Debt company chasing credit balance paid to new supplier

Chocky44

Hi all 
I was with Simplicity Energy when they went out of business. My account was transferred to BG Evolve. The administrators paid my credit balance of approx £250 over in June 2021.
A few weeks ago I had a letter chasing that very amount. When questioned, the credit company have said the administrators made a mistake and I actually owe the money - it wasn't a credit.
Is there anything I can do after almost 2 years?

MWT

Did Simplicity provide you with a final bill?

What did that say about your credit balance?

Chocky44

From memory, I was in credit and the administrators figure was right. I've asked for copies of bills (all they've sent is a spreadsheet showing I've used more in gas than electric but in 30 years, this has never happened before). Can the administrators get it wrong then I get chased?

MWT

Chocky44 said:

Can the administrators get it wrong then I get chased?

Yes, if there was a mistake they are entitled to chase to get it reversed.

... but there should be a new final bill produced if that is the case...

jbuchanangb

You need to check your final Simplicity bill. If you owed them money, then they are entitled to ask you to pay. If you were in credit when they went bust, then under the OFGEM Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) process your new supplier was required to credit your new account, and then claim back from a central fund. The cost for this central fund is being borne by all of us through our increased standing charges. The bankrupt supplier did not have your money any more which is why they went bankrupt.

[Deleted User]

The Administrators paid nothing, or very little, to the SoLR. Consumer credit balances are unsecured. If you had been forced to make a claim for repayment to the Administrators, your credit balance would have been worth pennies in the £.

The SoLR will have been provided with final bill information from the failed supplier’s Administrator. It will have paid this money out to you in good faith, and submitted a claim to Ofgem for repayment which, in turn, would be repaid by all energy consumers.

If following an internal audit, the Administrators find that an error has been made they have the right to correct it. I assume that the SoLR will also remove the credit it has added to your account. This may appear unfair; however, if say a £250 debit balance was billed as a £250 credit the difference is £500. The Administrators ask you for £250 and £250 is debited from your SoLR account; that is, £500.

Under the Statute of Limitations, the Administrators have 6 years to issue a claim for repayment.