Advice Required - Relentless Debt Collector

phil_c_ said:
Raise an official complaint to the company - and put in bold at the top of the letter to emphasis this point. include as much info/evidence as possible, then tell them they have xx amount of days to respond/resolve as per their complaints procedure and if you don't have a response that you will go the ombudsman.

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/energy.html
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this... seriously - if you're getting messed around by call centre monkeys and have explained the situation via phone calls/e-mails to the utility company but are getting no joy... just go the the ombudsman - it will get their attention... ditto to most industries with an ombudsman service - management will have to get involved, they'll have to waste time dealing with the complaint etc..etc.. you'll get someone with a few braincells to at least look at the case and you might well find that they'll realise they've screwed up pretty quickly
 
MatsyLR said:
Too long to read this but I work for Npower and this comes up daily.
Just prove the energy provider you where not responsible for the property during the said times whatever it may be.
Tell them if they do not sort this out you will take the problem to the energy ombudsman (which you should have done straight away regardless, as they are the only ones who make us do anything)
And inform them if nothing is done you will get legal action taken against them.
This forces the energy supplier to put you through to one of the collections managers at the company, who has the authority to do something about it (as long as you send proof in)
Dont even bother talking to anyone BUT a manager, they will try to fob you off to a "supervisor" who cant do anything or say "yeh a manager will call you back shortly" and they never do. Happens all the time here and its annoying having to get repeat calls from people. They will try anything to get you to go away.
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You clearly love your job! Also ombudsman is only an option if a complaint is over 56 days old or deadlocked which this isnt at this point otherwise the ombudsman will tell you to go try sort it out with the supplier until one of the above is met.
 
String said:
I have received a response from the email that I sent earlier, which was basically a cut and paste of the text posted earlier in this thread (see second quote below).

It seems when you point out the regulations to them, they do indeed act...



The above was in reponse to this email sent a few days ago...



So, a step in the right direction it seems. Fingers X'd...
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Gj OP proper way to get it sorted and the wheels are in motion, hope its resolved soon
 
And the dogs get put back in their kennel too, apparently...

Thank you for your recent letter, we appreciate that you have taken the time to contact us.

At this stage we are unable to provide you with an immediate response as we need time to investigate the matter, however, we have placed the account on hold to ensure you receive no further contact until we feel we have concluded the matter for you. We aim to send you a final response within four weeks, however if this is not possible we will write to you to let you know when you can expect a final response.

Please do not hesitate to contact us on +44 (0)845 111 0411 should you require any further assistance. You can also e-mail on [email protected] Yours sincerely
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kinda funny they provide you a pay number to contact them on.

Present them with a bill at your hourly employed rate for the time wasted and raise it via smalls claims
 
Hope you get this sorted, once you give them proof it should subside. If not, then a fun time in court should get rid of this obviously incorrect bill

phil_c_ said:
Raise an official complaint to the company - and put in bold at the top of the letter to emphasis this point. include as much info/evidence as possible, then tell them they have xx amount of days to respond/resolve as per their complaints procedure and if you don't have a response that you will go the ombudsman.

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/energy.html
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nice!!! I like his style
 
#Chri5# said:
I would also put in the letter than you will consider any further attempts to chase you for the debt will be considered harassment. You will then report them to the police and/or take them to court to pursue damages (Protection from Harassment Act IIRC)
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This.

Have used this with numerous companies. Ask to speak to the manager, bring out the Harassment threats and request a letter and immediate email of the removal of your information from their systems, stating they will not contact you again.
 
Latest email from utility company has arrived as quoted below.

I would just like to thank the people who contributed to this thread with the excellent advice that has led me to this; the end of a recurring stressful situation.

Many thanks.

Further to your email received 29 December, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

I have reviewed the account and as there has been no usage for the time which you are liable, 1 February 2013 until 2 April 2013, I have cleared the standing charges as a gesture of goodwill for the time taken to resolve the issue. I can now confirm you are not liable for any remaining balance and I have removed your details for the account.

I respectfully request you contact me by 14 January confirming if this brings matters to a satisfactory resolution. Should I not hear from you by this date I shall assume the matter is resolved and not attempt to contact you again. I can be contacted on the details given below and I look forward to hearing from you.
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:D:cool::D
 
Good result, but: "I have cleared the standing charges as a gesture of goodwill for the time taken to resolve the issue"

So.. as a gesture of goodwill they're no longer going to hold you liable for the money you didn't owe them in the first place? :rolleyes:

That's not a gesture of goodwill, that's called doing your ****ing job properly! A gesture of goodwill would be to give you a credit on your current account (if you have one) or send you a high street voucher or something for the hassle they've caused you. I hate when companies try and claim they're doing you a favour by sorting out their own screw-ups!
 
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Haggisman said:
Good result, but: "I have cleared the standing charges as a gesture of goodwill for the time taken to resolve the issue"

So.. as a gesture of goodwill they're no longer going to hold you liable for the money you didn't owe them in the first place? :rolleyes:

That's not a gesture of goodwill, that's called doing your ****ing job properly! A gesture of goodwill would be to give you a credit on your current account (if you have one) or send you a high street voucher or something for the hassle they've caused you. I hate when companies try and claim they're doing you a favour by sorting out their own screw-ups!
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This x1000

I would reply and say its not a gesture of goodwill at all and u want them to admit they are useless ****s
 
Haha, reminds me of when I was wrongly issued a parking ticket. Apparently that too was a gesture of goodwill that they cancelled it based on their mistake.
 
Unfortunately you will not get anything like an apology (ex-SSE here), as customer services have to use standard templates that have been written expressly as to not acknowledge any error on their part or the systems they use. If they did admit liability of any sort (or even hint their information could be wrong) it would open up the flood gates for compensation claims.

Also it's a myth that your name, contact details, payment history, payment method etc are ever removed from the account, its simply marked as an inactive account and eventually archived into a BI datawarehouse to collate stats.

Glad its sorted though.
 
Jas1975 said:
Also it's a myth that your name, contact details, payment history, payment method etc are ever removed from the systems, its simply marked as an inactive account and eventually sold to PPI, personal injury and payday loans companies.
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Fixed an error there for you :p
 
Jas1975 said:
Also it's a myth that your name, contact details, payment history, payment method etc are ever removed from the account, its simply marked as an inactive account and eventually archived into a BI datawarehouse to collate stats.
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Wouldn't that in itself fall afoul of Data Protection laws and therefore make them liable?
 
Haggisman said:
Good result, but: "I have cleared the standing charges as a gesture of goodwill for the time taken to resolve the issue"

So.. as a gesture of goodwill they're no longer going to hold you liable for the money you didn't owe them in the first place? :rolleyes:
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it is just a call centre **** copying and pasting templates into the e-mail
 
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