EON late payment markers

rjenkins1005

Will try and lay the facts out!

myself and partner bought our property 8/3/24

before moving in, we engaged with octopus energy to become our supplier (no knowledge of previous supplier)

all good and provided octopus the starting meter readings on the 13th (once we had access to our online account)

my mistake is not realising that our first bill from octopus read 8th March - end date but underneath showed they didn’t take over until the 13th due to having an issue contacting EON. 

So fast forward to March 2025 I received a letter from EON saying that if I didn’t settle a bill for £25 I would have a default registered. I also had a notification from ClearScore and had a late payment marker from EON for February 2025.

I emailed EON immediately to ask what the amount was for, and once a statement was received and I realised where the issue occurred when we moved in I paid in full within 24 hours. 

I asked EON to remove the late payment marker as I had no prior knowledge of the debt.

they refused and then added another late payment for March 2025

We have been in dispute for 7 weeks, my argument has been that I had no idea a payment was due and once aware I paid immediately. 

They’ve now removed March 2025 and added January 2025 in its place.

Theyve offered me a letter of apology and £50 cheque.

Ive declined and said if they will not remove the data shares I will take this to the energy ombudsman.

From what I can see online, these data shares have to be fair, consistent and considerate.

i do not believe these meet any of these conditions as they’ve been added 11 months after the debt first occurred.

Just wondering if anyone has any insight on this? Good or bad?

im keen to get them resolved, i was in a really bad relationship in my early 20s that resulted in a ruined credit report - im 1 year away from being clean credit for 5 years and this is taking me back

QrizB

Whenever you move into a property you become a.customer of the incumbent supplier.

Had EON written to you at all before March 2025? Even if only as "the occupier"?

rjenkins1005

Not that I received! But I’m wondering if the past owner had a redirect on wether it went to him in error 

Scot_39

Its certainly a possibility - but EOn Next are also paper shy on many tariffs - if the old occupier had online account set-up - they may well only have got electronic comms (cannot remember getting anything but general marketing by snail mail - nothing to do with my account anyway ).

Final bills might have to be paper - its so long since last moved - and back then all my comms were snail mail /   paper.  And last move I moved from EOn to EOn for electric - and shut down my B Gas account.

I have seen enough posts complaining about erroneous transfers to suspect their isn't all that rigorous a check. Speed and convenience are not always the benefits they at first appear.

And you probably - to be fair to EOn Next - should maybe have been expecting a final bill too - for at least any units used the 8th to the 13th - especially if we might assume from above the readings submitted on 13th were for 13th -  as well as say 5 or 6 days standing charges. 

Have EOn Next claimed that they did produce a bill that went unpaid earlier than this years debt markers and the bill you did get - even if in all likelihood not in your name - and potentially not even to your address - but for your address as supply address - for the period in contention ?

If they hadn't - and that was the basis of their apology - then that's different - but I'd make sure that facts behind their apology - included in your submission to Ombudsman if goes that far in future.  

[In any case you do realise you could well have left yourself open to paying for use before taking over home - by not submitting readings for the 8th - assuming that was the day you became legally responsible - or even earlier - if that a delayed moving date. To the deemed supplier - EOn Next.  Not everyone sadly can be trusted to be honest and transparent with their suppliers.]

rjenkins1005

Sorry to make it clear, I only realised the error from the changeover dates when I was looking after getting the letter from EON this March (a year after move in)

Ive never moved before so this is all a huge learning curve!

the opening reading I provided to octopus was taken on the 8th but not given to them until the 13th so I have probably double paid for the energy (not bothered about the £25)!

EON advised they sent a final bill out in March 2024 but I never received any letters until March 2025