How long have you lived at that house? Have EDF gotten an actual meter reading themselves in the last 2 years? As they are legally obliged to.. Have you taken another meter reading to check your previous reading? We can all make mistakes! Did you read all of the digits? If your reading was, say 0238, they might log it as 2380. Resulting in a massive bill! Is the meter imperial (4 dial) or metric (5 dial)? Sometimes the energy companies can get these mixed up, another thing to check. Get EDF to supply you with all of the last actual readings, you might be able to work out your actual usage. Chances are, this bill is catch up from your previous estimates. But you need to know when the last actual meter reading was and make sure you moved in with an actual meter reading. In other words, make sure the bill is all yours.

Great news.. As I said, lots of confusion over the 1 year rule!

The 1 year billing rule came into effect in July 2007. You may only be able to get it reduced to 2 years as they billed you before then (sorry, didn't see the year). However, there is a lot of confusion over the 1 year billing rule. Many people - including some senior advisor's from other companies I have spoken to. Not being 100% sure the ins and outs of it. So if your lucky, they may reduce the bill to 1 year even if it is only due to be reduced to 2. I'd still go to energywatch if it's not sorted out in the next few days. This is hardly a complaint that takes a week to resolve! Like I wrote earlier - 10 minutes!!

From what you have stated, I would say the 1 year rule DOES apply! I'm not sure of the level of the advisors you have spoken to, only someone able to reduce a bill because of the 1 year rule can make that sort of decision. As they would have done so! I work for one of the large companies. If I know a customer is due a reduction, I can make the reduction myself! I don't tell anyone I'll call them back, unless I have to work it out after fixing another problem. Call energywatch, they will either deal with it for you or put you through to a high level complaints team who will hold the debt and sort it out for you.

Probably yes! If E.on had taken that meter reading from you and made an order for a new account, the fact that they have not billed you is entirely their fault. Did you receive any bills from them at all? In the name of the previous occupier or something? If they have sent you bills and letters throughout that period, and don't have an order for you until you left. They will probably uphold the bill. The start read to your account could have been provided by the previous occupier. If you didn't receive anything then that could mean that they had a block withholding an account setup. Speak with their complaints team and ask them to check for your order in 2005. There is no reason why they need time to look into this. Whoever told you they would get back to you isn't that experienced in my opinion. A senior advisor should be able to see within 10 minutes whether or not this qualifies for the 1 year billing rule and give you a yes or no! I would also suggest energywatch unless it was only the general enquiry line you called last time. Remember - you have a right to all information they hold on you. Including contracts that have stalled and failed!

Ouch.. Just thought I'd give you some advice dude! As for who I work for... I ain't saying! They might be your current provider and I don't want to be your personal case handler! I don't get paid enough to write war and peace.

Sure, that's why you also see the results from Google regarding problems people have with that company. This forum, along with others will have masses of information concerning any given debt recovery agency. It's all out there at the click of a mouse! Which if requested can be supplied by Westcott or BG!

IIIuminati, If you google Westcott, you will find examples of many other people who are being chased for debts by them. So at least that proves that they are legitimate! Then you take the next step and speaking with the people who have passed the debt on, in this case BG. With respect to BG having authority to pass the debt to Westcott, as I said - contracts. Terms and Conditions. And yes, hopefully even a first time poster will know they have certain rights under the DPA to find out what has been passed and to whom. Yes, I am new to the forum but I am hardly new to this subject. I am a senior advisor within one of the large energy companies with a lot of experience dealing with energywatch and escalated complaints. My advice on this forum is (or I'll try to be) impartial and realistic. My research is my years of experience, not my one off complaint.

Hi Straws How do you know that wescot have any authority to contact you. Do you know who they are. Westcott are a Debt agency used by British Gas (along with many other companies). Just google "westcott debt"! Has Bg informed you that they have instructed a third party to act ? If BG cannot trace an individual - or they tell them to shove it, they will then pass that debt on. Their debt department make it clear in their letters that they might do that. How does NoethernerX know that wescot have bought this debt. Coz I'm the daddy:D Do Bg sell there debts Who doesn't? Debt agencies make huge profits by giving companies a percentage of the debt that they recover. Have you given Bg authority to pass your details to other companies or people and if so can they produce evedence that this is the case. Westcott can confirm that they have been passed the debt, as can BGs debt department. And yes they do have a right to pass on details to debt agencies. It's in the contract you go into, I think they call them "external creditors" or something like that. Any contract you sign up to, Gas, Water, Broadband.. Can end up with a debt agency if you leave it with a debt.

Telling Westcot to stick the bill wont do you any good. As far as they are concerned they own a legitimate debt and will get that money, even if they have to add charges and go to court. Have you spoken to British Gas? Maybe you can get Westcot to reduce the amount as a settlement figure! If your account closed with British Gas 2 months late, so long as you can provide proof of your selling the house, they would reduce the amount. However, if the account closed down to a meter reading provided by the new owner, but to the day you sold it. There is little you can do. The energy companies call this a third party dispute - between you and the other party. As they won't decide who gave the correct reading, they only take the first reading provided to them. Unless it is stupidly out of sync with their other readings. One major tip is to try and not get angry or flippant with the agent over the phone. Whether it be Westcot or British Gas, getting an agents back up does you no good and motivates them to do as little for you as possible. If you get the amount reduced over inconsistencies over the time difference in the bill and you selling the house, being civil might get more of a reduction as a gesture of goodwill! Hope that helps

You can ask Powergen to supply you all of the information that proves whether or not you owe them this money. I suspect you moved out of the property and forgot to inform them. Leaving the new occupier to open up their account, closing yours in the process. Leaving Powergen without a forwarding address. So, Yes. It would go to a debt agency. Remember, debt recovery agents don't care about your dispute. They get commission for retrieving debts and that is all they do. So go to Powergen and ask them to hold off the debt agency for 28 days. Get the information you need and go from there. The 1 year billing rule is more of a friendly agreement by the energy companies to avoid further Government regulation. Basically, if they bill you for over 1 years worth of usage and have failed to bill you before and it is their fault, the 1 year rule applies. So if you move and they take 13 months to produce a bill - they write it off. But if you don't provide a forwarding address and they produce bills that eventually go to a debt agency, the bill stands. Also, if you move and fail to inform them, they will close your account to whatever read they get from the new owner/tenant and bill you accordingly. Leaving you almost powerless to dispute it! If you don't get any joy from Powergen, speak to Energywatch. But please remember, if Powergen are in the right - energywatch will stand by them. They get a resolution, whether it is the one you want or not. Hope that helps!