Southern Water and CRA's?

[Bazooka Boo]

Having a bit of fun with the above who deal with my waste water.

They had been sending lovely red coloured bits of paper every month becasue I had missed one payment of £25, so by their account I was behind with my payments as per my "payment plan"?

 

Confusing as I have never had any such payment plan in place previously, as they have sent me the bill, and I have always set up a standing order to pay them over the year, monthly, no payment plan or agreement/contract has ever been signed by me or them?

 

So the latest letter is now another brightly coloured "Notification before default" informing me that if I do not pay or set up a payment plan by next month then they will mark my credit file with a default which will stay on for blah blah blah, and make obtaining credit yadda yadda yadda, yawn yawn!

 

They are demanding the full years bill, which is never going to happen, if they're lucky £15 a month at most, but my question is how can they mark a credit file without any such agreement contract being in place?

 

I'm not in the slightest bit bothered by this credit file lark, so they're threatening the wrong person, I'm just spoiling for a fight.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi Boo, yes they can report and most utility providers do so when 'problems' occur, as with most service contracts they don't report continuously.

[Bazooka Boo]

Thanks Brig....

I'm going to set up a standing order anyhow, just wondering if it's worth having them account for the non existent contract?

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hello Boo, the contracts usually consist of a letter and a booklet, not much more as none of us has a bloody choice as to where we buy our water or who handles the stuff.

[Bazooka Boo]

Yep, so it is just Implied rights?

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Yep, so it is just Implied rights?

 

It would seem so, you had a bath/shower an a................ now pay for it:madgrin:

[Bazooka Boo]

[ericsbrother]

separate water supplier and wastewater/sewerage? There are laws regarding water supply and waste treatment that force each household to accept what they have forced upon them, that is why the water companies were snatched up on privatisation even though they should have been a boring prospect. We cannot avoid paying anything asked of us, regardless how ridiculous the amount or how it is arrived at.

[Bazooka Boo]

Yeah, I know, paid them a tenner yesterday, they can like it or lump it.

[Bazooka Boo]

I had wondered if I had raised this issue before?

 

Well it has raised it's murky head again! Southern Water willy waving and saying cough up now or we will report to the CRA's, six years bad credit blah blah blah, pay full amount now or we will blah blah blah.....

 

I'm just about to fire off an email asking them for a copy of my contract and reminding them that due to the unselected con-dem government and their war on the weakest poorest members of society, I am in a worse position now than I was 9 months ago when I set up payment of £10 a month, what they gonna do, wanna fight about it?

 

They want the full £480 by the end of the month.... never going to happen!

[Bandit127]

Since they have taken your money per month and not resorted to court.

 

And since you have been paying it for a long time.

 

Are you not both bound in to an agreement by estoppel? They are bound to accept your payments and you are bound to continue paying them.

 

Assuming that you clear the "balance" every year (since you are currently paying 25% of what your bill is).

[Bazooka Boo]

I've no idea TBH...

 

Sent them an email yesterday telling them that my financial circumstances had deteriorated in light of the democide on the sick & disabled.

 

I am unable to pay the annual water bill of £380, hence why they agreed to me paying £10 a month.

 

Either way, I'm not overly concerned, I'm paying what I can, I've recommended they take me to court in light of their latest letter threatening DCA's and marking my already trashed credit file.

Quite why they believe threatening me with marking a credit report will have any bearing on me is futile and immature, I couldn't care less.

[Bazooka Boo]

Ha ha, I did wonder if I had started a thread on this, and it seems I have!

 

2013, the start of my battle with the DWP and today see the now annual SW threat letter through the door.

 

I have continued to pay them £11 a month since being stripped of all benefits, and with any luck having beaten the DWP should receive a hefty backpay, so will be able to increase payments to SW.

 

But their continued use of the stick approach riles me, and I might just let them carry out their threat of adding their name to my 'credit file' and adding their unenforceable £45 'charges', then I can play with their powerless DCA.....should be fun!

 

I am also concerned that as this is not a credit agreement, that they can issue their own take on a default notice, in that this letter, isn't laid out like a normal default notice, but it merely states ''if you do not take the required actions by the dd June then your account will be passed to a DCA and a default registered''.

 

Plus they haven't enclosed their 'leaflet' which gives me info on their debt assistance scheme...tut tut....

Might give them a ring and tell them I need to reduce my monthly agreement, see what they say.

[kjun]

A number of water companies are now members of CAIS (Credit Account Information Sharing) allowing them to register a default for non payment of water services charges.

 

 

I my be wrong but I don't believe there is any specific legislation saying that only Consumer Credit Agreement data can be shared by the CRA's??