Energy Company Sending Debt Collectors

Steve123456789

Our energy company have passed our details onto debt collection agencies, for an unpaid bill dated before we moved into our house.


We have corrected all 3 different agencies (one has contacted us twice, months apart) and the energy company, and provided proof that we didn't live there during the period of the unpaid bill.


Energy company have said they've removed our details multiple times, and clearly haven't. This ordeal has been going on since February.


Other than repeating myself, and providing the proof that we didn't live here during those dates, what more can I do? This is seriously getting on my nerves now. It's like talking to a brick wall and is taking up hours of my time.

dogshome

Write a letter headed Complaint and send it by Royal Mail - This has more legal authority than Emails or the phone and is deemed to have been delivered in 48 hours.


The supplier by terms of their licence has to acknowledge receipt, issue a complaint number and resolve the problem within 56 days - if they don't you go straight to the Ombudsman


I reckon that having to spend time contacting the CRA'a is worth recompense

Gerry1

Name and shame the energy company (they may well have a rep that monitors this forum) and go to the Energy Ombudsman.

You could also turn the tables on them by sending their CEO an invoice (find the address from the 'CEO Email' site) for your time and trouble. Take them to the small claims court if they don't pay.

Simplycito

Steve123456789 wrote: »

Our energy company have passed our details onto debt collection agencies, for an unpaid bill dated before we moved into our house.


We have corrected all 3 different agencies (one has contacted us twice, months apart) and the energy company, and provided proof that we didn't live there during the period of the unpaid bill.


Energy company have said they've removed our details multiple times, and clearly haven't. This ordeal has been going on since February.


Other than repeating myself, and providing the proof that we didn't live here during those dates, what more can I do? This is seriously getting on my nerves now. It's like talking to a brick wall and is taking up hours of my time.

Energy suppliers usually only appoint debt collectors when all their numerous previous attempts to enagage with you have failed.

However, there is usually still time to engage.

If, as you imply, the bill relates to a time before which you were responsible, then explain that to the supplier who will probably request evidence (e.g. a tenancy agreement or solicitors completion statement)

Note that when you moved in may not be the date you became responsible for the supply, especially if you delayed moving in for any reason.

As mentioned above, if necessary, follow the suppliers complaint procedure. You can probably find this procedure on the supplier's website.

Simplycito

dogshome wrote: »

Write a letter headed Complaint and send it by Royal Mail - This has more legal authority than Emails or the phone and is deemed to have been delivered in 48 hours.
...

How does a letter sent by Royal Mail carry any more "legal authority than Emails or the phone "? :huh:

Any form of communication specified in the suppliers complaint procedure is acceptable.
Most suppliers will record telephone converstaions, especially ones where a complaint is involved. You may, of course, need to obtain a copy of this recording to satisfy yourself what was said, if the content is later challenged. There is usually no charge for obtaining such a recording, which can often be sent electronically to you.

Similarly, proof of sending an email is just as much proof as is proof of sending a letter. Moreover, many suppliers will send an auto-acknowledgment of receipt, so they can't later claim they never received it even if they don't ever respond. But of cousrse, if no response is receioved, you will probably try again and again, and possibly via another method.

A letter will cost you at least 61p to send, not including the cost of the paper, envelope, or even the ink/toner used.

An email is effectively free of charge and arrives usually within seconds if not sooner, not days.

Steve123456789

I've already provided evidence to the energy company as well, several times (not that I should have to - it's not my responsibility to prove that I don't owe money, but their responsibility to prove that I do. And they won't be able to, because I don't)


I have paid the bill from the date of completion of sale of the house, until the date I switched to a provider who isn't an absolute joke. The outstanding balance is dated up until the day before completion.


The energy company is Spark Energy.


I have it in writing twice, and have been told verbally four times, that they will remove my details from the account they created for before we owned the house. We have provided details for the previous owner who is responsible. Our solicitor has emailed them and provided details of the previous owner as well. Every time, they say they will update their records, and we won't hear anything else. Every time, they don't and I hear from another debt collector.

Steve123456789

No need to be like that.
Try spending hours on the phone and explaining the same long story to every person you speak to, for them to tell you it's sorted, but then a month later the same issue happens again...

My solicitor didn't ask for any money for sending a single email.

Are you implying my solicitor is bad at their job because they didn't check for an unpaid utility bill before we bought the house, or because emailing a company just once didn't solve the problem?

Steve123456789

It is NOT my responsibility to tell them the same information over and over and over again, for them to ultimately ignore me.

dogshome

YES - A letter by Royal Mail does have more clout than than an E.mail because it is enshrined in law that it deemed to have been delivered in 48 hours.


When n'power were under the hammer from Ofgem to reduce the number of customer complaints, they came with a number of 'creative' ways of doing so, and denial of Email receipt was one of them.

matelodave

agree with Dogshome, although I'd send the letter as recorded delivery or signed for to ensure that you have evidence that they've received it.

The advantage of a recorded letter is that it has to be signed for and manually processed and so doesn't just end up as another ranting e-mail or phone call. It also indicates that you really mean to get it sorted out.

It might cost you a bit more than 61p, paper and an envelope and even a trip to the post office to post it but surely that's got to be worth a try to get this problem sorted out.

As said above, use the proper complaints process, send the letter and then see what happens.

Talldave

Simplycito wrote: »

Energy suppliers usually only appoint debt collectors when all their numerous previous attempts to enagage with you have failed.

However, there is usually still time to engage.

If, as you imply, the bill relates to a time before which you were responsible, then explain that to the supplier who will probably request evidence (e.g. a tenancy agreement or solicitors completion statement)

Note that when you moved in may not be the date you became responsible for the supply, especially if you delayed moving in for any reason.

As mentioned above, if necessary, follow the suppliers complaint procedure. You can probably find this procedure on the supplier's website.

The OP's done all of that, bar the complaint.