EON disgusting threats

[hammermitch]

I have an agreement with EON to pay a monthly amount with a payment card every month, this agreement has been going for 8 months with me making my payment on the day every month without fail, paying a total of £1,530 Gas and £1,092 Electric in this time.

 

However over christmas i was rushed into hospital and have 2 operations, during this time i missed 1 payment and was late for another, however, despite the fact i was now not working and am a single parent, i managed to catch up with my payments and am now fully up to date with all payments at present, despite this i have now recieved a visit from an EON debt agent, adding £55 for this visit, and threatening with breaking in to fit a prepayment meter and even changing my locks with a locksmith, and various other threats of extortionate fees, i am totally disgusted with EONs actions and complete lack of customer care, i am now ready to forward a complaint to the energy ombudsman, how can they behave in this way to such a vulnerable person? how can they justify adding £55 for an agent to hane deliver a letter? is this reasonable costs?

[E.ON Company Rep: Helena]

Hi hammermitch,

 

I'm sorry that you have ended up in this situation, it's not very nice at all.

 

It sounds like all was going fine until you missed one payment and was late with the next, this wouldn't normally cause a visit to your home, this is a last resort.

 

Are you also paying off a debt through the payment plan from arrears on the account? If so this may explain why the debt collection process has moved faster.

 

Has the arrangement failed in the past? Or have previous arrangements failed? This would also be a reason for the visit.

 

I really think the first thing to do is to speak to us, advise that you have been in hospital and is the reason for the missed payment.

 

If there have been no other issues (failed payment arrangements) then we should be able to re-instate the payment arrangement for you.

 

Helena

[i hate bailiffs]

The agent has no right to threaten with breaking in changing the locks and fitting a pre payment meter to do that they would need a court order

 

You will be given a time and a date if they have the court order for that to happen

 

If he returns tell him to go and play with the traffic

 

He is not a bailiff and no such powers

 

I would say once you have the debt payed off take your custom elsewhere

[mercyblue]

perhaps the eon rep could explain the reason for this field visits (all the companies do it I was charged £60 by sse 30 for gas and 30 for electric despite it been the same person at the same time) its just daylight robbery all it does is increase a debt on the very people who are unable to pay it what does it achieve nothing.

[hammermitch]

I have contacted EON, they were no help, refused to remove the £55 fee for their agent to deliver a threatening letter, and stated that i should have informed them BEFORE i went into hospital

 

As for the threats, they surely cannot be legal, the actual letter states "further charges of £250" "enter my property with the aid of the police and locksmith" "change my locks" disgusting.

 

4 days before this agent delivered this threatening letter i had paid EON a total of £656, surely they could see i was up to date on my payments and was paying my bill, its not as if i was refusing to pay my bill, why was there a need for this visit and threats? on the letter left by this field agent was a mobile number, i phoned this number, no answer, so i left a voicemail for him to ring me back, this agent has not done this at all, i am sure EON just send these people out to make more money and add to customers bill, how can they justify £55 is "reasonable costs"?

 

i feel like just refusing to pay the way EON have treated me, but i will continue to pay my agreement every month, however i will only be paying for Electricity and Gas used, i will refuse to pay their extortionate fees, and will take this to the energy ombudsman if neccesary,

[E.ON Company Rep: Helena]

Hi again hammermitch,

 

I'm sorry that the person you have spoken to on the phone was unhelpful.

 

It sounds like your account is going down the debt collection process and the additional charges will be to raise a warrant to fit pre-payment meters.

 

You say you are up to date with payments, so is there no debt on the account at all? And no previous failed payment arrangements except for this one? If this is the case then I'm really unsure what we are trying to collect and what is going on.

 

I think you need to use the escalation process through E.ON to try and get this resolved.

 

I also think that your current payment arrangement will have been cancelled, so this will also need to be looked at.

 

I do hope you get this sorted out to your satisfaction.

 

Helena

[i hate bailiffs]

Shame the rep could not be any more helpful!!

 

Keep things in writing so you have a paper trail

with Eon they will probably try to go down the court route as they can never see any errors in there ways

 

Keep up with the payments

 

The charges there are trying to add don't seam fair

You may be able to let them fit a meter voluntarily

 

Then take your custom elsewhere

[hammermitch]

The agreement i set up was renewed in October 2012 and was to cover my latest bill and to estimate my usage for the next 6 months, so i should be up to date by march, all debts are now clear as i have paid EON in total over £3.000 since February 2012, the only amount i now owe is from my latest bill in January 2013, however it is quite obvious to anyone, including EON, that this will be clear from debt and i will probably be in credit by March as i am continuing my payment arrangement, how does this authorise EON to send out debt collectors and make such threats?

 

Could the EON rep please explain how they justify charging £55 for the field agent to hand deliver 1 threatening letter? is this legal? surely they can only charge "reasonable costs" not just make up any amount they want, and how can they make such threats as to change locks with the help of a locksmith? so far everyone at EON is avoiding the questions regarding the £55 fee, now is the chance for EON to explain how this is reasonable, in particular when just 4 days before he attended i paid a total of £656, and in the last week have paid a total of £998, how can EON justify sending out a debt collector and adding this extortionate fee to somebody who is clearly paying as agreed?

 

I get no joy telephoning EON so i have no choice but to take this complaint to the energy ombudsman

[i hate bailiffs]

 

Put it all in writing you will get no where with them on the phone

mark it formal complaint

[nottslad]

it sounds like what has happened is that when you missed a payment due to being in hospital, the arrangement was cancelled. You should have received a letter advising of this, as well as a letter about the impending visit before it went ahead.

 

As Helena says, you'd probably be best following the escalation procedure to get the agreement put back in place, which would then stop all action

[hammermitch]

No letters recieved saying agreement has been cancelled, i did get letters stating i was behind and neede to make a total of 2 months payments to get up to date, this obviously has been done,

 

Have sent 2 emails to director of customer services, as yet no reply.

 

what is so frustrating is this field agent hand delivered a letter with the htreats and charges, and on the letter was his name and mobile number, i have tried to ring this number several times, no answer, i left a voicemail, and he has yet to return my call, so this agent can turn up at my door, make all sorts of threats to return with locksmith and change my locks, but i cant even get in touch with him to explain

 

Also if i continue to my agreement, then by March i will be in credit with EON, why are they continuing with this action when it is obvious i am paying and will be in credit, maybe i should turn up on their door when i am in credit and ask for my money back and charge them £55 for the visit.

 

can EON please explain how this £55 fee is reasonable? or is it just a way to add on the bill to people that miss a payment, just a money making [problem]

[BornThisWay]

Hi Hammermich. Just reading up on Eon as they have treated me very badly.

 

What a shame it is that the utilities in this country were nationalised. I thought this would bring in competition and lower prices. In fact it has brought in companies who fix their prices all at a high level, and whose massive profits are just benefiting shareholders in France and Germany.

 

I would urge you to try a different company. There may well be worse electricity supplies than Eon but I have to honestly say, after being a loyal customer for 30 odd years of this bunch of crooks, under their various names, I very much doubt it!!

 

I have been treated like dirt by these people and it really is wrong that they get away with it. All we can do is move supplier and hope that nobody else has their attitude to customers.