Old First Utility Customer Nightmare - Shell Energy chasing for a debt that doesnt exist!

doconnor07

Hi All
I have been having a nightmare for 4 months with Shell Energy.

Back in 2013 i had an account with First Utility. When we moved house I ended up getting £200 refund for the credit balance that was left, though this took months to get.

Fast forward to summer 2022 and on looking at my credit report I see "Shell Energy" as a new account with £810 owed and marked as overdue!
I had no idea who Shell were so raised this with them - they said it related to my old first utility account. Luckily due to the fact I keep EVERYTHING, i found emails with First Utility confirming final balance and their refund. In August Shell confirmed no payment was due and they would get the system corrected and that I wouldnt be contacted again.

September arrives and Shell start emailing and sending letters chasing this £810! I raise another complaint, and no reply or come back from Shell ever occurs

October arrives and a further chasing letter for debt comes. I phone Shell again and they confirm no debt is due after I speak to a supervisor, and that this would be sorted by their accounts team. I raise another complaint at this stage.

Late October a "Final Demand" for payment arrives in the post. I phone the number on the letter and raise yet another complaint and they say they will put the collection on hold while its dealt with.

In the end yesterday I decided to go Twitter route - and as its now public surprise surprise Shell reply. They confirmed today first thing that the debt was reported incorrectly and nothing was due.

Fast forward to lunchtime today and I have Zinc Collections Agency chasing me for the debt  saying they will send bailiffs!! The threat of this has my wife (and our 2 babies under 2 years old) absolutely scared to death that while I am at work bailiffs will get into our house and take stuff. We live in countryside with no neighbours so she is terrified to the extent she has had to go the doctors and go on meds for anxiety. I have spent 4 or 5 hours on the phone to Shell, along with 50+ emails, and feel like getting nowhere - lost £300+ wages plus spent £50 on phonecalls on landline due to poor mobile reception at home for a long call with Shell.

Its getting ridiclous so I have now contacted the ombudsman - and to my surprise Shell have this afternoon confirmed the debt is written off, and are now offering money if i close the ombudsman complaint down!

I just wanted to share the story in case anyone else is in similar situation with threats of debt collectors when you dont actually owe anything and its their billing fault.

Shell have upped their £50 to £100 and now to £200 in the last 2 hours, but I am thinking I should stick to my guns and allow the ombudsman to deal with this, and to ensure i get a full letter of apology and confirmation they have fixed their systems so no one else is in same situation!

Please do let me know if anyone has had similar, and if anyone has had luck with "time and trouble" compensation being awarded by the ombudsman!

FreeBear

Bailiffs can not just turn up and remove goods without a court order, so until a judge has made his/her ruling you are safe. If it ever went to court, you would have plenty of time to prepare a defence - Further more, a judge would take a very dim view if Shell did make a claim whilst the complaint is with the ombudsman.

£200 sounds like a reasonable compensation package as long as it comes with an apology and conformation that there is no debt. I have a feeling you wouldn't get as much compo awarded by the ombudsman.

CanNeverThinkOfAUsername

£200 is a large amount for this issue, i would accept it. Normally you'd be looking at £75 - £100 here. Plus keep the letter safe saying its been written off.

Jono111

I think I would push for a letter saying there was nothing owed rather than the debt was written off, as there was never a debt

[Deleted User]

Read the section on ‘time limited’ debts from this Citizens’ Advice webpage.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/help-with-debt/dealing-with-your-debts/check-if-you-have-to-pay-a-debt/

My advice. Take the money. The Energy Ombudsman is just a private arbitration company that makes a Decision based on your complaint and the case supplier’s case file. It can come up with some odd judgements, and it cannot force a supplier to change its systems. 

doconnor07

Thank you all for the comments on this. 

I have now been offered £400 by Shell, so have accepted this. I'll be donating it to charities supporting those who cannot afford their fuel bills on receipt.

I also followed the advice above and have insisted the apology letter states the money was never due, and not that it was written off. 

On receipt of the cleared funds (they are sending chq) and the apology letter I'll let the ombudsman know I have settled.