Hi , we are a micro business.

We have an electricity supplier for a few years and pay a monthly account .

Suddenly an unknown electricity supplier contacts us and insists they supply us with electricity .

They use the wrong name to address our business.

They have a very large bill for us.

They refuse any questions... stating the 'data protection act'.

They constantly harass us with telephone calls.

They sent a caller around to collect money and informed us they will get a warrant to cut off our supply.

They have no idea of our electric meter number.

They have no idea of our current supplier account number.

They are very intimidating on the phone.

How do we stop them applying for a warrant of entry ?

Ring up your electric supplier and ask whats happened and if they have switched and why you was not informed ?

Andy

Hi Andy , there is no problem with my electricity supplier !

The problem is that this unknown supplier is attempting to apply for a warrant to break into my business .

The question is what should I do to defend my business?

I phoned them up requesting further details and had them refusing to answer any questions.

It appears that they can apply for a warrant and break in any time they want .

We have no meters on our premises.

This has been going on for well over a month with constant phone calls (to block up my Voicemail). And perhaps 3 letters (bills) all returned to sender as the company addressed was not ours (there appeared a vague similarity...i guess they made it up ).

You need to contact your supplier and tell them what is happening!

and name names

Yes it might help.

The remark, we have no meters raises a question.

If they have an electricity supplier, with no meters, then it must mean that the business is using premises where someone else has a supply registered at the address and they are just paying a fixed monthly amount to a landlord.

Perhaps it is the landlord that has not paid for the supply at the premises ?

Suggest you contact whoever you are paying asking for the electricity supply contract details.

A few question

1. What is the telephone number that is calling you? (have you done an internet search of the number)

2. What is the Companies Name that called at your Business? (who called at your business)

3. Have you received any correspondence on this matter?

4. Have you checked that the meter serial number on you energy suppliers statements correspond with the serial number on your meter?

I was referring to your current supplier that you have been paying.....

" We have an electricity supplier for a few years and pay a monthly account"

Who was in the property previous to yourself ? It may be for a previous occupier

Hi, my current supplier (Scottish Power) is superb ...I have a long contract with them and certainly do no see this as their problem.

Hi , sorry ...I meant we have a locked unit that contains no meters ...there is a separate meter house in another part of the development.

A few question

 

1. What is the telephone number that is calling you? (have you done an internet search of the number)

 

2. What is the Companies Name that called at your Business? (who called at your business)

 

3. Have you received any correspondence on this matter?

 

4. Have you checked that the meter serial number on you energy suppliers statements correspond with the serial number on your meter?

Hi , a cold shudder just hit me last night after typing the facts...thanks guys .

Recounting my situation ...I have had three letters received by post . Two demanding payment of around £2 . Followed by a bombardment of telephone falls. Along with two personal visits demanding payment (no doubt they would have escorted me to a cash point).

So I recounted all the details and tried to establish what is real and what is not .

I think this has become a whole new ball game .

To answer the questions.

1 . I am currently checking out that telephone number.

3. I have received correspondence over the last month but it was all addressed to another similar named company . I opened the first and noted that the meter number quoted was not known to me. I returned all posted items 'return to sender ...not here'.

we have been in the property around 4 years. The previous occupier was a completely different industry. The name they used has a similarity to ours .

The other question.... I have not named names because I cannot believe this is real and do not wish to blacken the name of a company ....this could well be some entity pretending to be that company .

Sorry...that was £2K ...

Hi , we have been in the property around 4 years. The previous occupier was a completely different industry. The name they used has a similarity to ours .

Ok, let us apply some logic here.

You operate a business called say Fred Jones operating from unit A...... and you have an electricity supply contract with Scottish Power which is being paid with no problems. The supply contract relates to meter number 123456789......

Another electricity supply company and their debt collectors contact your company about a debt threatening to cut your supply off. As this debt can only relate to a different meter number and not your meter which is owned by Scottish Power, then they can't cut your supply from this meter. If they go to meters at your site, they will look for the meter number that relates to the debt and it won't be your companies meter.

Is this logic corect ?

Just make sure the debt they are chasing does not relate to your companies electricty meter number.

If the previous company left a debt behind and they were operating from the same unit, then presumably they were using the same electricity meter. That is when you have a problem and you then need Scottish Power to have a look at the supply history for the meter. They should be able to help resolve. If they can see who the previous electricity supplier was, that might be chasing this debt, then they can give them a call on your behalf.

Hi , the situation has suddenly taken on dark overtones . If one considers it to be triangle....the first is the paper demands for money...the second is the telephone bombardments...the third is the personal visits with an escort (no doubt) to the nearest cashpoint .A classical [problem] situation.

But to answer your post ....

The logic is correct... on the first telephone conversation I suggested that they pop over at a predetermined time to have a meeting... check out the meters and sort this simple issue out .

The response was yelling a me ...to the effect that they couldn't do any such thing.

