Are energy companies allowed to send debt collectors/reduce credit score for an estimated bill?

Baffledbybills

Octopus energy have reduced my credit score and are now sending debt collectors to my house based on an estimated gas bill of over £1500.  I am refusing to pay this bill because I don't have any gas (and therefore no heating or hot water).  They are now charging me £20 per month late payment fee aswell.  They keep asking me for a meter reading and when I tell them I have no meter, they tell me that this is 'not possible as if I had no meter then I would have no heating or hot water'.  Yes, that is what I am telling you!!!  They then ask me to take a photo of the meter so that they can get the MPAN number.  Are they being deliberatley dense?
Any advice would be welcome.  I have already been to the energy ombudsman (twice) and won the case both times.  Still freezing!!!
Are they allowed to send these debt collectors?  What should I do if I am in when they come round?
How can I get my credit score back up?
Thanks in advance.

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

Are you saying that the property is not connected to the gas grid because there are no pipes /no supply in the locality, or has the supply been capped and the meter removed?

booneruk

Octopus can't reduce your credit score, however they can report failures to keep your account in good standing. Are you saying you shouldn't have an account with them since there's no supply to your premises? 

If not, then Octopus should remove your account and all mentions of it from your credit files.

oldernonethewiser

You don't require a gas supply to have heating and hot water.  

TheElectricCow

You might have to take a step back here so we can understand what your relationship is with Octopus. Are/were you an Octopus customer for gas at your property and the meter has since been removed? Or is it the case that there’s never been a gas supply for the property and Octopus mistakenly believe there there is?

As for debt collectors, typically if you inform them that the debt is under dispute they should back off. You may need to provide some evidence for this, but that shouldn’t be hugely difficult if they’re pursuing a gas bill for a supply that doesn’t exist.

Baffledbybills

To clarify, there is gas supply to the property and my heating and hot water run from a combi boiler.  Everything was working well but there are 4 gas and 4 electric supplies to the building.  1 of each is capped off with the meter removed. I used to pre-pay 1 gas and 1 electric but was unable to pay the other supplies unless I was willing to get seperate bank accounts and e-mails.  Went to the ombudsman and won the case and it was suggested that I put all meters on one supplier.  Went with Octopus who changed my account details so that I can now pay for the supply that has no meter but am unable to pay the supply that actually runs to my boiler.  They have estimated that I have used over £1500 of gas.  I have refused to pay this bill as I have no gas to run the heating or hot water system.  Due to my non payment of this estimated bill I have had my credit score reduced twice for persistent non payment.  They have sent hundreds of e-mails, texts, phone calls and now debt collector visits.  Won the case again with the ombudsman and they have agreed to come out and sort the situation out in 6 weeks.  Just wanted to know if they are allowed to cause all these problems on an estimated bill?

MattMattMattUK

Baffledbybills said:

To clarify, there is gas supply to the property and my heating and hot water run from a combi boiler.  Everything was working well but there are 4 gas and 4 electric supplies to the building.  1 of each is capped off with the meter removed. I used to pre-pay 1 gas and 1 electric but was unable to pay the other supplies unless I was willing to get seperate bank accounts and e-mails.  Went to the ombudsman and won the case and it was suggested that I put all meters on one supplier.  Went with Octopus who changed my account details so that I can now pay for the supply that has no meter but am unable to pay the supply that actually runs to my boiler.  They have estimated that I have used over £1500 of gas.  I have refused to pay this bill as I have no gas to run the heating or hot water system.  Due to my non payment of this estimated bill I have had my credit score reduced twice for persistent non payment.  They have sent hundreds of e-mails, texts, phone calls and now debt collector visits.  Won the case again with the ombudsman and they have agreed to come out and sort the situation out in 6 weeks.  Just wanted to know if they are allowed to cause all these problems on an estimated bill?

Can you link to the ombudsman judgements so we can have a read as from your posts it is quite hard to understand exactly is going on. 

timjim

"To clarify, there is gas supply to the property and my heating and hot water run from a combi boiler."
"I have refused to pay this bill as I have no gas to run the heating or hot water system"
I don't understand how both of these quotes can be true 

Olinda99

I have read your post and have to say I don't understand it

the gas you're using for your heating and hot water via the combi boiler - is this supply connected to a working meter?

if so then presumably you are capable of reading the units used and paying octopus for the amount of gas you have used irrespective of any estimated bill.

also this meter you are using to feed your boiler does have an mpan which you can send to octopus as requested

perhaps you can clarify - you say you have four supplies to the building. one is capped, off one presumably is feeling your boiler - what are the other two doing?

NorfolkCanary

Baffledbybills said:

To clarify, there is gas supply to the property and my heating and hot water run from a combi boiler. 

So, there is a gas supply to the property.

Everything was working well but there are 4 gas and 4 electric supplies to the building.  1 of each is capped off with the meter removed.

Capped off by? Supplier? Property Owner? Someone else? Is this the main supply to the building or to separate flats/units within the building? Was this advised to Octopus at the time?

I used to pre-pay 1 gas and 1 electric but was unable to pay the other supplies unless I was willing to get separate bank accounts and e-mails.  Went to the ombudsman and won the case and it was suggested that I put all meters on one supplier.  Went with Octopus who changed my account details so that I can now pay for the supply that has no meter but am unable to pay the supply that actually runs to my boiler. 

From the above I guess (please correct) that: there were multiple suppliers to your house/flat and you won a case with the ombudsman that all should be with 1 supplier. Octopus was chosen. However you're unable to pay the units to run the H.W. & heating, as well as the daily standing charge?

They have estimated that I have used over £1500 of gas.  I have refused to pay this bill as I have no gas to run the heating or hot water system.  Due to my non payment of this estimated bill I have had my credit score reduced twice for persistent non payment.  They have sent hundreds of e-mails, texts, phone calls and now debt collector visits.  Won the case again with the ombudsman and they have agreed to come out and sort the situation out in 6 weeks.  Just wanted to know if they are allowed to cause all these problems on an estimated bill?

Octopus have estimated your usage, thus the bill of£1500 & have threatened debt collectors, presumably for non-payment and non compliance?

Think we need to clarify what you mean by the 1 of each is capped off & meter removed. Is this a house or flat within a building? I'm assuming flat, as I can't envisage a house with 4 sets of incoming supplies.

EssexHebridean

Can you clarify OP - as this really is quite confusing.

- Does your property currently have 3 x gas and 3 x electric meters - 6 meters in total?

- Is this a single property with multiple meters (perhaps was formerly flats and now been converted to one large house?) or is it multiple properties inside one building. If the second of those, how many properties are within the building.

- Which meters are you being billed for - as in, does the MPAN no on the bill you've received match with any of the gas meters at the property?

- Do you currently have a gas supply which you re using at the property? 

- Are you providing gas meter readings to Octopus for any of the meters, or do you have smart meters that are sending readings?