Help please! Backbill from Eon Next

helpmeplzz

Hi everyone, I'm in need of some help.

Today I had a letter through the door from a debt collection team. They said they had tracked me back to living in a property in March 2023 (over 2 years ago) and said that I owed Eon Next £180 from this old property/energy account.

Immediately I log into my eon next account and see that the balance is £0. I call Eon next and they advise me that there's actually £280 in debt on the account. I am mortified, and then look through my own account and can now see -£280 where it previously said £0. Apparently they've been trying to contact me about this a few times, and on their system it says that emails were sent to me about it, but I haven't received ANYTHING. What's worse is that their system says that these emails were opened but I swear on my life I haven't had any of them. I have a folder of emails from eon from Jan 2023 just containing energy statements, none mentioning the debt on my previous account. 

I'm not someone who avoids bills AT ALL, however, I am very concerned that they are demanding this money from me, and from my perspective the only communication I received was the debt collection letter... I personally think that they have a system error with the emailing/ my account previously showing £0 before he "unblocked it" for me today. What are my rights here?

Thank you in advance, I'm very stressed about this

helpmeplzz

Forgot to mention - my phone number is on the account but they have never called me either

Skibunny40

I don't think they can backbill for energy used over 1 year ago, if this is the first you have heard of it.

helpmeplzz

I thought so too, but my concern is that they're adamant that they have records of me 1. receiving the emails, 2. opening the emails which I'm absolutely, 1000% certain has not happened. I have literally no way to prove this though do I?

QrizB

Skibunny40 said:

I don't think they can backbill for energy used over 1 year ago, if this is the first you have heard of it.

They can't issue a first bill for energy used over a year ago and then ask for new money to pay it.

However EON Next have told the OP that they billed them for this at the time and have been trying to get hold of them ever since. If that's true, it's not back billing (otherwise no-one would ever pay their energy bills, just delay for 12 months and then claim they're not liable).

helpmeplzz

QrizB said:

Skibunny40 said:

I don't think they can backbill for energy used over 1 year ago, if this is the first you have heard of it.

They can't issue a first bill for energy used over a year ago and then ask for new money to pay it.

However EON Next have told the OP that they billed them for this at the time and have been trying to get hold of them ever since. If that's true, it's not back billing (otherwise no-one would ever pay their energy bills, just delay for 12 months and then claim they're not liable).

Looking at my account though, statements for April 2023 and May 2023 were £0 and £3.20 credited, it's only March 2025 where they've got the -£280 written down

helpmeplzz

And also, I've had no evidence of them even trying to contact me... They had my email and phone number, and also as I'd just switched houses with them I am still an Eon customer so I don't know why it took a debt collection agency to contact me

helpmeplzz

Just found this under my account proving that there were no emails sent to me after 13th March 2023 which was £60 bill that I paid off (until today where they sent me the mega bill)

Ectophile

Open a formal complaint.  Make it their responsibility to show that they have actually billed you within one year of the alleged electricity usage.