Debt collection letter

Kard234

I have received a letter from a solicitor stating I owe money for gas used at a property I lived in 5 years ago. I have sent a request of proof letter and received an eon bill addressed to the occupier as proof. The set dates on the bill 20th to 24 the Jan 2017 I can prove that we had moved out on 4th January and have council tax bills and another utility supplier bills at another address. Do I send this proof to the solicitor and ask them to send me a letter confirming this was a mistake. I don't want bailiffs etc. The debt being requested is £150 and they have said if I pay £80 this could settle it. Do I pay to stop letters etc. Please help.

[Deleted User]

Send them your evidence that you were no longer responsible for the account.

Keep_pedalling

You are not the only one. 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/dec/12/law-firm-for-debt-company-pursues-customers-for-eon-bills-on-homes-they-werent-living-in

sourcrates

Moved you to a more appropriate forum.

Its just a solicitors letter, so its no big deal, you treat it in the same way you would a DCA letter, do they say who they are acting on behalf of, is it Eon, or a debt collection agency ?

Either way it doesn't matter, please be aware that a bailiff can only be engaged once they have taken you to court, and you lose, and are then ordered to pay the judgement, but you fail to do so, then and only then can they engage a bailiff, should they wish to spend more money doing so.

So forget bailiffs, also the onus is always on the creditor to prove you owe the debt, you do not have  to prove anything.

However, in order to clear this up with the least amount of fuss, you can send them copies of your evidence, and deny you owe the debt, try not to get into protracted discussions with them, keep everything in writing, and if they still claim you owe the money, then wait and see if they commence court action, these solicitor companies may be too stupid to accept evidence when its shown to them, however a court will view it very differently.

Kard234

Thank you for your advice. Very helpful.