Mistaken identity

Cat_Loving_Lady

My parents who are in their 70s received a letter from some bailiffs threatening to come to their house and take some items for an unpaid energy bill for an industrial property they had never heard of. The letter was addressed to their house and had the right surname but a different forenames. When my mother called the energy company they insisted that my parents details were on the land registers and they owned a large group of industrial units which they rented out. Many letters and phone calls later (all at both theirs and my own cost) we received a grovelling apology saying they had made a mistaken identity error. This caused my parents, who are dealing with a terminal illness (my father) a considerable amount of stress not to mention lost time and cost of calls. I intend to write to them to complain but is there anything else I can do as this is just unacceptable.

dogshome

You could have legal redress via the courts for 'Haressment' - To do this you need detailed records of all the letters and phone calls, particularly the first letter that informed the power company that they were chasing the wrong people

Cardew

You must send your letter headed COMPLAINT; and include in the letter(signed by one of your parents) permission for you to handle matters on their behalf.


I am not normally a fan of everyone demanding compensation, but in this case it is justified.

Cat_Loving_Lady

I too am not one for seeking compensation but they insisted my parents names were on the land registers even though their first letter was addressed to a couple who had the same surnames but completely different forenames. It was only after I asked them several times why was the letter addressed to different names that they would even look into it and kept suggesting we contact a solicitor. I just feel like why should they get away with treating two elderly people so poorly. Thanks.

GingerBob_3

In the first instance was it the energy company or the scum that were chasing your parents?

Cat_Loving_Lady

The first letter they received was from a collections company threatening the bailiffs. Prior to that they had never heard anything of it. My mother panicked as she is elderly and under a considerable amount of stress at the moment.

GingerBob_3

Cat_Loving_Lady wrote: »

The first letter they received was from a collections company threatening the bailiffs. Prior to that they had never heard anything of it. My mother panicked as she is elderly and under a considerable amount of stress at the moment.

I think a solicitor should be your next port of call. Write to both the energy provider and the scum telling them that you're doing so.

Davesnave

Cat_Loving_Lady wrote: »

I intend to write to them to complain but is there anything else I can do as this is just unacceptable.

This is an old thread now, so presumably you have been to a solicitor, who may have told you that putting yourself and your parents through a further legal claim might prove just a further uneccessary stress on you all.

How much is your loss in monetary terms? The amount you might be awarded above this for distress is impossible to know, but it could be insufficient to serve as a punishment to whichever party you feel is to blame here. These are commercial concerns and punitive damages seem unlikely to me.

You've received an apology. It's your decision whether to pursue the other parties for more than your reasonable expenses, and if you do, involving legal expense, you should be clear that a resolution could take months and might result in an unsatisfactory outcome from your perspective.

Cat_Loving_Lady

Just to update the said company offered £50 compensation to cover the cost of phone calls which we accepted.