CNG threatening letters 😕

big_gus

Hello, we have been told via email that we have a (near) £1,000 bill to pay to CnG from around five years ago. The broker person who always emails us with deals etc told us (about two years ago?) to ignore them as they were going out of business. I’m now guessing that advice was bad. 

We have this email (no letters in the post , zero ‘proper contact’ which I would expect from a serious company) but now they are threatening us with debt collectors. 

It’s just me and my little lad. Can somebody please advise what I should do 🙁

The email is from a Daniel Fosbrook, with an amount of £982… 

CNG Energy Limited (in liquidation) (“the Company”)

Your account reference – C**A01    Our A/c Reference – CNG1**/22

Outstanding Account £980.92 (***ven **el)

CNG Energy Limited (in liquidation) (“the Company”)

Your account reference – CJl**    Our A/c Reference – CNG16/22

Outstanding Account £980.92 (S**o**el)

 

elsien

Normally, if a utility provider goes bust, then you still owe any money due either to the new company or the liquidator.
A letter saying that you owe money is less threat and more statement of fact given that you do seem to acknowledge there was previous contact around this.
Did you owe the money at the time they went bust and do you think this amount is accurate?

big_gus

Hello, thank you for replying. The people who changed our supplier from CnG told us to ignore the email (perhaps 5yrs ago now, or a little less). So we did. 

They’ve now added on a couple of hundred pounds, although haven’t emailed us in the period since. And we’ve received literally no letters. So if the email address was no longer in use, (which could’ve happened, bearing in mind our last one is no longer active) we would not have heard from these people. 

I’ve no idea whether we are liable, but if so, it’s a pretty unprofessional way to go about things. Surely a letter to the address would be the way to go 😶

any help appreciated. 

Keep_pedalling

Debts do not magically go away if the creditor goes bust your broker was giving you bad, and unqualified, advice. The company liquidator has the task of collecting money from the company’s debtors (which would include you) in order to pay their own creditors. 

Presumably this is a business debt rather than a personal one?

big_gus

Am unsure whether it would come under business or personal. Its a gas bill for the Guest House I run (also live here; all the bills are thrown in together as one).

molerat

CNG were a purely non domestic energy supplier and the fact you mentioned "the broker person" just cements the fact you were on a business contract.

elsien

Given that it is a business debt you might want to try these people -

https://www.businessdebtline.org/

Phones4Chris

Have you ever had the bill for this outstanding amount? Was it accurate - based on meter readings?
If not, ask them for copies of the bills for this "outstanding" amount as you've never had any.

Sailbad

Bear in mind that the back billing rules also apply to micro businesses.

big_gus

Hi, no we’ve never had letters. Just an email stating the amount owed, but it relates to pre-lockdown! I could’ve changed my email since then so it just seems very unprofessional. 

elsien

Except you must have had a previous bill at some point if your broker told you to ignore it?
I would suggest sending them a "prove it" letter.