EON Gas Supply - Possible Illegal Warrant and Prepayment meter

[ivorbiggun]

Hello fellow CAGers,

 

I'm trying to help my Uncle here.

 

 

He received a notice to apply for a warrant with a £300 debt.

 

 

However, he paid the debt in full 2 days before the hearing.

EON went ahead with the hearing and got a warrant.

 

Two days later they (or their agents) created huge panic with my Aunt and Nieces when they used a locksmith to break into the house to fit a prepayment meter.

The meter is on the outside of the house and easily accessible so there was no reason to break in.

(I understand they may want to inspect appliances).

 

My question is what can be done?

The warrant was obtained illegally/immorally and the representative must have confirmed to the bench that the debt was outstanding and cannot have exercised due diligence to confirm that the debt was outstanding or they lied.

 

A complaint was made to Eon a few weeks ago and they have not responded despite saying they will reply within 5 working days.

 

I'm thinking a lot of wrongs here.

No debt,

warrant obtained illegally/dishonestly/negligently, tort, alarm and trespass.

 

 

Thoughts on next course of action?

[dx100uk]

email the CEO

[sgtbush]

I'm no expert on eon on warrants but I would think if they got to the stage of court action, whether right or wrong and it took that type of action to get your friend to pay what they owed, they don't want to put themselves I that position again.

 

They don't have to allow you credit which what a bill is.

 

Just like council tax bills

- you dont have a right to pay monthly,

they can ask for full payment for the year, in advance..

 

I'm sure there will be something similar for utilities.

 

However, given your friend sounds like they got in a bit of schtum with them, wouldn't pre payment be more suitable for them.

 

However I found tho on cab website

 

Your gas or electricity supplier might tell you they’re going to install a prepayment meter in your home if you owe them money.

 

It's often good to avoid getting a prepayment meter if you can - even the cheapest prepayment deal costs more than the best direct debit deal.

 

When you can refuse a prepayment meter

 

Your supplier can’t make you have a prepayment meter if it wouldn’t be safe or practical. This means you can refuse to have a prepayment meter if an illness or disability means you’d be harmed if your gas or electricity was cut off. You can also refuse if you couldn’t get to or use your meter.

 

Your supplier also has to follow rules set by Ofgem, the energy regulator. These rules mean your supplier can’t make you have a prepayment meter if:

•you don’t agree that you owe them money, and you’ve told them this - for example if the debt came from a previous tenant

 

•they haven’t offered you other ways to repay money you owe - for example a repayment plan or payments through your benefits

 

•they come to your home to install a prepayment meter without giving you notice - at least 7 days for gas and 7 working days for electricity

 

•they haven’t given you at least 28 days to repay your debt before writing to you to say they want to install a prepayment meter

 

Tell your supplier if any of these apply. If they still want to want to install a prepayment meter, you should complain to get them to change their mind.

 

Refuse a prepayment meter if you’re disabled or ill

 

Your supplier can’t make you have a prepayment meter if you:

•are disabled in a way that makes it hard to get to, read or use the meter

•have a mental health condition that makes it hard to get to, read or use the meter

•have an illness that affects your breathing, such as asthma

•have an illness that’s made worse by the cold, such as arthritis

•use medical equipment that needs electricity - for example a stairlift or dialysis machine

 

Tell your supplier if any of these apply. If they still want to install a prepayment meter, you should complain to get them to change their mind.

 

You should also ask to be put on your supplier’s priority services register - you could get extra help with your energy supply.

 

Refuse a prepayment meter if you couldn’t get to it or top it up

 

Your supplier can’t make you have a prepayment meter if it would be too hard for you to top it up. Tell your supplier if:

 

•your current meter is hard to reach - for example if it's above head height

 

•you can’t always get to your current meter - for example if it’s in a shared cupboard you don’t have a key for

 

•it would be hard to get to a shop where you could top up your meter - for example if you don’t have a car and the nearest shop is over 2 miles away

 

There might be ways around problems like these. For example, your supplier might move your meter or let you top up online.

