E-on unpaid bill haunting

[eddie_fox]

Hi,

Mine is a peculiar problem. I was a foreign student in UK for a couple of years (2007 - 09) when I stayed in a number of different houses which I shared with a number of other foreign students. I had an E-On account in my name in the first place I stayed. I stayed there for around 5 months (Sep 07- Jan 08). I moved from there after that and have stayed in a number of other houses. I, unfortunately, forgot to intimate Eon when we left the house.

 

I started receiving letters from a debt collecting agency (Buchanan.., think) telling me I owed E-on GBP 616 which was the bill for an entire year (Sep 07 to Sep 08), of which I was in that house only for 5 months. I e-mailed E-on explaining the situation and an agent from E-on responded after a while saying he will chk and try and resolve it. I continued receiving letters to the then present address cautioning me of possible legal action. I finally received an e-mail from E-on stating he was unable to trace the landlords and I should furnish evidence i could. Sadly, I have no evidence. The only evidence I can think of furnishing is my bank statements showing the change in address, but I don't know if Natwest will provide me details that far back.

I have been in my home country since 1 year and have no knowledge of the progress of this issue. I have to now re-enter UK and will be moving into a new house in a different city. I still have my Natwest account which is active. PLEASE let me know what I should do on entering? Will they start hounding me at a new address? Should I contact E-on/debt collectors/ignore? How will this affect my credit history?

 

Really worried...

[rebel11]

Hi eddie

 

Welcome to CAG

 

If you send Nat West a SAR Request with a postal order for £10, they will send you all the data they have on you for the last 6 years. Nat West will then have 40 days to respond. Then you can show E-on that you were at your first address for only 5 months and that you should be charged accordingly. If they still bang on about you owing for a year, after producing evidence then put the account in dispute :- http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/Pages/Consumer.aspx?sid=frontpage

 

Send the SAR Request Recorded.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/resources/templates-library/48-bank-templates/110--data-protection-act-1998-subject-access-request-

 

Let us know how you get on.

[eddie_fox]

Hello,

 

Thanks for your advice. I have been following it up with Natwest as you said and the bank manager has no clue about SAR and he tells me he can provide my banking (transaction) history for the 3 years I have been with them but not my address changes etc. Is this true? Is it that the guy does not know what he is talking about? Should I contact the bank directly? How do I do that please as the bank 'contact us' page directs us to talk to our branch and has no contact number or e-mail address.

I am really annoyed that I have no way of proving my address change. I am thinking of trying to find that agency that let out the place, but even 3 years ago it was a small home run Asian enterprise who were not very particular about details and such. I was new and took things for granted. I doubt if they will have any evidence or worse, if they still exist.

At wit's end, want to resolve this but how. PLEASE HELP.

[rebel11]

Hi eddie

 

Send this letter - http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...access-request-

 

to this address - The Data Protection Manager, National Westminster Bank Plc, Retail Regulatory Risk, 2nd Floor, Business House B, PO Box 1000, Edinburgh EH12 1HQ.

 

A subject Access Request - http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/new_pia_handbook_html/access.html

[eddie_fox]

Hi Rebel11,

 

Thanks for the response. I try opening the letter link you have provided, it takes me to 'httpCOLON//wwwDOTconsumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php'. I tried copy pasting the address and google suggested 'httpCOLON//www DOTconsumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?262194-Welcome-Subject-Access-Request-Template'. Is that correct? Seems like the letter is general. Was that what you were directing me to use?

Really appreciate your help.

Thanks,

Eddie

p.s - I cant have links in my post yet, sorry.