Bristol Energy Customers Being Chased For Non Existent Debts

fallen121

A large number of Bristol Energy customers had accounts where they paid on receipt of bill via the Bristol Energy customer portal. The payment processor was Allpay Ltd.

Recently, it has become apparent that due to things having gone dark at the Bristol Energy end, payments are not being reconciled and recorded on the Bristol Energy portal, leading to non existent "debts" being passed to the Bristol Energy "Arrears Team" who are in fact a branch of Credit Resource Solutions based in Halifax. As these "debts" relate to bills for electricity and gas supplied to customers BEFORE Bristol Energy went bust , British Gas are unable to get involved and in fact encourage customers to make payments directly to Bristol Energy as per normal. Because these are supposed debit balances, they are NOT afforded the same level of protection as the credit balances for those paying by DD. The money just disappears.

I spoke with Allpay, the payment providers today, who confirmed that daily files are being sent to Bristol containing details of the payments and funds are being remitted to the Bristol Energy Bank account. But that's as far as it goes. No-one is actually processing these payments and the debt collectors neither know nor care. The debt collectors have access to the Portal, the Portal shows no payment so the customer gets harassed. And so it goes on. They continue to harass former customers for payments they have already made. One of their better suggestions from CRS is for customers to ask Allpay Ltd for a refund so they can pay again, which is pointless as Allpay have already remitted the funds to Bristol Energy. CRS also give out phone numbers and emails for Bristol Energy which have been dead and unmanned for months.

emails to Bristol Energy and Together Energy just result in standard bounce emails which provide details of Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice who just give a phone number for the Administrator which just gives out a recorded message telling customers to contact the same customer service emails which result in bounce emails giving details of Citizens Advice. So it's a kind of circular nightmare with no resolution in sight.

Bristol Energy don't care
Administrators don't care
Citizens Advice don't care

Yes, I understand this is a !!!!!! storm with thousands of customers having been cut adrift with no warning, and dozens of people are in the same boat. But DD customers aren't getting threatened by bailiffs and CCJs for debts they can prove they've settled. And in the normal course of events if you were being chased for a debt you'd paid, you'd contact the company concerned and square it before it got serious. In this case, doing nothing is just going to result in thousands of customers being left with black marks on their credit records which is very difficult to undo. But in the here and now there is absolutely no-one to contact, you just have to sit back and watch your credit record slide down the pan for a debt you've actually settled and can prove you've paid.

This is totally and utterly unacceptable and I have no clue what can be done about it.

bannanna

fallen121 said:

As these "debts" relate to bills for electricity and gas supplied to customers BEFORE Bristol Energy went bust , British Gas are unable to get involved and in fact encourage customers to make payments directly to Bristol Energy as per normal. Because these are supposed debit balances, they are NOT afforded the same level of protection as the credit balances for those paying by DD. The money just disappears.

I spoke with Allpay, the payment providers today, who confirmed that daily files are being sent to Bristol containing details of the payments and funds are being remitted to the Bristol Energy Bank account. But that's as far as it goes. No-one is actually processing these payments and the debt collectors neither know nor care. The debt collectors have access to the Portal, the Portal shows no payment so the customer gets harassed. And so it goes on. 

That differs from what I have been told by British Gas

I had a balance owing to Bristol Energy when it collapsed and customers were transferred over to British Gas. I am now being chased via automated emails from Bristol Energy for this balance owing. I was worried this might be a scam given that the company has collapsed and there is obviously no-one at Bristol Energy to pick up my phone calls or respond to my emails, so I contacted British Gas customer services yesterday. Pasted from the chat log with them:

Me: I was transferred to British Gas as the supplier of last resort (previously I was a Bristol Energy Customer). As I understand it, British Gas has taken on all of their accounts, including those in credit and those in arrears. British Gas then requests payments from those in arrears/repays those who were in credit. I have been emailed an auto-generated message from Bristol Energy requesting funds for my account which was in arrears when it was transferred to you. Do I wait for you to contact me to request these funds or do I pay Bristol Energy? All of the contact details on the email from Bristol Energy are out of date since the company has closed down. I am worried this is potentially a scam, as I have been waiting for you to contact me.

British Gas customer service: I see that we are yet to receive your credit/debit balance from your old supplier. Once the account get settled with them, they will transfer the balance to us.

Me: So do I pay them? Or wait for you?

British Gas customer service: Yes. Just wait for the notification get sent by us.


I have a feeling that Allpay Ltd are going to be knocking on my door soon despite all of this and I don't want a mark on my credit file for defaulting on a payment (my direct debit has long been cancelled). Where else should I raise this?