 

If your supplier can’t solve one of these problems but still wants to install a prepayment meter, you should complain. If your complaint succeeds they won’t install the meter.

 

You could pay more if you refuse without a reason

 

If none of the reasons on this page apply to you, your supplier is allowed to install a prepayment meter. If you don't agree to this, they can get a warrant to enter your home and install the meter. They’ll add the cost of the warrant to the money you owe them.

 

Further help

 

If your supplier is going to install a prepayment meter, find out what to expect.

 

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline if you need more help or advice about stopping your supplier installing a prepayment meter.

[unclebulgaria67]

EON are likely to have loaded the £300 debt onto the prepayment meter so anything paid onto the meter will pay part of this debt again.

 

In this situation, if the debt has now been cleared, then it should be possible to move from EON and have the meter changed to a standard one. I think your Uncle should look at shopping around for his energy supply and contact companies to discuss the meter situation. EBICO might be worth looking at, if he is a low user of energy.

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

Hello ivorbiggun and guessing but it sounds as though the payment was received too late to stop the action. How did your uncle clear the outstanding balance? Did he pay through our Warrants team? This is a specialist section who deal with all things related to Warrants.

 

It takes a long time to reach the warrant stage and before then many attempts are made to contact the account holder to try to sort out payment for the energy used. This includes letters, phone calls, texts, emails and home visits by our representatives. Where these attempts fail, we'll often look to the Courts as a last resort. At this point, accounts are ring-fenced and will only be dealt with by our Warrants team. We'll have written to your uncle to let him know what we were doing and then again once the Court had given us a date and time for the hearing.

 

Going forward, this specialist team are still the ones to talk to about what we can do for your uncle. This will be where your uncle's complaint is. I'd ask him to talk to these advisors (contact details will be on the letters we sent) for an explanation of what happened and why his payment didn't stop the action. If he's not satisfied with what they tell him, he can refer the matter to the Energy Ombudsman for an independent review. There are more details about how we look after complaints on our website.

 

I agree with unclebulgaria. Ask about debt on the meter. Any invalid debt can soon be removed by sending an electronic message to the meter. Anything paid that shouldn't have been will be refunded. Again, our warrants team will be able to let him know.

 

Hope this helps point you and your uncle in the right direction.

 

Malc

[ivorbiggun]

Thank you for the info SgtBush and Uncle Bulgaria

 

Malc,

 

 

Thank you for your response. I do understand that your hands are tied in what you can say.

Not only was the balance paid but £266 has also been added on for costs of attending to change the meter.

 

 

The meter prepayment is a smaller issue.

The major issue is that the amount paid was on a Monday and the hearing on a Weds.

The fact that no-one at Eon checked is a joke.

 

 

I can't see how he can be liable for the £266.

The fact that you've decided to tell me about the Ombudsman,

and from threads on the internet sounds as though Eon aren't proactive in handling complaints and is the only way forward.

[BazzaS]

Hello ivorbiggun and guessing but it sounds as though the payment was received too late to stop the action. How did your uncle clear the outstanding balance? Did he pay through our Warrants team? This is a specialist section who deal with all things related to Warrants.

 

.........

Going forward, this specialist team are still the ones to talk to about what we can do for your uncle. This will be where your uncle's complaint is. I'd ask him to talk to these advisors (contact details will be on the letters we sent) for an explanation of what happened and why his payment didn't stop the action. If he's not satisfied with what they tell him, he can refer the matter to the Energy Ombudsman for an independent review. There are more details about how we look after complaints on our website.

.........

 

Hope this helps point you and your uncle in the right direction.

 

Malc

 

 

Malc,

 

Thank you for your response. I do understand that your hands are tied in what you can say.

 

....

 

The fact that you've decided to tell me about the Ombudsman, and from threads on the internet sounds as though Eon aren't proactive in handling complaints and is the only way forward.

 

That isn't how I read Malc's reply.

 

I read it as "here are the right people to complain to, try that first, but so you have the info here's the next stage too".

 

By all means criticise EON where they deserve it, but is your anger at EON meaning that you are unfairly criticising Malc's response?

