Flow Energy - fraud or incompetence?

SausageRoll

I left Flow Energy in September 2018. When the final bill came there was an outstanding amount (no quibbles there), I was expecting the direct debit to take care of things.


Twice in recent weeks I have received letters purporting to be from Flow, which are threatening debt recovery unless the amount is paid. The letters look dodgy (formatting errors, asking for a DD to be set up etc.). When I phoned, it sounded even less professional. I hung up.


When phoning Flow on the number I trust for them, they confirmed the tel number on the letter was not one of theirs. It was again confirmed that the direct debit will take care of the final payment in December and I'm to ignore further letters.


Either fraud is going on, or one half of the company doesn't know what the other half is doing - in the process making threats about debt collectors and credit ratings.


Has anyone else expereinced similar? I'd reach out to the police, but part of me does suspect it's genuine, just really poor service.

twhitehousescat

they confirmed the tel number on the letter was not one of theirs.

sounds like a data protection breech , someone has got access to your name/address and account number and the fact that you have switched

bubieyehyeh

Based on my experience I'd say incompetence.


When someone tried to erroneously transfer my gas, I must have had three or four calls from flow along the lines of "I understand your leaving us". So one side wasn't talking the other. I had already told flow it was an erroneous transfer and to block it.

Careful_ly

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5855777/flow-energy-troubled-last-payment&highlight=flow

See this post from earlier this year, is your letter from the company mentioned?

SausageRoll

Thanks for the responses, and good call Careful_ly: I don't know why I didn't find that thread when I searched, it's most useful. The final bill has taken a long time to be collected by DD, just possibly enough to trigger a genuine outstanding amount process. So I've made a manual payment via the website today, rather than wait until the DD date in December. What I don't want is to risk any kind of credit black mark.

Also, though, I now have it in writing that the number on the letters isn't Flow, so I'm reporting that as fraud. So beware, something iffy is happening to Flow customers.

RB71

Help needed or information on how to do deal with my situation correctly. 
3 years ago i lived in a property and used Flow energy as my provider a direct debit was setup and all was good.
My direct debit was lowered by Flow energy as according too flow i had built up a large credit with them. 
I had a choice recieve the excess back or adjust my payments and they would take from the excess and my direct debit. I took the 2nd option, 6 months later they increased my direct debit  (not by much) 6 months later they increased it again (also not by much). My tenancy came too a end and i decided too move, gave the necessary meter readings settled up the final bill and moved to new property.
Throughout my whole time at the property i had never been asked for any meter readings except at the start and end of agreement.
Deciding too use Flow energy again as they were so good at last property. 
Upon doing this i was asked if i would like too settle up my previous outstanding debt of £400+. 
I explained i had already paid the final settlement payment and this must be a error on they're behalf. 
They agreed it was & confirmed my payments had been adjusted based on estimated usage & i should of been prompted for readings during the 18 months) but stated it still needed to be paid ??? 
I opened a dispute on the figure and heard nothing back for over 2 years. 
Now ive been contacted by a debt collection agency threatening all manner of trouble etc if i do not comply with payments. 
I explained the whole scenario and my dispute too them and they have stopped only for another company (who acquired the debt i assume) too start up. 
Any help or advice would be great
(Sorry for being so long winded)

JJ_Egan

No meter readings by you leads to this problem's as its only estimate based  . Have you asked Flow for the bill / usage for your debt .

Do you have moving in and moving out meter readings .

Ectophile

I explained the whole scenario and my dispute too them and they have stopped only for another company (who acquired the debt i assume) too start up. 
Any help or advice would be great

Tell the debt collection agency that it's a mistake, you don't owe the money, and they must refer the matter back to Flow.

Contact Flow and raise a formal complaint (don't just have a chat with their call centre; it must be a formal complaint).

Essmum

You will need to ask the Debt collection agency to refer this to Octopus who took over Flow last year..
They may not actually have your details though as all outstanding balances on closed accounts were sold to third party agencies who are now in the process of collecting the owed amounts.

RB71

JJ_Egan said:

No meter readings by you leads to this problem's as its only estimate based  . Have you asked Flow for the bill / usage for your debt .

Do you have moving in and moving out meter readings .

I gave moving in and moving out meter readings, Flow confirmed i had recieved no prompts for any other readings in in a 18 month period.
I asked why did they drop my monthly payments twice then increase it once. 
You are correct it was on estimations. 
I explained i had paid whatever ever was asked and even paid what i was told was the final bill after giving final meter readings only to end up here.
I asked to open a dispute over the final final bill as it was not my error then heard nothing until a year or so later from Debt collection agency.

RB71

Essmum said:

You will need to ask the Debt collection agency to refer this to Octopus who took over Flow last year..
They may not actually have your details though as all outstanding balances on closed accounts were sold to third party agencies who are now in the process of collecting the owed amounts.

How are they allowed too collect a owed amount when the final figure is still in dispute? 
Have Flow energy just passed it on not willing too admit they're errors. 
Can you even do that ?