@eonhelp issues with ex tenants and e.on bills being chased by BCW

[jackisback]

I purchased a new build flat in 2005 and tried in vain to get someone to bill us for the gas supply.

 

We didn't have a problem paying the electric bills.

 

I phoned all the usual gas suppliers but each one said that my property was not registered.

I then phoned a company with the meter installation number to be told that until the developers registered the property we could not be billed.

 

I then rented the flat out and it has been rented out for almost 6 years.

Each tenant informing me that they were unable to pay the gas either.

I have taken meter readings at each change of tenant and have the readings in my note book.

 

I have this week received a final notice from Buchanan Clark & Wells (the first I have ever had any correspondence from them)

on behalf of E-ON Energy (who have never billed me or contacted me ever) for £1,737.44 + £399.61 in admin charges = Total £2,137.05!!!

 

Buchanan Clark were actually quite cheeky to me when I phoned them, I then said that I have never received a bill from E-ON and the property has been rented out since 2005

- Bichanan Clark still insisted on the phone that I have to pay it!!!

 

The only way I can get out of paying it (they say) is if I produce tenancy agreements for every tenant since 2005

- then they will try and trace these people.

 

I then phoned them back today to tell them that one of the letting agents that rented my flat out has gone bust for last few years

so I would be unable to get tenancy agreement for one of tenants......

 

... they said that I would have to try and chase up the local authority to see if they would discharge info about who

;paid the c/tax for that period to prove that we were not staying there.

 

Why should I have to be the one that does all the work for them???

 

Can anyone give me any advice - I have tried to phone citizens advice - but they are busy and not taking any more calls today.

 

Many thanks :o(

Edited February 14, 2012 by jackisback

[Surfer01]

It is not up to up to you to do the running around for Buchanan Wells. Is there anyway you can prove that you tried to find out the supplier. I suggest that you ask EON to send you a screenshot showing when the supply was registered on the national registration system. For electric it is known as MPAS. There is a possibility that the meter was not registered until recently. This happens frequently.

[dx100uk]

own thread created

 

just reply on forum

 

 

and stay OFF the phone!!

 

never talk to a dca or their fake/tame solicitors about debts

 

WRITING ONLY!!

 

i'll alert the e.on rep for you.

 

dx

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

I purchased a new build flat in 2005 and tried in vain to get someone to bill us for the gas supply.

We didn't have a problem paying the electric bills.

I phoned all the usual gas suppliers but each one said that my property was not registered. I then phoned a company with the meter installation number to be told that until the developers registered the property we could not be billed.

 

I then rented the flat out and it has been rented out for almost 6 years. Each tenant informing me that they were unable to pay the gas either. I have taken meter readings at each change of tenant and have the readings in my note book.

 

I have this week received a final notice from Buchanan Clark & Wells (the first I have ever had any correspondence from them) on behalf of E-ON Energy (who have never billed me or contacted me ever) for £1,737.44 + £399.61 in admin charges = Total £2,137.05!!!

 

Buchanan Clark were actually quite cheeky to me when I phoned them, I then said that I have never received a bill from E-ON and the property has been rented out since 2005 - Bichanan Clark still insisted on the phone that I have to pay it!!!

 

The only way I can get out of paying it (they say) is if I produce tenancy agreements for every tenant since 2005 - then they will try and trace these people. I then phoned them back today to tell them that one of the letting agents that rented my flat out has gone bust for last few years so I would be unable to get tenancy agreement for one of tenants......... they said that I would have to try and chase up the local authority to see if they would discharge infop about who ;paid the c/tax for that period to prove that we were not staying there. Why should I have to be the one that does all the work for them???

 

Can anyone give me any advice - I have tried to phone citizens advice - but they are busy and not taking any more calls today.

 

Many thanks :o(

 

Hi jackisback

 

I'm sorry you've had such difficulties setting up a gas account for this property.

 

From what you've said, I would certainly ask if the Billing Code applies. As stevenwaddoups says, this Code of Practice kicks in where we're at fault for not billing a domestic customer. If this is the case, we'll clear all charges over a year old from the date the problem was sorted.

 

You need to talk to our Director's Office (contact details are on the bills and our website) and they'll open a complaint for you whilst the matter is fully investigated.

 

All debt follow up will stop whilst there's an open complaint on the account.

 

With new builds, there's sometimes a delay in receiving the necessary info from builders/developers to allow energy companies to set up accounts. On some occasions the info received is just wrong and can take some sorting out, particularly if there are lots of different properties involved.

 

All this needs to be looked at to see where responsibility for the delay rests. If, after 56 days, you're unhappy with the resolution proposed you can refer the matter to the Ombudsman for an independent review.

 

Hope this helps point you in the right direction jackisback.

