassword wrote: »

Because they get the privilege of a deemed contract when someone moves into a place. If we had moved in and just changed supplier the money would not come back to the old tenant.... or would it? Our exhousemate does not owe us any money, the meter controller does.

But perhaps you think the money should come back to the old tenant, which would be an anti-customer attitude, the very problem endemic in the energy billing industry.

Not that the whole exhousemate thing matters, the crux of the matter is a debt is outstanding and they are offering a cheque. They know a cheque cannot be used but offered it anyway. Cash or a postal order is much more flexible, and whilst a PO is not legal tender we will be happy to take that to settle the debt.

They are offering the money back, just in a knowingly unusable way.

I think they may be insisting on a cheque to ensure they can demonstrate they paid the correct person.

If you feel you are owed money by the supplier then I can think of two options you have.

Firstly you could complain formally to them. I suggest you put your complaint in writing. If your complaint reaches deadlock (or is still unresolved after 8 weeks) you can complain to the Ombudsman.

Secondly you could take the supplier to court as you know. (This does involve some fixed costs, but these can usually be recovered if you win.)

Whether you win will depend on how the Ombudsman or court judge the merits of your case.

[By the way I think that when a contract ends any refund should go back to the account holder. So if you moved into a property with a credit meter then I think any credit on that meter when you took on the supply should be refunded to the previous account holder i.e. the customer who put the credit on the meter.]

Enterprise_1701C

Maybe try a different tack and ask nicely?

Robin9

I agree the contract is with the ex-housemate and OP needs to pursue him for his money. It doesn't matter that it was OP was paying for the energy - if had wanted to he could have have had the account in his own name.

What would happen if Utilita did pay the refund to OP and then the ex-house mate asked for the refund from Utilita.

There is perhaps an issue here as to how refunds are paid to people who do not have a bank account.

Autumnella

I work for a different energy company and we would never refund via cash or postal order (for a start how are we meant to make sure the cash has reached you and postal orders have a 10% charge. We would also not issue s refund to someone who was not named on the account. I don't know any business, let alone energy company that would. It's your thinking that's backwards not their processes. Who doesn't have a bank account in 2016?! If you were to manage to get a refund you could always go yo one of those cheque cashing places that take about 15%.

SwanJon

Robin9 wrote: »

There is perhaps an issue here as to how refunds are paid to people who do not have a bank account.

Autumnella wrote: »

If you were to manage to get a refund you could always go yo one of those cheque cashing places that take about 15%.

Should be able to take the cheque into the issuing bank with ID that you are the person it is payable to.
Won't help the OP as it will be payable to ex-housemate.

Had the OP contacted the supplier when they became responsible (ex-housemate moved out?) it could be in their name.