British Gas requesting money- not my bill!

[robert_harper_2000]

Hello

I have received a bill requesting money for a bill. It is address to the previous owner and I had thought this had been sorted out before. I previously told them this wasn't me and was told everything would be taken care of.

It hasn't been, does anyone have an e-mail address for someone high up with some brains to sort out probs??

Thanks

Request was for £296.06 previously told me it was a ghost account - any e-mail address should be fine or a telephone number without me being put on hold for ages!

[lisamellor]

if you contact them by writing informing them that they are billing you incorrectly and that you were not at the address at the time this bill generated, you will be contacting the trading standards, and seeking legal advice. i worked for british gas on the home movers dept.... and when people move they are meant to give the readings and when some one moves in they do the same. you need to ask them to look at this to see what readings the bill was generated on

good luck
lisaxx

[robert_harper_2000]

thanks I will, you don't happen to have the address top write to do you??

Goodnight

[barracad]

Originally Posted by robert_harper_2000

It is address to the previous owner

So the bill wasn't addressed to you?

If not, and it was addressed to the previous occupier you should not be opening their mail. This is a criminal offence. You need to return the mail to sender.

[lisamellor]

i worked at british gas on higginshaw lane in shaw. no mail was actually sent there though..?? send it to the billing dept/customer services the address should be on the back. if it is possible send them a copy of when you moved into the address.... if you live in rented accom then the landlord will be able to give you a copy of the tenancy where it will have the date that you moved in.... this should be enough. if they do keep sending them to you, ( if they are not in your name) send them back to sending ... unknown at this address...

good luck lisax

[Rich44]

Maybe it is an offence but if you keep returning the mail you then end up with debt collectors chasing we had this with NTL (and its still ongoing, the only post for this person was from them at this address so I knew what it was) I opened it and it was a solicitors letter so far we have returned THIRTY NTL letters and about 10 debt collectors/solicitors ones too so sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and open one, its the way things seem to work these days that when you return mail to sender unopened they just put it in the bin and send out another one rather than looking into it

[demon_x_slash]

Originally Posted by Rich44

Maybe it is an offence but if you keep returning the mail you then end up with debt collectors...sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and open one, its the way things seem to work these days that when you return mail to sender unopened they just put it in the bin and send out another one rather than looking into it

I can believe this. We've been in our flat for more than a year now, and yet we still receive Japanese-language business magazines for the tenant from five years back, fitness weekend invitations for the tenant four years back, and protein pill magazines for the tenant from a year and a half back. We always 'Return to Sender' every one, but get them with depressing regularity.

We learned our lesson about not opening previous tenants' mail when we received the 'fitness weekend' woman's summons for an unpaid parking ticket. Huge amount of money for a student and a minimum-wager. We had a very hard time convincing the snotty council that I wasn't her, had to send ID, utility bills, inform the DVLA that she hadn't changed her address...now anything that has a company/sender name that we don't recognise, we have to look.

[robert_harper_2000]

Sorry about the mis-understanding it was to my address I meant the previous owner lol. I'll find the address and get on with it... thinking of charging £30 for my time and letter! Why should I waste my time when it should only take a call

Thanks though keep you posted

[johnhowell]

When I got a lot of mail for previous peple at this address I write on the front "Please return to sender - PTO" and on the back I underline the return address and write "no longer at this address, please update your database, thanks". Usually after two or three returns I no longer get them.

John

[barracad]

Originally Posted by robert_harper_2000

Sorry about the mis-understanding it was to my address I meant the previous owner.

There's no mis-understanding - this is how I understood it.

You should not open this mail. It is a criminal offence.

[robert_harper_2000]

Well I will if she can't be bothered to sort out her bills! also outstanding debts will be left on my house rating type thingy

[barracad]

Credit reference agencies etc are only entitled to hold information about you and anybody you are financially linked to (e.g. spouse), not details of previous occupiers.

There is no such thing as the mythical "credit blacklist" where an address can be singled out.

I can't stop you from breaking the law - I am just warning you that doing this is in fact a criminal offence.

[thedvdmonster]

tell them to sort it or you will be contacting their ombudsman

that usually scare the bejesus out of companies and you get results within days