British Gas ongoing issue

Scaary1983

We were with Eon for our electricity. From last May we started getting letters for a different person from British gas. We returned several letters stating that they had never lived at the address (we have lived there 22 years) still we got letters so my dad contacted British gas explaining that this perfusion had never lived at this address. British gas assured us this would be dealt with. We continued to get letters to this person, we had bailiffs knock on the door too looking for her (bearing in mind my dad is a recently widowed pensioner with health issues that doesn't need the extra stress) my dad contacted them again and returned letters and three weeks ago we woke up to no electric resulting in a chest freezers worth of food lost not to mention the countless phonecalls and stress trying to get it switched back on. After speaking to them more my dad has discovered that this person had changed our electric from eon to British gas last year without us knowing they then subsequently didn't pay their bills so British gas put her on a meter. Where were the proof of address checks?  My dad has had to pay £150 the last month to keep our electric on due to their mistake. Has anyone had any similar issues with British gas and how did you go about resolving them? Also any advice on what we should be doing now or next? 

[Deleted User]

I don’t understand the last part of your post. Erroneous transfers happen for a variety of reasons. Follow the advice below:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/youve-been-switched-to-a-new-energy-supplier-without-your-agreement/

The supply will be switched back and your father will pay E.oN (or possibly E.oN Next) as if he had never left.

pochase

How would registering your account from Eon to BG benefit somebody, the energy is still delivered to your address and this person does not get it, or how did they charge their account at a different address to your account?

Did your father still pay direct debits to EON and received bills?

Mstty

Are you suggesting one of these door step energy sellers has signed up (or not signed up) your Dad but used his age to just push through a transfer so they pocketed the referral fee?

QrizB

Mstty said:

Are you suggesting one of these door step energy sellers has signed up (or not signed up) your Dad but used his age to just push through a transfer so they pocketed the referral fee?

I don't think anyone is suggesting that.

More likely the OP's dad lives at eg. no 18 and the new owner of no. 81 mis-typed their address in Uswitch.

pochase

QrizB said:

Mstty said:

Are you suggesting one of these door step energy sellers has signed up (or not signed up) your Dad but used his age to just push through a transfer so they pocketed the referral fee?

I don't think anyone is suggesting that.

More likely the OP's dad lives at eg. no 18 and the new owner of no. 81 mis-typed their address in Uswitch.

But if that happens the account would have been moved from EON to BG, so EON no longer takes a direct debit, and BG is not paid. So most likely no energy bills have been paid for quite a while.

The third party does not benefit in any way from the scenario at all, and it was not them who did not pay their bills, it would be your father who did not pay the bill.

@Scaary1983 is Eon still collecting direct debit and do you receive bills?

Mstty

QrizB said:

Mstty said:

Are you suggesting one of these door step energy sellers has signed up (or not signed up) your Dad but used his age to just push through a transfer so they pocketed the referral fee?

I don't think anyone is suggesting that.

More likely the OP's dad lives at eg. no 18 and the new owner of no. 81 mis-typed their address in Uswitch.

Obviously that's a question to the OP to answer?

We can all presume til the cows come home it was a valid question and one I have done across before. Door step praying on the elderly and them not necessarily remembering.

pochase

Mstty said:

QrizB said:

Mstty said:

Are you suggesting one of these door step energy sellers has signed up (or not signed up) your Dad but used his age to just push through a transfer so they pocketed the referral fee?

I don't think anyone is suggesting that.

More likely the OP's dad lives at eg. no 18 and the new owner of no. 81 mis-typed their address in Uswitch.

Obviously that's a question to the OP to answer?

We can all presume til the cows come home it was a valid question and one I have done across before. Door step praying on the elderly and them not necessarily remembering.

It is possible, but why would they do the change under a different name, they would want the money for "convincing" somebody to switch, in the above scenario it is clear that not the real owner account switched as the name is not the same.

But you are right, we need to wait for the OP to give more information.