Hi

Looking for some advice please.

I was a customer of First Utility

they stopped being able to issue me with a bill

after almost a year I referred the case to the Energy Ombudsman and the complaint was resolved to my satisfaction.

During this time I switched my supply (October 2015),

I agreed a final amount with F/Utility of £111.52 & this was paid.

Today I received a letter from their credit management company stating that I owe them £112.50.

I'm reluctant to respond to the letter to be honest but I don't want the situation to blow up.

Surely F/Utility should have made contact with me if I owed them money!?

Thank you

what have they said

they mis calculated your last bill or something?

dx

Hi,

No explanation - the letter just says I have an outstanding amount which they are collecting for.

The final amount agreed via the energy ombudsman was final - nothing else could have been due.

I find it strange I've had no contact from First Utility about it?

Thanks

so whos the collection agency?

name them

dx

Sure, it's Fidelite credit management.

The text says "we are acting on behalf of First Utility and have been instructed by them to assist in collecting the outstanding balance on this account. It is in your interest to contact fidelite credit management immediately upon receipt of this letter to discuss your account.

Failure to contact fidelite credit management within 7 days will lead to a personal visit being made by on of our representatives to your home. The purpose of this visit is to offer to assist you in contacting our client to discuss your account."

It then gives their contact details and sent help companies like national debt line etc.

ignore

they are a dca

they are not bailiffs

and have no legal powers.

if you get a mucky mac doorstepper

tell em to leave your property else you'll ring the police 101.

write a letter of complaint to first utility

Thanks DX, will do

do update thread re what they come back with, if they do. they are quite high in the no. of complaints tables.

I will do Ford - wrote letter today to First Utility - they were horrendous to deal with before hence having to get the ombudsmen involved.

....they were horrendous to deal with before hence having to get the ombudsmen involved.

yep, eg

'The way energy suppliers dealt with serious customer complaints deteriorated over the past two years, according to Ofgem, which named npower, Scottish Power and First Utility as the worst offenders....'

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/sep/22/complaints-handling-energy-suppliers-worse-ofgem

even if they made an error the back billing rules mean they have to write if off after this time.

As the matter has been to the Ombudsman already they arent in a position to try and recover the money via the courts so they have passed it on to a dca, who has no powers to do anything.

I wouldnt even believe the amount they are asking for is the amount that FU told them the debt was.

The more you ask for an answer the more they will invent an electronic trail to prove the money is owed so leave them alone, they cant really touch you

Thank you for the further replies.

I wrote a letter to Firsty Utility which says I've paid you & you're not get another penny from me.

Obviously it says more than that but points out that asking a DCA to make contact before they've actually made contact is horrific & threatening behaviour & that I won't have anything to do with them.

I got an email from First Utility today acknowledging the complaint - standard auto email & response will be with me in 14 days - cant wait as I suspect the response will be of no use to anyone!

I also got home today to a postcard (in an envelope) from the DCA saying that they'd called at my house today for the final time (what ever that means!) I was looking forward to telling someone to

I had wondered if the back billing rules would have meant they shouldn't be able to collect for it.

Will update when I hear more

I definitely won't be chasing them

14 days!

shldn't they be trying to resolve within a day or two. if not, it then gets escalated.

Would you think so right! Balls in their court, they've already had my money so i just think it's all added to the comedy factor of the situation now - the DCA clearly think it's urgent.

there are rules DCA's have to follow so you can make a complaint to the relevant authority if they are registered as they are supposed to be

Would you think so right!

afaik, an utility co has to try and resolve a complaint asap, within a day or two. and if not, it gets escalated. after 8 weeks it can then go to ofgem.

the complaints tables show that; eg complaints resolved within a day, 2 days, 1 week, etc.

and one supplier said that as a complaint wasnt resolved in 1 day, it got escalated to the 'resolution centre'. after that i think it is management/ceo. after that, or if over 8 weeks, ofgem.?