Summons for a bill I never had an account for - need urgent help

born_again

This has been coved a few times on energy board. As not Consumer rights reported to be moved. 👍

Qyburn

louspoon said:

When I arrived into my property, I went with Bulb, who have now gone bust. I entered a contract with Bulb and remained customer just before they went into administration. I’ve never had an NPower account and I have never signed any paperwork or anything anything online to say that I would be a customer.

Have they given dates and meter readings in their bill? If so then do these either start before you became responsible for the property, or extend after the date and meter readings that Bulb started their billing?

Qyburn

By the way you say "summons", is that what you've actually received?

Ectophile

user1977 said:

la531983 said:

You dont need to sign anything, when you move into a property and turn as much as a light on you are in a deemed contract 

You don't need to turn anything on, you're on the deemed contract as soon as you become the occupier.

No.  You actually have to "take a supply" to be a deemed customer.

ArbitraryRandom

Ectophile said:

user1977 said:

la531983 said:

You dont need to sign anything, when you move into a property and turn as much as a light on you are in a deemed contract 

You don't need to turn anything on, you're on the deemed contract as soon as you become the occupier.

No.  You actually have to "take a supply" to be a deemed customer.

That's not accurate - the ombudsman has ruled both ways on the issue depending on the specific circumstances and Ofgem 'disapproves' of companies who bill based on a deemed contract without use, but hasn't changed the regulations so they can't, so it depends on your supplier and how they interpret it/how the ombudsman rules should it get that far. 

Either way, it's irrelevant in this case given the OP has used energy. 

QrizB

louspoon said:

I have been chased by NPower for the last four years for a bill that they say I owe. I have ignored it as I have never had account with them ever.

When I arrived into my property, I went with Bulb, who have now gone bust. I entered a contract with Bulb and remained customer just before they went into administration. I’ve never had an NPower account and I have never signed any paperwork or anything anything online to say that I would be a customer.

I don’t know how they’ve got my details, but they say that I owe them £395. I’m now getting nasty grams from NPower Solicitors saying that they are arranging collection. I really don’t know what to do because I’ve never had an account with NPower.

OK, so if your property was originally supplied by NPower:

• What were the neter readings on the day you took possession, and what date was that?
• What were the opening meter readings on your first ever bill from Bulb, and the date for those?

If you ower NPower anything, it will be for the energy used and any standing charge due for the differences between those two sets of readings.

It's unlikely to be anywhere near £395, unless they've added debt recovery charges and interest.

Alnat1

When you advise your energy supplier you are moving out of a property and give the closing meter reading, they ask if you have the name of the new occupier. This is quite possibly how they got your name.

ArbitraryRandom

Alnat1 said:

When you advise your energy supplier you are moving out of a property and give the closing meter reading, they ask if you have the name of the new occupier. This is quite possibly how they got your name.

Do they? I'm not sure that's common for rentals (at least it hasn't been in my experience).

I would have thought it was as part of the transfer of supply - Bulb will have had to agree transfer readings, and I expect the name of the customer account being transferred would have been verified as part of that (alternatively you'd risk transferring the previous tenant's account).

Or if we've reached the point of a summons (if that is the case) then it might have been passed to a collection agent/the debt might have been sold, and they found the name via credit records. 

markin

Check the meter number matches, is it for both Gas and Elect? When did you first get a letter?

Back billing rules may/may not apply.

louspoon 

M25

Is there a court summons or is your title click bait (it worked)?

If you're getting letters in your name you should take it seriously and ask for how the debt came about.

If you're not bothered about them potentially going to court (would have an effect on your credit history) just bin the letters.