Sent someone else's bill

middlingditch

Hi all

Hoping for some advice. I received a bill from 0v0 Energy - when I say 'received', I mean there was an 0v0 letter in the post with my name on but for a different flat (the post all comes through the shared front door of a converted building). Puzzled, I opened the letter and it was a bill for standing charges and estimated energy use for that flat for 3 months, and they are chasing me by name for payment. 

I have contacted them to state clearly that I am not responsible for this flat or this account or this bill, and they want me to prove that I don't live there. While it is surely not up to me to "prove a negative", I have sent them a copy of my driving licence which shows my correct address but they claim this is not "enough". They want either a tenancy agreement, the title deed of my home or a council tax bill for my address. I don't have any of these documents with my name on (our flat is in my husband's sole name, as is the council tax, and obviously I don't have a tenancy agreement as I simply live with my husband). 

I am wildly angry at them for randomly putting my name on this bill and now wasting my time trying to get me to prove that it's not mine. But they said without one of those three documents they "can't" remove my details from the account. So what's the best move here? 

A complication is that the address they've attached this bill to doesn't technically exist any more. It was joined with one of the bigger flats in the building last year (still not mine!). I believe the owner of the amalgamated flat got the smaller flat's meter cut off which might explain why there has been some issue with it, but still wouldn't explain why the hell it's MY name that's on this bill. 

I have contacted the owner of the amalgamated flat but they are currently abroad and don't seem particularly interested in sorting the issue out; meanwhile 0v0 think I owe them this money and I'm worried it'll get sent to a debt collection agency or escalate into one of those 'you now owe £5k' nightmares. I know that ultimately they cannot prove I'm responsible but I don't want to be looking at endless emails and phone calls for the next however many months. 

Any advice?!?

JGB1955

Is your address correctly listed on the electoral roll?  I would have considered that definitive proof.

middlingditch

Hi & thanks. Yes, it's correctly listed there, though I have opted out of the 'open register' - would that make a difference? I mentioned the electoral roll in my last communication with 0v0, pointing out that I've been on it at my correct address since 2012. 

I presume something like the electoral roll is where they picked up my name in the first place, though? I don't understand where else they've got me from.

QrizB

middlingditch said:

Any advice?!?

This is regarding OVO, not some other energy supplier - I don't think there's a domestic supplier called zero-v-zero?

https://www.ovoenergy.com/

For them to pursue the alleged debt, they need to prove that you are liable for it.

You don't need to disprove it.

middlingditch said:

I am wildly angry at them for randomly putting my name on this bill and now wasting my time trying to get me to prove that it's not mine. But they said without one of those three documents they "can't" remove my details from the account. So what's the best move here? 

If you want a quicker resolution than waiting for six years (five in Scotland) for the alleged debt to be unenforceable, you could follow their complaints process:

https://www.ovoenergy.com/feedback

Include as part of your complaint a reminder that, under GDPR, there is a "right of rectification" where a data controller has inaccurate personal information stored:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/individual-rights/right-to-rectification/
If they don't fix it within eight weeks, escalate your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

middlingditch

Perfect advice; thanks. If they still aren't satisfied after my most recent email, I'm going to go straight to a complaint. 

(And yes, obviously I was talking about Ovo. I was just trying to disguise the name as I get paranoid about companies searching themselves and matching forum posts with actual customer details. Too late now...)

marcia_

middlingditch said:

Perfect advice; thanks. If they still aren't satisfied after my most recent email, I'm going to go straight to a complaint. 

(And yes, obviously I was talking about Ovo. I was just trying to disguise the name as I get paranoid about companies searching themselves and matching forum posts with actual customer details. Too late now...)

 Why are you not on the council tax bill as a resident? Both mine and hubbys name appear on our bill 

maman

marcia_ said:

middlingditch said:

Perfect advice; thanks. If they still aren't satisfied after my most recent email, I'm going to go straight to a complaint. 

(And yes, obviously I was talking about Ovo. I was just trying to disguise the name as I get paranoid about companies searching themselves and matching forum posts with actual customer details. Too late now...)

 Why are you not on the council tax bill as a resident? Both mine and hubbys name appear on our bill 

Perhaps it varies with different councils. It's certainly not the case here. Our council tax bill is in my name only. DH's name doesn't appear.

Mister_G

Our's is in my name only also.

EssexHebridean

middlingditch said:

Perfect advice; thanks. If they still aren't satisfied after my most recent email, I'm going to go straight to a complaint. 

(And yes, obviously I was talking about Ovo. I was just trying to disguise the name as I get paranoid about companies searching themselves and matching forum posts with actual customer details. Too late now...)

It might actually be helpful if OVO saw this thread - maybe they'd take steps to sort the issue!

marcia_ said:

middlingditch said:

Perfect advice; thanks. If they still aren't satisfied after my most recent email, I'm going to go straight to a complaint. 

(And yes, obviously I was talking about Ovo. I was just trying to disguise the name as I get paranoid about companies searching themselves and matching forum posts with actual customer details. Too late now...)

 Why are you not on the council tax bill as a resident? Both mine and hubbys name appear on our bill 

It will depend how the account is set up.

Keep an eye on your credit files - use the free options to check the three CRAs - as if something does appear you want to deal with it promptly. 

I don't suppose you still have a polling card about the place anywhere, do you? Maybe waiting to be shredded? That would be reasonably conclusive proof of your address without giving them any additional information to that which they already have. 

middlingditch

EssexHebridean said:

I don't suppose you still have a polling card about the place anywhere, do you? Maybe waiting to be shredded? That would be reasonably conclusive proof of your address without giving them any additional information to that which they already have. 

Good idea. Haven't had any polling cards recently but the council writes every year to check our electoral roll info is correct and I'm always on that - I might still have the latest letter knocking about.  

And yeah - I'll check my credit files. Cheers.

middlingditch

Update in case if anyone in a similar situation comes across this in future.

In the end the only way I got any sensible response out of them was to write to the CEO's office directly. They got back to me same day. (My email to the Complaints email address had got zero response, not even an auto-reply.) I'd made an extremely comprehensive argument, and attached loads of clearly-labelled documents to support each reason why I couldn't possibly be responsible for the bill they were talking about. 

Hopefully sorted now; time will tell!