They asked me if I want to escalate this to a complaint - but apparently it comes with strings attached - they were very vauge about it and said we'll send you a mail regarding this. I said I'd get back to them on this. I did not want to say yes immediately because twice during the conversation they offered to connect me to BCW to settle the debt, ( as this was of their hands now ) and I don't know if escalating this to a complaint just opens up the doorway for BCW to harass me further. And you are right dx, something is not right about the billing - How can I ask them to send me more details regarding this? Everytime I request something this conversation goes something like this: "Well the issue is now being handled by BCW so you have to speak to them regarding details" It was quiet frustrating to speak to them.

I resided at the property from mid Aug 2011 till mid feb 2012 And they billed me while I was there which was always paid on time. (but according to them it was just estimates - which I was unaware of )

Hi Guys, Thank you all for the great replies. I thought I should update you now that I have received my second letter from them. I got this letter stating you lived at this address and you used up so much electricity from Scottish Hydro electric. As I said the address is not familiar and my name is spelt with a miss. since they provided a Scottish Hydro account number I decided to ring up Scottish Hydro and clarify the matter. Initially they refused to speak with me saying this debt has been passed to BCW and they can no longer help me - they also refused to give out details on the account the address or how my name came to be there. Through persistence I managed to reach their accounts department where they disclosed the deals regarding the account and apparently: 1- They had the address wrong (The address they billed me on and the address I have been staying at were different - they pushed it off as postcode changes. I received the bill through my letting agents and hence paid through them along with the rent ) 2-they had my name wrong I had to correct them on both accounts - and now they have my proper details on file. They also disclosed that the bill amount was the actual amount I had left to pay - because all the bills I paid before I left the place were only estimates. ( it was news to me) Now they divulged that the bill amount was 430 something but since it's been passed to BCW there is a 15 percent admin fee and hence the total comes to 500 plus. I protested the admin fee and was adamant that I pay them directly and not BCW because I was their customer. They relented on paying them directly but not the admin fee. Now from the above you can see that this whole situation is partially my fault for leaving everything up to and trusting the letting agents. But is there any grounds on which I can justifiably ask them to waive the admin fee. ( To clarify on the address issue - I lived in a place for which the address was 16 F yyyy Lane : but apparently they reffered to it as 2 L No. 16 yyyy Lane - I was not aware the same place can be referred to by two different ways - but the postcode was right - that's how I verified this was mine ) (2nd clarification - I did leave a forwarding address with my letting agents when I left the property , which they dutifully forwarded to Scottish Hydro - but I did not receive any letter from them in the months following my move regarding any of this. But according to their database they send 7 letters. When I point out that I did not receive any - they asked to tke up the matter with the post-office) Once again thanks in advance for you replies. And apologies for the rambling nature of the post.

Hi Bazooka Boo Thank you for the prompt reply. I will do as you instruct. Is there a format for drafting the letter to OFT and TS. Is there a link on their website or in this website itself. Thanks again.

Hi thanks for the reply, it is helpful. Two questions though: 1- Can you explain the part about: "and if they've NOT sent a bill in the last 12mts directly to you. they're out of luck under their own billing guidelines" In case if this is the old issue again I would like to stay informed. 2 - How can I check my CRA file and verify if it has been trashed or not. Thanks in advance again.

Hi Bazooka Boo, Thank you for the warm welcome. Thank you for the advice too. But I am not sure if this second letter which they sent to me yesterday is in anyway related to SCH or not. It just says " we have a private matter to discuss" cause " we believe you may have been the person residing at the above address" (which I was definitely not ) So should I contact them back or just keep ignoring them till they send me more information on this "private matter" ? Thanks in advance.

Dear kind people I require assistance in a matter related to Buchanan Clarke and wells. Earlier this year they contacted me via a verification mail pertaining to a property I had lived in Scotland. I was naive enough to contact them back and then what followed was two weeks of constant harassment - chasing me up on a Scottish Hydro electric bill which they claimed I had yet to pay. (The harassment was so bad that I had to go to the GP for anti-depression medication and I was unable to function at my job properly – as they kept calling in the middle of meeting with clients and almost every other morning at 9 am) The bill in question was dated to after I had moved out of the property – something that my landlord was ready to verify. B ut BCW just kept calling me and stating that the debt is in my name and that I have to pay up or face legal action. I called up SCH who were unhelpful at first - eventually through persistence and a 2 hour marathon phone call session with SCH customer care involving a conference call with my landlord they finally agreed to clear my name and call off BCW. Now yesterday I received another verification mail from them that goes like this : "We are trying to contact Miss XXX YYY with regards to a private matter We have confirmed your address through a credit link obtained via a credit reference agency as being the same person who lived at the original address above. ( this address is another address within the same city in Scotland) Please contact us on 0844 BLAH quoting the above reference number and one of our operators will be available to take any relevant details to resolve the matter. If you believe that you are not our customer, please contact us as soon as possible to enable us to amend our records and remove your address from our system file." Now I am a male, but they have printed my name with a miss in front of it. Also I have never lived at the address they have specified above . Also they have not specified what the matter is. Now from my previous experience I am reluctant to contact them, hence I goggled them and arrived at this website. Am I right in ignoring this mail and not contacting them back? I found the below thread to be helpful, as it outlines a situation similar to mine. _Apparently I am not allowed to post the thread here as my post count is below 10_ I shall try and post it in a comment below 1- Shall I follow the same advice as what brigadier provided in the thread. 2 - Secondly how do I report a data protection breach as stated by renegadeimp ( Am I right in pursuing that line of action) Your advice and input in this matter will be welcome. Also may I ask – am I covered under the same laws as UK citizens (I am just a resident here)