 

Malc

[jackisback]

Thanks for that dx - to be honest I have never before came into any dealings with DCA's (thankfully & luckily).

 

I will def stay off phone to them from now on and thanks for alerting e.on rep for me - starting to feel slightly less sick about it all now.

 

Cheers

Jack

[jackisback]

Also thanks to Malc and surfer1 for advice - greatly appreciated.

 

Have tried to register a formal complaint with e-on who have got back to me to say someone will phone me back today.

 

Jack

[2Grumpy]

Presumably E-On should write (politely) to the current / previous tenant(s) of the last 12 months with correct bills & leave you alone once they have their details

[jackisback]

2Grumpy - the current tenant is being billed by them (started in summer last year), I just found this out this week.

 

The bill that I am being charged for is for supply period 22/11/05 (I purchased flat on 11/11/05) until 01/06/10 so basically they don't get in touch with me ever and certainly NOT over the 6 1/2 years I've owned the flat then get the debt collectors onto me for 4 years 7 months worth of gas!!!

 

I have accurate meter reads for all use over the 6 1/2 year time period - but I actually think they may have missed the boat by not even attempting to bill us over that time period.

[dx100uk]

ignore BCW end of!

 

they cant back bill passed 1 yrs

 

dx

[jackisback]

Okay managed to register a formal complaint with E-on and got a complaints ref number off them - so that's a start I suppose.

 

Got a phone call this evening from E-on saying that they have checked their system and my case is NOT eligible under the billing code - so this bill has still to be paid!!!

 

They have agreed with me that they never sent any bills to the property (supply address) as they have been sending them to the builder/developer of the flats for the last 5 years!!! The address of the builders/developer is in another city some 50 miles away!!!

 

I then asked E-on - if they weren't receiving payment from the builders why on earth at some point over that 5 years did they not post a bill to the supply address??? The answer I got was "because the builder never informed us" Well i'm sorry why should that be my problem???

 

He then said that if I had tried to contact E-on over these years then the billing code would be eligible - I said that until last week I had never even heard of E-on and that I had several times tried to contact our local energy suppliers who were scottish gas, scottish power, hydro electric - and was told by all of them that the property was not showing up as registered. I told them I had also been given a number to phone by one of the energy companies to obtain an MPRN number - when I phoned them they said it was impossible to get this number as the builders had still not regisetered the property. How can I contact E-ON if I have never even heard of them??? Seemingly they weren't even called e-on in 2005!!!

 

I ended up going round in circles and the guy was getting frustrated by saying things like " we have billed for the property - just not to the property address" HONESTLY!!!

 

My answer "If at any point Steven (guys name) you had sent a bill or an enquiry letter to the property I or my tenants would have happily paid the bills as we have done for every other bill in the property" "Why have E-on NEVER sent correspondence to the property address???" His answer "Because the builders never told us they no longer owned the property"

 

He also told me that they carried a Land Registry search in Feb 2011 and found out that we had purchased the property in 2005 - so they then got BCW involved!!!

 

He then told me as he was reading the notes (that incidentally he has to go into the builder/developers file to find) that the account for my property was actioned by E-on on 22 May 2011!!!

 

This is how I see it - E-on have carried on billing the builder/developer for 5 years and not received payment (the builder actually went bust the year after our flat was built as we never got any snagging completed etc) then eventually in Feb 2011 decide to do a land registry search and find me - then get straight onto DCW as realise that they have made a BIG error and hopefully BCW will bully me into paying for E-on's unbelievable mistake!!!

 

I am sorry - but surely I have some sort of case???

 

I am going to email the Director of Complaints.

 

Any other advice guys?

 

Many thanks

[jackisback]

I have just sent an email to the director of complaints which is rather lengthy - although after reading some other posts concerning E-ON I am NOT very hopeful.

Edited February 15, 2012 by jackisback

[Surfer01]

Ask them for a screenshot of the MPRN and MPAN numbers as registered on the national registration systems. This will clearly show when it was registered. EMEB which I think is now E-On are one of the worst offenders when it comes to registering new builds.

[jackisback]

will do surfer01 thanks

Edited February 15, 2012 by jackisback

[2Grumpy]

5 years & they hadn't tried that before?

 

As you say, they probably referred directly to the DCA because E-On realised they were in the wrong.

 

E-On should obviously have written to you first. I have seen elsewhere that if you are liable, if this is 5 years of bills, they should give you 5 years to pay.

 

Watch out for them screwing with your credit reference

 

I would be inclined to write telling them that they haven't billed for 5 years & that they should have contacted you and not referred this to a DCA. Remind them that you haven't seen any of their bills, you have no idea of their accuracy and that you had tenants who would be responsible for the bills anyway and that until they communicate with you in a reasonable manner there is nothing that you can do

[jackisback]

Received a phone call this evening from the complaints team saying that several managers have looked at my case and my complaint is not valid and is now closed!!!

