Eon and Lowell - help please

rt6

I have never been in debt and have always paid my bills on time so have been really rattled to receive a letter from Lowell informing me that E.on sold my account to them and I owe over £300. I did live for a short while at the address they give, but it was over ten years ago and I cannot even say for certain that E.on was my energy provider as I no longer have any paperwork from that time.

Is the next step to send a Prove it letter by registered mail?

How do Lowell even have my address as I have moved a number of times in the last ten years and now have a different surname (they have used my maiden name on the letter)?

twhitehousescat

10 yrs would well be in excess to time to start court action

Willing2Learn

Hi rt6 and welcome to the forum

Send Lowell the hybrid proveit / statute barred letter stating that you have no knowledge of the debt AND that it would be statute barred regardless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=76061221&postcount=5

sourcrates

The limitations period in England and Wales is 6 years, in Scotland it is 5 years.

Most simple contract debts will become statute barred six years from the date of default.

Lowell are well aware of the Limitations act, but will incinuate the debt is still collectable, which under statute, once you have informed them its statute barred, it is not.

The hybrid letter linked to above is the way forward here.

rt6

Hello, I'd be really grateful for advice re how to respond to Lowell who have now replied to the hybrid prove it / statute barred letter that I sent.

Lowell have now enclosed a copy of a statement from Eon that they say is sufficient evidence of my liability for the debt. It's a final bill dated April 2018. I am definitely not liable as I have lived in a different city to the one cited on the bill for over ten years. Moreover, they give a correspondence address in London (I've never lived there) and by 2018 I had already had a different legal name for four years as I got married in 2014.

What do I need to provide to prove that the person they are looking for is not me? The only bits of information that are correct are my maiden name and that I did once (over ten years ago) live at the address given. I don't feel comfortable sharing any more information than necessary with Lowells given that they are extremely aggressive and are persuing me in error.

I'd be really grateful for any advice you could give as I have never dealt with anything like this before.

[Deleted User]

Write to them and tell them that you are not the person they are looking for and to leave you alone.

[Deleted User]

Post this on the debt forum you are going to get the best advice there.

Willing2Learn

rt6 wrote: »

Hello, I'd be really grateful for advice re how to respond to Lowell who have now replied to the hybrid prove it / statute barred letter that I sent.

Lowell have now enclosed a copy of a statement from Eon that they say is sufficient evidence of my liability for the debt. It's a final bill dated April 2018. I am definitely not liable as I have lived in a different city to the one cited on the bill for over ten years. Moreover, they give a correspondence address in London (I've never lived there) and by 2018 I had already had a different legal name for four years as I got married in 2014.

What do I need to provide to prove that the person they are looking for is not me? The only bits of information that are correct are my maiden name and that I did once (over ten years ago) live at the address given. I don't feel comfortable sharing any more information than necessary with Lowells given that they are extremely aggressive and are persuing me in error.

I'd be really grateful for any advice you could give as I have never dealt with anything like this before.

Hi rt6,

You don't need to prove anything. The guidance is pretty clear in that the onus is on the DCA to prove liability.

You need to escalate to the 'proveit' complaint letter. This will give Lowell 8 weeks to make a sensible response. If they still keep hassling you, then you can escalate to FOS.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=57703407&postcount=3

rt6

Thank you very much for your advice, I'm very grateful and will send the 'proveit' complaint letter as you suggest.

rt6

Just a quick update - Lowell have just admitted that they are in the wrong. They are not willing to offer any compensation but won't contact me again. Thank you to everyone who posted replies, I am very grateful as I found the letters really upsetting.

Ben8282

As the debt is clearly statute barred I would have suggested you simply bin the letter and not respond. Lowells are on a fishing expedition.
The problem now with you asking them to prove it is that now you have established contact they will keep on and on pestering you.
If you re absolutely sure that you have not acknowledged this debt at any time in the last 6 years IGNORE THEIR LETTERS.