[ivorbiggun]

That isn't how I read Malc's reply.

 

I read it as "here are the right people to complain to, try that first, but so you have the info here's the next stage too".

 

By all means criticise EON where they deserve it, but is your anger at EON meaning that you are unfairly criticising Malc's response?

 

I'm not angry. Life goes on, my uncle still has gas from the prepayment meter, a very much first world problem.... More annoyed that it been a few weeks and apart from the standard your email has been received, there has been no response from Eon.

[BazzaS]

I'm not angry. Life goes on, my uncle still has gas from the prepayment meter, a very much first world problem.... More annoyed that it been a few weeks and apart from the standard your email has been received, there has been no response from Eon.

 

But Malc replied, and if it wasn't anger, what prompted your unfair reply to his input?

[ivorbiggun]

But Malc replied, and if it wasn't anger, what prompted your unfair reply to his input?

 

 

 

More frustration at Eon not replying to a complaint. I sincerely apologise to Malc if I have come across as unfair in anyway.

 

Point noted. Warrant team is the way forward.

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

Thank you for the info SgtBush and Uncle Bulgaria

 

Malc,

 

Thank you for your response. I do understand that your hands are tied in what you can say. Not only was the balance paid but £266 has also been added on for costs of attending to change the meter. The meter prepayment is a smaller issue. The major issue is that the amount paid was on a Monday and the hearing on a Weds. The fact that no-one at Eon checked is a joke. I can't see how he can be liable for the £266. The fact that you've decided to tell me about the Ombudsman, and from threads on the internet sounds as though Eon aren't proactive in handling complaints and is the only way forward.

 

I'm not angry. Life goes on, my uncle still has gas from the prepayment meter, a very much first world problem.... More annoyed that it been a few weeks and apart from the standard your email has been received, there has been no response from Eon.

 

 

 

 

More frustration at Eon not replying to a complaint. I sincerely apologise to Malc if I have come across as unfair in anyway.

 

Point noted. Warrant team is the way forward.

 

No worries ivorbiggun. Understand your frustration. BazzaS is right. My intention was to point you towards the people here best placed to look into this for your uncle. The £266 you mention is the cost of raising the warrant. Bring this up with the Warrants Team too.

 

Malc

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

That isn't how I read Malc's reply.

 

I read it as "here are the right people to complain to, try that first, but so you have the info here's the next stage too".

 

By all means criticise EON where they deserve it, but is your anger at EON meaning that you are unfairly criticising Malc's response?

 

But Malc replied, and if it wasn't anger, what prompted your unfair reply to his input?

 

Many thanks BazzaS. You're right, my intention was to guide the OP to the best people to talk to with respect to their particular issue. Also, if unhappy with what they say, where to go next.

 

Thanks again for your input BazzaS.

 

Malc

[mikeymack2002]

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2016/09/open_letter_eon_complaints_handling.pdf

 

 

and

 

 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/stop-your-energy-supplier-installing-a-prepayment-meter/

 

 

Both links are for interesting reading... Especially that one from the CAB!

[Leakie]

A couple of Questions

 

Was your Uncle

1- Told when the court date was and where so he could have challenged it.

 

2- Was He given his Human rights letter.

 

3-Was anyone in the property in when the warrant officer attended.

if so did they ask to enter and were refused.

 

I had a similar problem with Eon

I ended up in debt with them when I pointed out they had read the meter the wrong way around.

(night /day Day /Night )

 

I received my court date letter after the case, after it had taken place, I was still disputing the Bill as they had made the mistake

and want payment quicker than I could afford,

 

Warrant officer turned up change the meter, I let him in under protest.

 

I then contacted Customer services and complained. ended up speaking to a manager as the first person was reading from a script.

 

I explained the situation and stated I had 3 separate complaints, and was going to go to the ombudsman

Very quickly I was refunded the warrant charge, and compensation although small,

I believe that it cost the U/C £500 per complaint, so tend to concentrate them into action.

 

Personally, I would never go with EON again as I feel they are one of the worst and aggressive U/C's

 

Good luck

 

Leakie