Meter reading taken by a third party for energy comp. that dont supply us, then £500 bill

[Deleted User]

Bartoni79 said:

Exactly -  I have been emailed a reminder about a bill I have no idea about with zero correspondence until Sunday.. for an account I had open for 4.5 months. I took the final meter reading in February the day i moved out, paid up, then again paid the back dated bill in April...SO im perplexed as to why this bill/ reminder has reared its head

Like all companies, energy suppliers have up to 6 years to amend a Final Bill and make a claim for payment. That said, this situation does seem to be related in some way to the manner in which you switched suppliers. The existing (deemed) supplier has a legal right to block a transfer if no contact is made by the new occupier/owner to set up an account. Your new supplier should have picked up on this, but many don’t.

As suggested above, your first course of action should be to determine which supplier is listed on the National Database for your property. This may be key to unravelling this particular Gordian knot.

deano2099

While I think there is an issue with the supply at the new place (as others have asked, are you paying/being billed by the new supplier currently?) that also explains why you had a BG meter reader come around. That all tracks, but it's a separate issue, and hopefully not a problematic one.
It seems unconnected to the issue with the old property. I would get in touch and ask them to send you a copy of the revised final bill, to your new address (did you provide them a forwarding address when you closed the account?)
What was the status of your old place? Did you sell it or was it a rental? Do you know what it is now? I'm wondering if maybe it was unoccupied for a few months, the owner never registered with BG, and then somehow a new tenant has registered with a different opening meter read and they're charging you for the time in between. I'm not sure if that's possible.
Main thing is to get a copy of the actual bill which should be a perfectly reasonable request.

t0rt0ise

The only way to deal with British Gas I've found is to write to them making a formal complaint. I would tell them that you paid in full so why are they now threatening you with debt collectors. If you phone most of the time they will tell you rubbish and I've found that they often simply cut the call if it's too difficult for them.

TheMilkmansDad

In relation to your old address/account; it looks like you've had 3 bills. 1st after you provided meter readings and paid, 2nd that they backdated a new bill - did the end meter reads match what you'd provided? and 3rd that you have a chaser for - you urgently need to request a copy of the bill to see what's changed.

Do the opening meter reads match the closing from your bust supplier? have the closing reads changed?

When you moved out, were you renting or selling? If renting, when deed your rental tenancy end - when you moved out or at a future date? You are still liable for the bills up to the end of contract unless otherwise agreed with the letting company/individual. This includes standing charges & any units used.

Same applies if you sold - was this the date of exchange/completion or was there a gap?

Bartoni79

I called them and they had no record of payment. Oddly the account was closed but still with money owing (£500) so they couldnt access some information. Why would you close the account with money owing? I asked to submit a complaint but as the account was closed they couldn't do this.

pochase

So is the £500 the same amount as the one on your final bill?

You were saying that the final bill was corrected? How long later was that? How did you pay the bill? I don't know how long they can will keep the debit order going, did you maybe think they will debit your account while you were supposed to pay them?

HampshireH

Bartoni79 said:

I called them and they had no record of payment. Oddly the account was closed but still with money owing (£500) so they couldnt access some information. Why would you close the account with money owing? I asked to submit a complaint but as the account was closed they couldn't do this.

But you have that proof of payment?

Bartoni79

Very strange. Ive looked in my bank account and no money has gone out despite me remembering doing this. Annoyingly theyve told me they've sent multiple bills to my old address since February and are fining me for late payment. I disputed this as the Royal Mail redirect service seems to have worked for all other correspondences and I gave them my new address plus they had my email address and phone number..
Anyway, going to have to look in the loft as I generally mark on bills when theyve been paid so see whats happened. Thanks for all your help.

brewerdave

Bartoni79 said:

Very strange. Ive looked in my bank account and no money has gone out despite me remembering doing this. Annoyingly theyve told me they've sent multiple bills to my old address since February and are fining me for late payment. I disputed this as the Royal Mail redirect service seems to have worked for all other correspondences and I gave them my new address plus they had my email address and phone number..
Anyway, going to have to look in the loft as I generally mark on bills when theyve been paid so see whats happened. Thanks for all your help.

Did you pay by cheque ? May have been lost by the supplier and not credited vs the account. 

aoleks

I always ask morrisons people who sent them. if it's not my current supplier, they're not coming in, end of.