Hi, a similar thing has happened to me - again with EDF.

I also received a letter informing me that my debt had been sold to Lowell as of Nov 17.

However, I am a current customer of EDF and have been for around 10 years.

I left a property in 2012, advised EDF, then moved in with a parent for 6 months before finding a new property to move into 6 months later.

Once in the new property I advised EDF and switched my utilities to EDF and have remained with them to this day.

However, I have just received a letter dated 29th March 2018 from them advising me of this debt, relating to 2012!!! and informing me that it was sold to Lowell last year! Let me clarify, I have received no correspondence from EDF prior to this letter relating to this debt.

Are they legally allowed to do this?

They have offered me £25 compensation to which I have duly refused as I have advised them that the impact of this will have a detrimental impact on my credit score for 5 years!!!

Any assistance would be gratefully received.

Thank you

Hi Daisydoo - Welcome to CAG

Moved your thread for you.

Please post here.

We will also Tweet it for you.

I'm afraid that this story is not very clear.

You say on one hand that you are being pursued for an alleged debt – and on the other hand you say that you have received £25 compensation from EDF.

Please could you explain. Does this mean that EDF now accept that there is no debt?

I think you need to set it all out carefully in a bullet pointed chronology.

Hi Daisydoo - Welcome to CAG

 

Moved your thread for you.

Please post here.

I will also Tweet it for you.

Thank you

I'm afraid that this story is not very clear.

 

You say on one hand that you are being pursued for an alleged debt – and on the other hand you say that you have received £25 compensation from EDF.

 

Please could you explain. Does this mean that EDF now accept that there is no debt?

 

I think you need to set it all out carefully in a bullet pointed chronology.

I apologise but can't access bullet points on my mobile. However, here is my timeline of events:

-From 2009 until 2012 I transferred my accounts (both had and electricity) to EDF until leaving this property.

-in 2012 i moved into a property for around a year (in between deciding where to move).Left the property (informing EDF of this accordingly)

-immediately moved in with a parent, thus not requiring any utility contract of my own.

-6 months later moved into a new property, advising EDF that I wish to return as a customer.

-2018 i am currently still living in said property since 2013

-5th April 2018 i received a letter from EDF and Lowell (same envelope) advising that a debt from previous property had been sold by EDF to Lowell in November 2017 (relating to 2012)

-5th April 2018 I call EDF and require further information as I was not aware of said debt and am still a loyal customer.

I ask why nobody has issued any correspondence prior to this, as I am still a customer and they know where I live obviously! I therefore ask for the debt to be reversed and purchased back by EDF, to which I was told would happen.

-6th April 2018 I receive telephone call from EDF advising me that they are deeply sorry that this has happened but they are unable to reclaim the debt and offer compensation of £25 to be credited to my account. I duly refuse this and advise them that I will consider the involvement of an ombudsman.

I advise them tha £25 will not cover the irreversable and detrimental damage caused to my credit score for 5 years.

EDF ask me what outcome I am hoping for and I advise them that I wish for them to write off this debt and contact Lowell to advise them not to contact me as this was not my fault. EDF respond by advising me that they will carry out a full investigation and will return to me in due course with further advice.

So to summarise,

• From 2009 onwards you have been a customer of EDF at various properties - with a short break while you are living with a parent (which I don't think is very relevant)
   
  
• You have supplied meter readings and paid all bills that you have received
   
  
• You have informed EDF every time you have moved
   
  
• A couple of days ago you received a letter from EDF informing you that you were in debt and that the debt had been sold to Lowell debt collectors. The alleged debt apparently refers to a period in 2012.
   
  
• You contacted EDF immediately by telephone and EDF agreed that there was an error on their part.
   
  
• EDF contacted you by telephone and apologised and said there was nothing they can do but they offered you £25 compensation. You refused this (this was the correct response, well done.)
   
  
• You have told them that the alleged debt should be written off and EDF have said they will investigate.
  

Please confirm that what I set out above is correct.

Firstly I understand that there is in fact a debt and that you probably agree that there is a debt. However, it seems that this debt has occurred because you were not informed of any outstanding balance and there was no correspondence sent to you.

Do you know precisely what period the debt refers to? How much are we talking about?

You say that there has been damage to your credit file over five years. Please can you tell us about this. Have you checked your credit file? In what way are you able to say that this has had an effect on your ability to get credit or has cost you extra for credit?

So far you have no paper trail in respect of this complaint and you haven't been recording your calls.

Please can you respond to the above points in the above questions. Also please read our customer services guide and implement the advice there in respect of any further telephone calls you have. Furthermore, you should make detailed notes of all the calls that you have had. You should then send an email to EDF which summarises the conversations you have had and confirm them.

You can be quite sure that if this problem has been caused by some sloppy work by EDF then the problem with Lowells debt collector is for them to sort out and it has nothing to do with you.

Second this week......

https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?486271-Lowell-Alleged-EDF-debt

if the debt was from 2012 it should have been defaulted THEN so shouldn't even be on your credit file now.

WHEN in 2012 did you move out? The debt may well be SB before you actually heard a word fro anyone so that leaves them with a big problem