Debt Collector referred back to SSE

asymmetricunit

Hi all, 
I've been fighting a large estimated final bill from SSE over a year ago which was referred to a debt collector after a deadlock. I then sent them an email showing how SSE failed to calculate an accurate final gas account and that a year has passed since (so Ofgem rules on backbilling make this bill invalid). I then got an email this morning from PDCS:

Thank you for your recent email.

I am sorry to learn that you have been dissatisfied with the service you have received. Unfortunately, our time dealing with this matter has come to an end and the account has been closed. This means that we can no longer take up an investigation with SSE for you. As the matter has been closed without investigation I can’t uphold your complaint.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience and distress this may have caused. We will not be in contact again regarding this matter. If you wish to proceed with resolving this issue then you can contact SSE on 0345 026 2658.

Please our internal Complaints Procedure attached for your information. We trust you are satisfied with our explanation which you may regard as our final response to your complaint. However, if after consideration, you remain dissatisfied you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge. Although there are time limits for referring your complaint to the Ombudsman, we will consent to the Ombudsman considering your complaint even if you refer the complaint outside the time limits. Enclosed is a leaflet produced by the Financial Ombudsman Service, for your information.

While the Financial Ombudsman Service would normally deal only with matters pertaining to regulated consumer credit accounts, and SSE accounts are not regulated, they may still accept your complaint as falling under their jurisdiction. Should however this not be the case then you can if you wish complain further to Ofgem, or direct to SSE.

What does this mean? Have they referred the debt back to SSE because they don't believe that they have legitimate grounds to collect it? What should I do now, just wait to hear from SSE again?

Thanks  

sourcrates

No, SSE farm there bad debts out to various collection agencies.
This one has just decided they don’t want the hassle of dealing with your complaint, so have returned the account to their client.

Expect to rinse and repeat with the next one in line.

asymmetricunit

sourcrates said:

No, SSE farm there bad debts out to various collection agencies.
This one has just decided they don’t want the hassle of dealing with your complaint, so have returned the account to their client.

Expect to rinse and repeat with the next one in line.

Thanks - is it worth trying to contact SSE and giving them one last chance to close the account before I report to Financial Ombudsman and take legal action?

sourcrates

If you reached deadlock before, you maybe should have referred the matter to ombudsman services for them to make a decision. I`m not sure if there is a time limit on referring a complaint to them or not, but its possibly your next step -

https://www.ombudsman-services.org/can-i-complain

Jayaneric

I am helping support my neighbour who has been billed by SSE for her use of electricity unfairly because they they have not taken into account payments she has made. Although we have made several attempts to raise our concerns they have failed to respond to any one them, except by sending out a letter threatening debt recovery action. This seems unreasonable and unnecessarily heavy handed, and seems more in line with a culture of intimidation and bullying rather than customer service. Does any body have experience of this, what the SSE policy is in terms of debt recovery, time limits and do forth. I will be taken the complaint  to the ombudsman if they do not respond within the 8 weeks guidline but I am concerned that they will be pursuing the debt recovery before this period is complete. Is it legitimate, are they allowed to ignore a complaint and take unilateral action that does not take account of or seek to address customer concerns?