EDF threatening me with prepayment meter after I have switched

[CAGareBrilliant]

EDF say I built up a debt of around £2.5K with them. This was despite my direct debit having been in place - they simply failed to collect the agreed amount for over a year whilst I was abroad. They say they notified me of this in emails, but they did not - I only started getting emails a few months ago when they realised their error. Basically they stopped billing me after changing to a smart meter, they must have got their records confused.

 

I was exasperated by their conduct towards me, which included lies about having emailed me and not taking my code complaint seriously (I was requesting a bill revision to exclude debt more than 1 year old), so I decided to switch supplier. In April, I was accepted by Ovo and have been with them for several months now.

 

Despite having written several times to EDF to point this out (and even having it confirmed by email) they continue to send letters threatening installation of a prepayment meter via a warrant.

 

Can they obtain such a warrant? Do they have to let me know, is there a court hearing which I can attend?

 

Can they install a prepayment meter at a property where they are no longer the supplier?

[rebel11]

Hi CAG

 

Write a Formal Letter of Complaint, mark it as such. Explain what's happened, how they have let you down and what you want them to do.

 

Send it to:-

Vincent de rivaz

Chief Executive Officer

EDF UK

vincent.derivaz@edfenergy.com

 

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/domestic-consumers/making-enquiry-or-complaint

[CAGareBrilliant]

Hi CAG

 

Write a Formal Letter of Complaint, mark it as such. Explain what's happened, how they have let you down and what you want them to do.

 

Send it to:-

Vincent de rivaz

Chief Executive Officer

EDF UK

vincent.derivaz@edfenergy.com

 

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/domestic-consumers/making-enquiry-or-complaint

 

Thanks, I will. I already wrote to the Customer Services Director, no reply or effect so far.

[rebel11]

Explain that your willing to pay what you owe, but they failed to bill you when they should have, it's their fault, they need to take responsibility, the Back Billing Code states that they need to take responsibility when they fail customers, you should only be asked to pay the last 12 months. Give them a deadline to resolve the matter.

 

If you need more input just ask.

[CAGareBrilliant]

Explain that your willing to pay what you owe, but they failed to bill you when they should have, it's their fault, they need to take responsibility, the Back Billing Code states that they need to take responsibility when they fail customers, you should only be asked to pay the last 12 months. Give them a deadline to resolve the matter.

 

If you need more input just ask.

 

Thanks, yes, I've done that. They just rang back after about 2 days and said they had 'carried out an investigation' into my complaint and that it was invalid, because the code says the 1-year rule does not apply if they have made attempts to be in touch. They claim they did those by email, a barefaced lie, but of course difficult to disprove.

 

I am taking it to Ofgem, but in the meantime I wanted to know where I stand with these threats to install a prepayment meter. Does anyone here know where I stand on that? Can I get my new supplier to tell them to buzz off? Should I contact my new supplier and tell them that the previous one are threatening the prepayment meter warrant?

[rebel11]

I would tell your new supplier, I can't see how they can now.

 

http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/component/jdownloads/finish/3/850.html

 

Thanks, yes, I've done that. They just rang back after about 2 days and said they had 'carried out an investigation' into my complaint and that it was invalid, because the code says the 1-year rule does not apply if they have made attempts to be in touch. They claim they did those by email, a barefaced lie, but of course difficult to disprove.

 

I am taking it to Ofgem, but in the meantime I wanted to know where I stand with these threats to install a prepayment meter. Does anyone here know where I stand on that? Can I get my new supplier to tell them to buzz off? Should I contact my new supplier and tell them that the previous one are threatening the prepayment meter warrant?

[SabreSheep]

Do a SAR to them and ask for everything *Including* emails

[CAGareBrilliant]

Do a SAR to them and ask for everything *Including* emails

 

Oh that's a good idea!

 

I get a bit confused on CAG as to where the correct documents are - which is the up to date SAR document to send please?

[CAGareBrilliant]

I would tell your new supplier, I can't see how they can now.

 

http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/component/jdownloads/finish/3/850.html

 

I've seen that DAP document before, but it doesn't address my specific situation, eg, having been accepted by a new supplier with an existing debt and without a prepayment meter and the previous supplier threatening to install one.

 

How would you deal with the new supplier, I presume telling them this is going on might lead to them wanting to cancel my account? Can they do that, or now that they have accepted me for a contract, are they obliged to stick to it? I was never asked by Ovo if I was in debt to EDF.

[ims21]

There is a full SAR template in the CAG library.

 

Amend it as needed.

[CAGareBrilliant]

There is a full SAR template in the CAG library.

