Please help with prepaid meter debt that isnt mine!

Cardew

ExNRGXpert wrote: »

Yea thanks for the flaming... as i quite clearly said "The Occupier" does not name anyone specifically... my point was that yes, if the supply was being used then it does need to be paid for, however maybe i wasnt clear. To clarify... make sure the bill is in your name before you pay anything.
And FYI i am an ex utility company employee

Hardly a flaming! and you most certainly were not clear!

It is self-evident that a bill addressed to 'The Occupier' "doesn't name anyone specifically"; and this statement;

However as there is no name on the bill then they cant possibly make you pay it- it would be like paying a credit card bill in someone elses name!

is equally incorrect IMO.

In many cases the utility company has simply have no way of knowing who is 'the occupier'. So they really really can make you pay a bill addressed to 'The Occupier'

Incidentally I have for years paid bills addressed to 'the occupier' for apartments where my children(when at university) and myself have lived. Indeed when my son was abroad for a year I paid his credit card bills addressed to him. Not a problem at all as the payments are traceable!

Rather than getting into a semantic argument, I think we both agree now that bills addressed to 'The Occupier' are perfectly valid and must be paid?? (obviously if you have used the energy) That is not a relevant issue in this dispute(as it appears the OP hoped)


To the OP.

I certainly would not pay the bill now as from what you have said it appears that your lodger was paying and not conning you?

I would get Energywatch involved.

Pixie28

A long shot OP, and Hydro have probably already asked you this, but are there any receipts hidden in a drawer somewhere for the tokens that your ex purchased? The payment card that he was using would have had a 19 digit number printed across it. This very number would appear on each receipt for a token purchase. If you can find this number you will have very high chance of being able to locate the payments.

Pixie28

hpsaucey wrote: »

You cannot get gas or elctric on a prepay token/card WITHOUT PAYING FOR IT FIRST.

You certainly can get electricity on a token meter without paying for it if you bypass your meter. Obviously this is illegal, but it happens...alot. It is nigh impossible to trace missing token payments without the 19 digit pan reference they were purchased on. From a Suppliers point of view, if the consumer cannot provide the number and/or proof of purchase, then they will not receive payment for the electricity that they have provided and the consumer will be expected to pay up. Token meters are a terrible system and the sooner rid the better.

gamma

Thanks everyone for the reply - I have phoned energywatch and they said I need to contact Scottish Hydro tomorrow with a reference number from energywatch.

I have searched high and low and cannot locate even one receipt - I know for sure I wasn't conned as I was present a few times when he bought the tokens.

What a mess!!! - the bill is for the last 2 years - can they enforce 2 years worth of debt?

What makes me the most annoyed is that we have several times throughout the 2 years let an enigineer in to read the meter - and never anything! now 2 years down the line Im hit with this bill.. why did they not realise this mistake much much earlier?

If I am forced to pay - would they be open to reduce the bill as a gesture of good will? But even this is unfair as someone has the money!

Pixie28

Gamma, did you never receive statements from Hydro indicating that there was an outstanding balance on the account?

The meter reader would have had no way of knowing anything about your situation....he would simply have read your meter and sent them to Hydro.

It is a pickle that you are in, I really feel for you....especially with the size of the debt. There is really no way to tell if they would be open to reducing your bill by goodwill. If you have never received any statements from them indicating that there was a debt accruing, then you may be able to use that in your defence.

Do you know where your ex obtained the card from? Did he perhaps bring it from a previous address?

gamma

I have no idea where he got the card from - I take it that it must have been from a previous address but I haven't got a clue where it is from.

And no I've never received a bill at all this is the first I've heard from them.

stimpo

gamma wrote: »

I have no idea where he got the card from - I take it that it must have been from a previous address but I haven't got a clue where it is from.

And no I've never received a bill at all this is the first I've heard from them.

If you have enjoyed the benefit of the electric when the debt was acrued then you will have to pay it. If you are not responsible for the period of time this debt was accrued then you will have to prove it.

If you are responsible for this debt then you will pay it and you will not get a discount. If you want a non PPM repayment option then you may be asked for a third of the balance upfront or more depending on the advisor you speak to. Collections departments generally ask for 50% but are willing to accept 30%

If you are unable to pay the initial payment upfront and you still have a prepayment meter then the debt will be put onto the meter and you can expect to repay anywhere between £10 and £20 per week towards debt with a standing charge of around £1.17 per week and consumption ontop whatever that may be.

If you do anlready have a prepayment meter and you refuse emtry to your property to allow the debt to be added to the meter you face a warrant from a magistrate and agents will force entry to your property to add this debt to your meter and you face charges ontop of the debt of around £200. If you do not already have a prepayment meter, are unable to arrange suitable repayment of this debt you still face a warrant where a prepay meter will be fitted whether you want one or not and if this is not feasable your supply will be isolated and you will be forced to pay the full amount plus additional charges before reconnection will take place.


All in all if you do owe this money, action sooner rather than later will save you a lot of hassle and cost in resolution of the issue.

WRT the issue of not recieved previous bills, aslong as the supplier has sent the bills then they stand, regardless or not of whether you have recieved them.