MSE News: Hundreds of households wrongly chased for EDF debt

Former_MSE_Callum

EDF has apologised after hundreds of households were mistakenly sent letters by a debt collector demanding payment for outstanding bills...

Read the full story:
'Hundreds of households wrongly chased for EDF debt'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply.

Consumerist

But for some of these debts, EDF only knew that the occupier of the property was one of its customers - it didn't know their name. Therefore in order to collect the debt, Lowell had to try and identify the customers that were occupying the property in question at the time the relevant account was open.

How does a supplier not know the names of its customers ?

It seems to me that EDF has been on a major fishing expedition and is leaving the debt collector to pick up the pieces.

As for compensation on a case-by-case basis, how can anyone receiving a demand for payment not be inconvenienced.

I think formal complaints to EDF for selling incorrect information about its customers is entirely appropriate.

Mark64uk

I had one of these, the date i apparently owe from is the day i moved out and the following four months looks like they dont know what was living there after me so they are just using previous customers details!

Consumerist

Mark64uk wrote: »

I had one of these, the date i apparently owe from is the day i moved out and the following four months looks like they dont know what was living there after me so they are just using previous customers details!

Provided you advised EDF that you were moving and were ending or transferring the contract, there is no reason that EDF should expect you to have still been at that address subsequently.

Callie22

They have been doing this for a long time - we had this happen to us about four years ago. My partner and I moved out of a rented property, informed EDF and paid our final bill, and then out of the blue a few months later I received a debt collector's letter chasing for a debt that had been accrued after we'd moved out. We were in the process of buying a house when this happened and I was livid, as it really was just a matter of luck that we caught the letter and dealt with it, otherwise it could have done serious damage to my credit record right when I was in the process of getting a mortgage. I do think that them sending the letter to me wasn't at all accidental and this is actually a deliberate and longstanding ploy by EDF to try to get hold of customer details when they've got unpaid bills at an address.

PixelPound

You should always take photographs of the meters when moving out. Whoever moves in will provide meter readings and if there is a difference will attempt to get hat back.

wendineill

Has the letter from Lowell today and called them. Apparently I owe over £100 for an old account at my previous address - I vaguely recall switching then switching back and there being confusion over payment to which company, BUT I know it was resolved in 2013/2014. I’ve since gotten rid of the documents which prove this, but am now being chased for a debt I don’t owe. To add insult, EDF claim they send the debt to a credit collection agency in 2014, but sent the demands to some other random address. Lowell we’re nice when I called, but I still have to either pay money I know I don’t owe, or prove I paid it! Any advice appreciated?

D_M_E

wendineill - you should start your own thread but - don't phone, send them the provit letter from https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter

It's up to them to prove you owe the alleged debt, not for you to prove anything.

What you want to see from them is a detailed breakdown of how the alleged £100 was arrived at, just sending you a bill which says "you owe £100 pay up" is not good enough.

Skools_Out

D_M_E wrote: »

...
It's up to them to prove you owe the alleged debt, not for you to prove anything...

Exactly.

I'm sure the creditor will provide you a fully itemised bill detailing what you owe, according to them.

If you then want to dispute their claim, you will need to offer up some kind of defence that can be substantiated.
Simply contesting you do not owe it when they prove that according to their records you do will not suffice.

If you have paid their bill in the past, I'm sure there will be a paper-trail that you can demonstrate that confirms you have.
But the fact that at the same time as you say you have paid it, you dispute the money is owed at all does raise some questions over your credability.

If you don't provide evidence of your defence to the supplier, be prepared to supply it to the judge.

ETA: Brand new poster.
Post made Today, 1:34 PM (bumping a thread last posted in 3 months ago)
User left the forum Today, 1:34 PM :cool:

On the brighter side, only 2 weeks left to go now, give or take the odd day.

[Deleted User]

nic_c wrote: »

You should always take photographs of the meters when moving out. Whoever moves in will provide meter readings and if there is a difference will attempt to get hat back.

Photographs of meter readings do not have any legal standing. Could have been taken anytime in the past and data logging on cameras can be manipulated and can t be trusted neither.
Taking a photo is just another way of noting it down on paper, no better.

Consumerist

Houbara wrote: »

Photographs of meter readings do not have any legal standing. Could have been taken anytime in the past and data logging on cameras can be manipulated and can t be trusted neither.
Taking a photo is just another way of noting it down on paper, no better.

My tablet adds a header (EXIF) to the photos it takes which contains the date and properties of the image but that is probably easily hackable. The best option would be to send the snapshots to the supplier in an email on the day of departure (or as close as possible).