Problems with SSE

Sali90

Hi, I hope someone can advise me with a problem i've had for a long time with a business owner using my address. It started off with the guy getting his parcels sent to my address but with his name on them, he was aware he was doing it as he once came to the house to demand a parcel which we hadn't received, my son who has autism answered the door and the guy became threatening and upset my son, until a woman appeared to drag him away. It eventually stopped once we started checking the parcels and refusing to accept  ones addressed to him, if we accepted any by mistake we returned them.

Since then we started to receive letters from SSE addressed to him but using my address asking for payment for his electricity bill. We rang SSE countless times and each time they promised to rectify the error, but we continued to receive the bills even though we had a PAYG meter, now we have a smart meter for gas and electricity. We have even had confused meter readers who came to read the guy's meters at our house, but were astounded that SSE had mixed up the two addresses. 

Then last month I received another letter addressed to the guy, it was a notice of intended legal action if the sum of over £5.6k wasn't paid, if it wasn't they would take legal action through the relevant court and/or apply to the court for a rights of entry warrant to fit a pay as you go meter or disconnect the supply. There would also be a charge of £134 if they had to apply for and execute the warrant, gain entry, fit the new meter or cut off the supply. Also they may have to change the locks and/or appoint a dog handler. They wanted contact from him by 26th October, so this Monday to avoid further action.

We contacted SSE, who admitted they could see that our account wasn't the same as the guys' and could see how many times we had contacted them, they just kept logging the phonecalls and not taking any action. They said they would sort it out, but have done absolutely nothing as I received yet another letter today, which is just a reminder but will no doubt escalate again. Calling them achieves nothing and I don't know what else I can do to stop receiving this man's bills. I still expect them to turn up on Monday, but I will have the relevant evidence to prove that he doesn't have a business here. 

I wanted to add that the guy's business is down a road off the street I live in, in a numbered unit, it's amongst a few other businesses who have never purposefully used my address like this guy has done.  

Any advice would be appreciated.

Farway

Don't 'phone SSE, write using with pen, paper & a stamp, using Royal Mail. Head your letter COMPLAINT in capitals, so there can be no misunderstanding by SSE

You can get a free "Certificate of posting" by asking at the counter. Keep a copy of course

This will count a proof of sending it

Maybe too late now but sounds like at one time, maybe previous occupier, the house address was allowed to used a convenient post box

If you feel up to it, anything not addressed to you, or a member of your house, don't open it, just write "Not Known at this address" on the letter & put it back in the post box

Eventually everyone using your address will get the message after not getting cheques or whatever in post

If / when they turn up on Monday show them your evidence & perhaps point them down the road to the person whose bill it is?

Best of luck

Sali90

Thank you Farway, I will do that. 

Gerry1

As SSE have such a poor record of dealing with complaints, they agreed that the Ombudsman could be contacted after six weeks instead of the usual eight.

https://sse.co.uk/about-us/sse-and-you/making-a-complaint

Sali90

Thank you Gerry1 I will try them. 

macman

As above, stop opening post addressed to him, and return it.

welshmoneylover

Any post addressed to him return to sender marked as not known at this address! Do not open anything or hand anything over; just shove it all back into a post box