I have been told the overpayment amounts to around £218 but i cannot confirm this as they keep finding excuses not to supply me with details of the overpayment in writing. Yes, ESA is my only income

Thanks for your reply estellyn. I was puzzled about backdated payments being take into consideration with regards to housing benefit as i had never heard of this being done before, i will look further into what you said about backdated payments. I fully intend to appeal the decision but i fear the damage has already been done since this council did this exact same thing to me last year, and it took five months and the help of Christina (cannot thank her enough) at citizens advice to sort through this councils lies and incompetence. At this point i think the landlord has finally had enough because the last debacle started in January 2012 and wasn't resolved until June 2012 but then they started this nonsense in October 2012. It's almost beginning to feel like harassment of some kind.

Hi, On the 25th of January i called my letting agency to report a faulty shower and was informed that my housing benefit payments had been reduced by £80 a month since October. I contacted the council office that deals with the claim and they told me it was because of an overpayment in housing benefit paid from April 2012 to September 2012 which they were claiming back. The council adviser i spoke to claimed it was because i was getting £71 contributory ESA, £28.15 work related component and £8.90 transitional addition during this time. Now here is where it gets confusing because from January 5th 2012 i had been appealing an Atos decision and was therefore only receiving the £71 basic rate of Esa. I won my appeal on July 2012 but i continued to receive the basic rate of esa until September 2012 when i finally had my payments restored and my money backdated. I've spoken to the council on three separate occasions regarding this matter and been told three different reasons. The latest reason given is that since the DWP backdated my money then they could backdate the overpayment. By far the worst part is that the council never informed me that they were going to reduce my housing benefit which has resulted in a large amount of rent arrears and the letting agency telling me that the landlord is considering serving me notice to quit. Any advice you guys can offer would be appreciated and if you need any more info, just ask.

Hmm, claiming the charges back is definitely something to think about as only have £163 left to pay and like i said the account is over 10 years old. Can anyone tell me how far back i could claim?

I have had an account with Littlewoods for over ten years but their prices and interest rates if you foolishly take BNPL are now far too expensive. If i did reclaim the charges would that not close my account?

Hi all, i was a few days late paying my last two littlewoods bills and therfore incurred the dreaded £12 penalty charges, which as far as i was aware were paid. The amount on my last statement (including a £12 late charge) was for £61.34 to reach them by by 23/3/2012 which i paid on 19/3/2012, which according to my online account was received the very next day on the 20th. I assumed this would bring my account up to date but i then received another letter which was dispatched on the 20th March stating i was in arrears by £12.06 and as a result they had to apply another £12 charge. Phoning their customer advisors is a complete waste of time, the first one i spoke to said the charge must be for a late payment for the previous month and after much disscussion transferred me to the collections department. The woman i spoke to said that since the letter was sent on the day they received the payment there was nothing she could do and that i should pay on time:madgrin: How can i be in arrears when i paid the the monthly bill before the due date:???: Any advice on what should be my next course of action?

Just had an email from the ScottishPower rep which said that i had been incorrectly billed and i have nothing to pay. Thanks for your help Graeme. Now that it's proven that i don't owe anything can anyone tell me when LCS will stop harassing me as i received a rather tacky postcard today threatening a home visit if i do not pay up?

Hi all, Thanks for your assistance Graeme, i will send you all the relevant details today. Now i have received an electricity statement from EON asking me to pay my £2003.44 bill which is now due, despite the fact i have never had an account with them. What are these guys doing?????

Hi, Sorry for the late reply but don't i need 5 posts before i can send someone a PM?

Hi, Ihateyes, i found what you posted very interesting. The amount owed is £468.52 but if you subtract their administration charge of £133.86 the amount remaining is almost the same as the outstanding balance from the previous tenant.

Hi, I'm not too bothered about the debt collection agency but i'm really angry at Scottish Power given the trouble i've had with them in the past. I had to postpone my move in date by three weeks because of an outstanding balance on the prepay meter from the previous occupant.

Hi, In May 2009 moved into a one bedroom flat which had an electricity prepay meter already installed and chose Scottish power as my supplier. I lived at this address from May 2009 until June 2010 and used the prepay meter throughout my tenancy. When i moved out of the property in June 2010 i contacted Scottish Power and gave them the final readings, closed my account and everything was fine, or so i thought. On April 2011 i received a letter from LCS Debt Recoveries acting on behalf of Scottish Power claiming that i owe £468.52 for the period 12/06/2009 to 15/12/2010. Why are they trying bill me when i used their prepay meter for the whole of my tenancy and why the the billing me for the period after i moved out? I contacted them by email to ask this but all i have ever received is an automated response claiming that "We will respond to your enquiry within 5 working days" which they have not, and now another letter from LCS Debt Collection claiming that even though i had a prepay meter i still owe them the full amount. Does anyone have any advice on what i should do next?