Backbilling Advice

ktid

I've just received an energy bill for usage 28 months ago from ScottishPower's debt collector representatives and I'm trying to work out if my circumstance are covered by the backbilling ban.

It seems that both parties are partly at fault so I'm unsure whether I will be covered by the backbilling act. I'll lay out the details below, all advice/opinions welcome.

• Sept 16 - Move into new build home (ScottishPower supply)
  
• Oct 16 - Switch energy supplier from ScottishPower
  
• Jan 19 - EOS Solutions (ScottishPower assigns debt collectors) deliver very strongly worded letter over unpaid bill threatening legal action. At this point I realise we never received a final bill from ScottishPower after leaving.
  
• Jan 19 - I raise a formal complaint with ScottishPower over fact no bills have ever been received.
  
• Jan 19 - ScottishPower letters miraculously start arriving at my address, apologising for mix up but demanding bill payment within 3 weeks. It transpires that the billing address SP have been using is a generic street name with no number (not my street and different from supply address).

Cardew

Backbilling does not apply in this case. Had you been with Scottish Power(SP) as a customer for over 12 months and had not received a bill in that time, there might have been a case to have charges for the early period waived. e.g. if you were a customer for 16 months, you didn't get a bill(and SP were at fault) you would get the first 4 months charges waived.



It would appear you have a genuine debt with SP and they have 6 years to collect that debt.


How did your new supplier agree meter readings with SP in Oct 16?



Am I correct we are only talking about 1 months supply - Sept 16 to Oct 16?

ktid

Thanks Cardew.

From memory I switched online and must have given the new supplier the meter readings, so we're probably talking about 6 weeks of usage and now got a bill for £200.

I've resigned myself to having to pay but just waiting for some meter readings as proof of a bill rather than a sharply worded email demanding the payment.