British Gas Bolier Repair, paid for but referred to collection agency

mike121278

Hi there folks,

On 27th October 2006 I had British Gas carry out an ad hoc repair on the bolier at a property I let out. I paid the invoice on 31st October 2006, in full with my debit card at a post office counter (I still have the all the paperwork including receipt and PO Stamped counterfoil).

Today I called round to see my tenants and they gave me 2 letters, one from Nelson Guest & Partners (dated 08/10/07) and one from Wescot Credit Services (dated 23/10/07), both letters state that I owe £169.66 in relation to the above work. As you can imagine I was absolutely LIVID :mad: :mad: :mad: .

I spoke to Wescot (who also say they wrote to me on another 2 occasions but couldnt tell me when) this afternoon to say that the invoice was paid at the time and that I have all the paperwork to back this up. I also spoke to a very nice and genuinely concerned sounding cusotmer relations lady at BG Services (from a number I found at saynoto0870) who assured me she will have somebody look into this and contact me tomorrow.

At no point did BG send me a final reminder for the invoice. The 2 letters I received today are the first I have heard about there being any dispute regarding payment.

Can anybody shed any light on how this could happen and more to the point who I can escalate this to and possibly make an attempt to make this whole charade public to further highlight what a shower of s*** BG are.

Thanks in advance all,

Mike

midflight

Hey man,

What on earth are you doing letting anyone from British Gas anywhere near your property in the first place!? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

It's a bit like inviting a dung beetle into your home, and then complaining there's poo everywhere!

Terrylw1

Hi Mike,

There are some possibilities here I have come across before with payments.

Was there some reference to the invoice on the payment itself? So, maybe the invoice number or your BGas account number?

Could it have been paid onto 1 of several accounts you have with BGas so they need to trace & transfer it?

As far as the letters go, debt collection agencies are nto always the straightest people to deal with so either a) they have sent them to the wrong address b) sent them and your tenants may have disgarded them (it does happen) c) lost in the post (there are tons of missing items in the post due to RM strikes right now) or d) they are blagging.

I suspect d) since they would have a clear record and they couldn't find it.

Check the reference on your payment first. I know I've seen the PO or banks mess them up and end up not referencing them to an account number hence they sit in a miscellaneous account.

As far as complaints go, you could go to Energywatc, BGas complaints (shold be on the back of a bill) or go the whole hog:

Phil Bentley
Managing Director
British Gas
Millstream
Maidenhead Road
Windsor
Berkshire SL4 5GD

Ofgem made it formal that all Suppliers need a customer relations of some sort so it should be on the bill.

Just be aware that there are other possibilities here. Did BGas say whether they have sent you reminders??? There are loads of threads about late/lost post at the moment that could account for this.

Regards


Terry