On the second call I asked why they did not simply cut the supply off ( it wouldn't affect me)...they said it wasn't as simple as that.

All questions I asked were rebuffed with ...Data Protection Act.

They had a quest to speak to someone else ( I am the owner).

Further...they are very unpleasant people to deal with and we have no idea who they are ...we are situated on a lonely building and could well have a single female in the building when this character pays us a visit... thats why it has suddenly turned dark .

I agree with others who say it's worth trying to involves Scottish Power in this. Hopefully they will have come across this before and will know what to do.

HB

Sorry but this is just weird.

Dark overtones. They don't take anyone to a cashpoint. They chase a debt and if it is not paid, if they still own the metered supply, they will apply to Magistrates for a warrant to cut off the supply. If the meter is no longer registered to the electricity company, they can't cut off the supply.

What we need to know is which company made the personal visits. It will either be in regard to cutting off the supply or High Court Enforcement Officers with a writ looking to collect a debt from the company who owes the money.

Next time you receive communications, just ask what exact business address and meter number does the matter relate to. And ask them for the approx date of supply the issue relates to. This should be easily resolved with the help of Scottish Power if needed.

Hi , over the years I have had very simply issues with Power Companies that have taken several months and very exasperating communications to sort out .That is why I prefer not to involve them .

As I see it this is nothing to do with Scottish Power or my electricity supply . This is something to do with an unknown entity using threats..intimidation ...in a classical triangular formation to extract money from me.

That does not sound like the way it works in the UK.

If you have an electricity supply you are paying for without any debt, then you should not have a problem.

Suggest you just tell whoever is contacting you about something that has nothing to do with you or your business, to stop contacting you or you will make a complaint of harassment to regulators. Keep a record of all communications.

Hi , I totally agree with you . I have alerted the regulator and others of this situation and await their reply . I haven't revealed the Company because in all fairness I cannot believe it is real ...I will report back in due course.

The issues I have is that they refuse to tell me WHY they are attaching a debt to me..

.and then invoking FEAR by being able to take out a warrant to break in any time they want.

..and then invoking FEAR of a personal visit to extract cash for something we have no idea why .

...by people who present themselves as being very inhospitable.

If you revealed the company name that is chasing and making personal visits, we might well have heard of them and know what is going on.

It sounds like you have had High Court Enforcement Officers ( HCEO) visit you in regard to a company debt perhaps owed to an electricity supplier. HCEO's can force entry to business premises looking for goods owned by the company owing the debt.

No company is allowed to pursue a debt unless they explained the reason for the debt .

Power companies are in the unique position of being able to do considerable damage to a company by obtaining a warrant of entry .

This would be similar to demanding money with menace (something that we might possibly not be in a position to defend).

Hi this was a debt collector employed by the power company .

The debt is assigned to a fictional company that allegedly occupies our unit.

Not sure power companies use doorstep debt collectors. If it has gone to court, it might have been an HCEO. There would have been letters sent to your business address explaining the debt that was being chased.

As you won't advise the name of the company chasing the debt, then we can't offer any information that might help you.

Hi I'm fairly sure now that it is actually the company and not a third party pretending to be that company (although I cannot be sure).

The company present themselves as Opus Energy.

I have now contacted Scottish Power.

Also when I spoke to them I asked who they were phoning to contact (which company) they refused to say citing the Data Protection Act.

if you'd said opus in your 1st post then this would have been resolved by now.

they phone businesses up pretending to be from their current supplier and say they've found a better tariff

the business signs up bingo you've been had your now with opus

and the tariff changes to 3 times what you were paying

so its probably one of their phone operators got an old firms name/address and mixed them up.

it quite a common s

and I believe they've been fined for it too.

dx

But they won't resolve the issue because I am not the owner of the fictitious business that they say they have an account with.

Yes does appear to be lots of problems with Opus

https://cse.google.co.uk/cse?cx=partner-pub-0964707606882478:652l7hswbgv&ie=UTF-8&q=Opus+energy&sa=Search+CAG#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Opus%20energy&gsc.page=1

If you are with Scottish Power, they will have access to industry energy databases and can see whether OPUS have tried to take over your supply. All energy companies have staff that deal with industry issues, where they can phone other companies like OPUS to flag a problem.

Thanks . I have photographed and returned their notices to disconnect the supply and stated that the account is in dispute . Hopefully this will prevent them from going to a magistrate to get a warrant ( I wouldn't bet on it).

also , I'm pretty sure opus have not tried to take over my supply as one letter identified an unknown meter number.

If OPUS don't own your supply meter, they can't cut you off.

You mentioned that they don't appear to know the meter number, so they will have difficulty, if the meter is not directly near your business.

I would not be sending them an account in dispute letter, as you don't have an account.

If you are going to write to OPUS, tell them that your business at the address xxxxxxx is supplied by Scottish Power and you are happy that your account is up to date with them.

Suggest to them that they are making a mistake and need to stop what they are doing or you will issue a court clsim against them.