Need some help writing a letter to Powergen....

sanchyna

Hiya all,

I'm not quite sure if I'm posting this in the right forum, so if not, please forgive me!:o

The problem is the following:

My husband used to have a contract with Powergen for electricity. They came and installed a prepayment meter (per his request), and he happily went and charged the card whenever there was no credit left on it.
I moved into the house about 2 years back, and after checking some energy suppliers found one that was much cheaper than Powergen.

So I switched, and my hubby received a 'final bill' from Powergen for £ 19.20, which we paid.

Then, for a while, nothing happened.

All of a sudden though, we received a letter from something called 'Intrum Justitia Ltd', claiming that we owed Powergen £ 239.41. I called them, trying to explain that we had a prepayment meter and that I can't understand how we owed them that amount (isn't the idea of a prepayment meter that you only use what you paid for, and can't amount a big bill??), but they basically said that Powergen said we owed that amount, and unless we paid, they'd take us to court.

I called Powergen, asking for statements, bills, anything that would explain to me where that bill comes from, but they refused. I have to mention that we NEVER received any kind of bill from Powergen other than the £ 19.20 which we paid.

I'd like to send them a formal letter now, requesting that they send me statements and stuff so I can check if I actually really owe them the money, and then decide what to do, but I struggle to formulate a proper letter. English isn't my native language, and while I can usually make myself understandable, I'm not familiar with the right terms and stuff to make it sound somewhat 'professional'.

Could anybody help me out?

I recall seeing something on the boards at some point where it was pointed out that if somebody wants money off you, they have to show you statements, bills, contracts and so on and prove that you actually owe them the money, and they are bound by law to send you copies of those things.

Does anybody how to formulate such a letter, requesting those things and asking Powergen to give me a reasonable amount of time to check them, or can anybody link a template? I tried nationaldebtline.uk, but they don't seem to have a letter like this in their templates.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

San

angelavdavis

Why did Powergen refuse to supply the information when you called them? Did they give any explanation? They have to prove that the debt is actually yours - not an admin error.

There is a complaints section for EON who own Powergen:

http://www.eonenergy.com/At-Home/Contact/Complaint/Complaints.htm

This link provides information of how to contact the Director of Customer Services. He replies within ten working days.

Why not phone Energywatch in the first instance (details here) first for advice before proceeding with a letter? It will help you know what the formal process should be. I have found them very useful in the past when we had problems with a overly high bill that indicated that there was an issue with the supply.

sanchyna

Actually, the first time I asked I was told they would send me the info I wanted, and when nothing showed up, I called them again and was informed that because of the Data Protection Act they never send information like that out by mail. I asked if there was any other way of at least having a look at it (maybe driving to their offices or something), but she said that wasn't possible. When I asked if that meant I was just supposed to believe that we owed them that money without any proof, she said 'yes', and then hung up on me. That's why I wanted to do it in writing and a little more professional this time.

Thanks for your advice though, I will sit down and have a look at the links in a little while, and see if I can get any help from Energywatch.

Thanks again,
San

arnie&caseysma!

They said they never send information like that out by mail???? Is that not the way that they send it out in the first place in the forms of statements and bills????

I too have recently had problems with Powergen and been fobbed off time and time again. Fed up of their lies (by quite a few different supposed customer service operators) I went through their website to the complaints section. I had since received telephone calls and emails from Cordelia Hall who works in the directors office who has been great and has carried out an investigation and has managed to resolve it to my satisfaction.

You say English isn't your native language but the way you have worded your original post is more than appropriate. Why not try emailing Powergen complaints (find the link in their website) in the first instance with the information you have given above and let them know if you do not get a satisfactory response you will be complaining to Energy Watch. Make sure you include a telephone number they can contact you on 24/7 or you will find yourself communicating mostly by email.

Good luck.