'Npower sent a £6,000 bill and threatened legal action - and I'm not even a customer' - MSE News 24 August 2018 at 4:03PM in Energy 9 replies 2.1K views

Former_MSE_Callum

Npower has apologised after sending a woman a £6,600 bill and threatening her with legal action - when the money was actually owed by someone else with the same name...

Read the full story:
''Npower sent a £6,000 bill and threatened legal action - and I'm not even a customer'

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Mister_G

I assume that the 0845 number quoted is also illegal now?

anniecave

The article headline is incorrect... According to the article, Npower didn't Sarah a bill, they sent her a threating letter. Different things.

michaels

They have also now claimed the bill was for 'someone local with the same name' who could no doubt be identified from this info. I hope they have notified the data commissioner about this gdpr breach.

bri160356

A glaring admin error most certainly and I can understand the recipients distress when she received this final demand with its dire overtones of imminent legal action if she didn’t pay up forthwith.

However, one would imagine (though I could be wrong!) it was quickly sorted once the recipient contacted Npower and pointed out their addressing error.

I think this article is a bit of MSE flag waving to be honest;...which is fair enough as MSE were instrumental in ‘Sarah’ eventually receiving a £100 apology. :beer:

Power to the People!

Paul_DNAP

I once got a final demand from EoN (never been a customer) in my name but at Flat 25B (I am 25A) - turns out the guy who was in 25B left without settling up and they had "traced someone else living at the property" and I (not so) quietly explained we are not at the same property, but are neighbours, and asked if they had sent letters to the entire town or just me?

They removed my name form their system.

nfs_daemon

I would have been so tempted to ignore it, on the quite reasonable assumption that it had to be a mistake.

bri160356

nfs_daemon wrote: »

I would have been so tempted to ignore it, on the quite reasonable assumption that it had to be a mistake.

In this case it was certainly more than reasonable to assume the final demand letter was a mistake,...the ‘recipient’ Sarah knew for sure it was a mistake.

However, it may well be ‘tempting’ but it’s very unwise to ignore warning letters and final demands on the basis that you know the information contained therein is erroneous.

Situations like that do not usually sort themselves out without intervention and if left unattended they will generally escalate to the next level very quickly,...and so on,...upwards! :eek:

The longer the situation is left unresolved the harder that resolution will become and at some point you may even find that your own intransigence could well make you personally culpable (in part) for what follows.

In essence, ignore such letters/demands at your peril!

Ian011

Mister_G wrote: »

I assume that the 0845 number quoted is also illegal now?

Yes, since 13 June 2014.

pollypenny

I think I'd have let them take me to court.

Costs awarded to Ms Penny.