 

They state that it is my fault that I didn't contact E-on (even although there was no E-on back in 2005) in these 5 or 6 years and the billing code states that it is up to the customer to contact the energy supplier. He then said that it is not good enough to say that you contacted other suppliers and Transco etc as the customer has to supply the company who is the supplier!!!

 

How on earth can someone contact the supplier when they have made NO contact in all these years. I stated that I had never even heard of E-on and didn't even realise that they were a supplier in my area!!!

 

He said the case has to be closed right now to enable the collection of this £2,137.05 and why was I even bothered as it would be my tenants who would have to pay it!!!! It is the principal of the situation and the stress, time off work and my name being black listed that is the bother and the way in which E-on treat people!!!

 

I don't think any amount of fighting is going to change my situation as E-on not even willing to listen - shocking customer service!!!

[dx100uk]

off to the energy obs then

 

dx

[Surfer01]

Received a phone call this evening from the complaints team saying that several managers have looked at my case and my complaint is not valid and is now closed!!!

 

They state that it is my fault that I didn't contact E-on (even although there was no E-on back in 2005) in these 5 or 6 years and the billing code states that it is up to the customer to contact the energy supplier. He then said that it is not good enough to say that you contacted other suppliers and Transco etc as the customer has to supply the company who is the supplier!!!

 

How on earth can someone contact the supplier when they have made NO contact in all these years. I stated that I had never even heard of E-on and didn't even realise that they were a supplier in my area!!!

 

He said the case has to be closed right now to enable the collection of this £2,137.05 and why was I even bothered as it would be my tenants who would have to pay it!!!! It is the principal of the situation and the stress, time off work and my name being black listed that is the bother and the way in which E-on treat people!!!

 

I don't think any amount of fighting is going to change my situation as E-on not even willing to listen - shocking customer service!!!

 

Highly unlikely that several managers looked at your case. More than likely two or three team leaders discussed it with one another, but never referred it to a department head as they knew they probably would be a bollocking for being so inefficient. Next step is to request in writing a deadlock letter so that you can escalate it to the ombudsman. In the meantime keep in insisting on the national registration screenshots for the metering in question. you cna then post it up leaving off the address details and I can advise you of the date of registration.

[jackisback]

Thanks Surfer01 - I have now taken 2 days annual leave since last week to try and sort things out - I can't believe the time, effort and expense this is costing me due to E-ON obviously not knowing how to conduct business.

I have asked for the screenshots twice now and was told NO - and gaining this information would make no difference to the billing code. I was advised over the phone by E-ON that the account was 'set up' (not sure if that means registered) in May 2011.

I will persevere though but am obviously extremely worried about my credit rating as I feel the one + only reason E-ON have closed the complaint within2 days of me opening it is so that this then allows BCW to carry on using their bully tactics with me.

I will request the deadlock letter today. thanks again. Jack

[Surfer01]

Any dispute should not affect your credit rating so no worries there. They are obviously trying to hide something if they are nor prepared to give you screenshots. Hopefully you have this in writing as it will help a great deal when it goes to Ombudsman. How would you know that the meter was on zero when they installed it. How would they know the readings when the developer handed over the property? Too many assumptions.

[jackisback]

I have typed up a letter re the screenshots and deadlock letter and tried to email to E-on Director of Customer Services through their website email link - but not enough character spaces to allow me to email the whole letter. Does anyone know the direct email address of the director? I will of course post a copy letter tonight in the mail to the address in Nottingham.

Many thanks

[Surfer01]

Can I suggest that you send anything snail mail signed for as that way you have proof of delivery and a date. By all means also send an email.

[jackisback]

Yip good advice Surfer01 - I will do that. thanks

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

Hi jack

 

I'm sorry you've been unable to reach a satisfactory resolution with our Director's Office and would agree with Surfer and ask for a deadlock letter.

 

Just a quick heads up, though. Once 56 days have passed you can go to the Ombudsman regardless of having a deadlock letter. However, the deadlock letter means you can go sooner.

 

Malc

[jackisback]

Hi Malc

 

Thanks for coming back to me. I realise that after the 56 days have passed I can go to ombudsman - but would rather get the deadlock letter now to enable me to progress ASAP as I don't have the energy or good health at the moment to fight off the DCA's for that length of time. Thanks again though - will keep you posted.

Edited February 21, 2012 by jackisback

[jackisback]

Received standard letter today from E-ON informing me that they are looking into my complaint with an enclosed copy of their complaints procedure. Hopefully I will get that deadlock letter soon. :o/