FLOW ENERGY demanding money

Jakie123Jakie123

Hi,

Not sure if anybody can help but I've just received a letter from a debt collection agency i think (AIC - allied international credit).

The course of events is as follows:

- I left flow energy for scottish power in February 2016

- On 3/10/16 I get a bill from Flow energy for £315 (Gas £257 and Elec £47. The statement relates to 01 Feb 2016-14 Mar 2016

- On 5/10/16 I email them querying why the bill has come so late and how it can be so much given that it relates to just over a month

- On 14/10/16 I chase up my email as not had a response

- On 18/10/16 I receive a reminder that I need to pay

- On 18/10/16 I email back saying I'm unwilling to pay unless the questions in my email are answered

- On 19/10/16 I receive a response that does not reply to my question but an email saying there are payment plan options

- On 26/10/16 I receive a final reminder

- On 3/11/16 - PDF of final bill sent to me

- On 4/11/16 - I email back saying this does not answer the questions in my email and ask for the original start and finish meter readings for gas and electric and a total amount of money which I've paid to them since I was a customer. Suggested the bill should be wiped out given that it arrived 8 months after I left them.

- On 8/11/16 Response saying it has been sent to the account department

- On 16/11/16 Response received with an attachment that is a .msg file that I can't open. I ask if it can be sent as a PDF

- On 22/11/2016 Email from Flow saying that your response has already been responded to. I reply that it has not.

- On 23/11/2016 - They respond saying there is a note on the file that it has been sent. I request the information be sent as a PDF so i can view it.

- On 24/11/2016 - They re-attach the file as a .msg!

- On 23/04/2018 - I receive the letter from the credit people.

I feel like this could have been sorted out if Flow energy would have just been better at communicating. I don't believe that the final bill is correct as I don't understand how I could have spent £257 on gas in less than 2 months. I was just trying to get the relevant information from them to show them that it is an error and I got poor responses and now they've just escalated it.

How should I proceed?

Will this affect my credit score?

Any help most appreciated.

Thanks

James

baldelectrician

How should I proceed?
Start an official complaint with Flow- make sure it is logged as an official complaint (your existing one may be already logged as an official complaint - check)

Will this affect my credit score?
Possibly- check online using a free service


You also need to write to AIC and ask them to pass debt back to Flow as you are in dispute


Do you have meter readings?
In other words - can you work out the power you have actually used during this period. If you do then use this as evidence in the complaint.

trickytree1963

Jakie123Jakie123 wrote: »

Hi,


- I left flow energy for scottish power in February 2016

- On 3/10/16 I get a bill from Flow energy for £315 (Gas £257 and Elec £47. The statement relates to 01 Feb 2016-14 Mar 2016



- On 3/11/16 - PDF of final bill sent to me

Suggested the bill should be wiped out given that it arrived 8 months after I left them.

I feel like this could have been sorted out if Flow energy would have just been better at communicating. I don't believe that the final bill is correct as I don't understand how I could have spent £257 on gas in less than 2 months. I was just trying to get the relevant information from them to show them that it is an error and I got poor responses and now they've just escalated it.

How should I proceed?

Will this affect my credit score?

Any help most appreciated.

Thanks

James

Sounds like its a catch up bill. Do your opening readings you gave your new supplier in 2016 match the readings on the pdf final bill from your old supplier?

D_M_E

I agree you need to send a formal, written complaint and you also need to ask why, if you left them in February, why are they trying to bill you until 14th March? - was this the date the switch actually took place, or did the switch finalise in February?

WhoIsThat

Jakie123Jakie123 wrote: »

Hi,

Not sure if anybody can help but I've just received a letter from a debt collection agency i think (AIC - allied international credit).

The course of events is as follows:

- I left flow energy for scottish power in February 2016

- On 3/10/16 I get a bill from Flow energy for £315 (Gas £257 and Elec £47. The statement relates to 01 Feb 2016-14 Mar 2016

- On 5/10/16 I email them querying why the bill has come so late and how it can be so much given that it relates to just over a month

- On 14/10/16 I chase up my email as not had a response

- On 18/10/16 I receive a reminder that I need to pay

- On 18/10/16 I email back saying I'm unwilling to pay unless the questions in my email are answered

- On 19/10/16 I receive a response that does not reply to my question but an email saying there are payment plan options

- On 26/10/16 I receive a final reminder

- On 3/11/16 - PDF of final bill sent to me

- On 4/11/16 - I email back saying this does not answer the questions in my email and ask for the original start and finish meter readings for gas and electric and a total amount of money which I've paid to them since I was a customer. Suggested the bill should be wiped out given that it arrived 8 months after I left them.

- On 8/11/16 Response saying it has been sent to the account department

- On 16/11/16 Response received with an attachment that is a .msg file that I can't open. I ask if it can be sent as a PDF

- On 22/11/2016 Email from Flow saying that your response has already been responded to. I reply that it has not.

- On 23/11/2016 - They respond saying there is a note on the file that it has been sent. I request the information be sent as a PDF so i can view it.

- On 24/11/2016 - They re-attach the file as a .msg!

- On 23/04/2018 - I receive the letter from the credit people.

I feel like this could have been sorted out if Flow energy would have just been better at communicating. I don't believe that the final bill is correct as I don't understand how I could have spent £257 on gas in less than 2 months. I was just trying to get the relevant information from them to show them that it is an error and I got poor responses and now they've just escalated it.

How should I proceed?

Will this affect my credit score?

Any help most appreciated.

Thanks

James

Well you could, as others suggest, try raising a new complaint.
But I fear that would only be accepted on the grounds you now accuse, some 2 years later, that you " feel like this could have been sorted out if Flow energy would have just been better at communicating."

But I would suggest to you that the crux of your complaint, that you do not agree with the bill, has already been put to Flow Energy ... and indeed they have responded to that (twice), although it would seem there is still a failure to agree.

Unfortunately, you are now out of time to take that matter to the energy ombudsman; you would needed to have done so within 9 months of becoming aware of the issue or 6 months of Flow Energy's final response to that complaint.

Only court action now seems open to you if you wish to contest this further.
Either you can continue to refuse to pay, and I suspect ultimately the creditor will take you to court over the matter where you can contest the matter in front of a judge ... but in the meantime your credit files will probably be trashed if not already done so.

Or pay the money demanded "under protest", and then start your own legal action to recover that money which you contest was never correctly owed.

Unfortunately, your failure to take advantage of the free mediation service (the Energy Ombudsman) to resolve this matter out of court will probably be brought up in court, whichever way the matter gets there, and that won't please the judge.