 

Amend it as needed.

 

Thanks! Very helpful.

[goodatresearch]

How can you have built up 2.5k if you were abroad and not in the property?

[CAGareBrilliant]

How can you have built up 2.5k if you were abroad and not in the property?

 

The actual basis of the amount is generated by their estimates, which are out of kilter with actual usage. However, they relate to quite a long period of time - I was away for the best part of two years and it covers more than 18 months of that. It's a cold country house and I left the gas central heating running twice a day to stop it from getting too cold or damp. In addition, they are still trying to add on bills since I switched, although I have a separate acknowledgment by email from them that I have switched! The bill is probably about 20% higher than it should be due to estimates, plus it covers at least 6 months that I shouldn't have to pay for due to it being more than a year old, plus several months after I switched.

 

Quite a mess really, but they seem to be acting robotically and refusing all attempts to discuss it properly with them - they did seem to be doing that by phone initially, but I soon realised that was just a pretence as they lied to me over the phone about the email contact issue.

[goodatresearch]

Did you not read the metre when you left the country and again when you returned? Plus your new supplier should have arranged a reading on inception. Usually its the same company who reads your metre, regardless of who your supplier is and they usually carry out a reading once a year anyway. You should be able to backtrack and find out the true cost.

 

As to the missing emails, can't your internet provider provide proof that non were received?

[rebel11]

Emails might of been sent, but ended up in the 'spam' folder, and auto deleted.

 

'As to the missing emails, can't your internet provider provide proof that non were received?'

[CAGareBrilliant]

Did you not read the metre when you left the country and again when you returned? Plus your new supplier should have arranged a reading on inception. Usually its the same company who reads your metre, regardless of who your supplier is and they usually carry out a reading once a year anyway. You should be able to backtrack and find out the true cost.

 

As to the missing emails, can't your internet provider provide proof that non were received?

 

I was somewhat lax with readings and allowed (foolishly) to be dealt with via estimates. No meter reader has been to the property for a long time, or at least, not whilst I was there, I did have a meter reading card when I started to get to grips with this a few months ago on my return and I sent in readings to EDF at that stage. However, the billing has definitely gone astray somewhere in the past, probably when they installed the new electric meter.

 

The email account I am using is a spam-collecting one from an old ISP that has been running for years on a mail server that isn't really supervised, so it will be a waste of time trying to contact the legacy company that once ran it and has now been absorbed many times into successor companies - the most likely outcome will be that they will simply terminate the account. I have made sure to use a current Gmail address for the Ovo one!

[rebel11]

Part of the Back Billing Code is that the energy supplier has to read the meter at least every two years.

[goodatresearch]

OK time for a SAR then.

 

As to them billing for the time you are with another company, it should be easy to prove this and you have already stated that EDF sent you confirmation of the date of change over.

[CAGareBrilliant]

OK time for a SAR then.

 

As to them billing for the time you are with another company, it should be easy to prove this and you have already stated that EDF sent you confirmation of the date of change over.

 

Yes, by email - the letters threatening me keep arriving however. I suspect that they are currently initiating the warrant process, as knowing EDF I am very doubtful that all my efforts to contact them about the switch will have any effect on their debt process. My real concern now is that they will obtain this warrant without letting me know.

[goodatresearch]

EDF have terrible customer service and, if possible, even worst administration.

 

My daughter moved into a flat with an EDF supply and after 2 weeks swapped to BG. She then received a ridiculously high final bill. The final metre reading on this bill was a lot higher than the actual metre reading, and the metre reading for the date the previous tennants moved out was incorrect. BG couldnt understand where EDF were getting their readings from because the metre reading company had provided them with the previous tennants reading and BG had provided them with the swap over reading.

 

2 months later the metre reading had not reached the EDF final estimated reading. No apology for the threats they were making either, when they had to admit they were wrong.

[CAGareBrilliant]

EDF have terrible customer service and, if possible, even worst administration.

 

My daughter moved into a flat with an EDF supply and after 2 weeks swapped to BG. She then received a ridiculously high final bill. The final metre reading on this bill was a lot higher than the actual metre reading, and the metre reading for the date the previous tennants moved out was incorrect. BG couldnt understand where EDF were getting their readings from because the metre reading company had provided them with the previous tennants reading and BG had provided them with the swap over reading.

 

2 months later the metre reading had not reached the EDF final estimated reading. No apology for the threats they were making either, when they had to admit they were wrong.

 

Yes, they seem to have very convenient system and information lapses, always in their favour. Other utilities play these games, but I've found EDF to be particularly bad.

 

The tone of the people who dealt with my initial complaints on their call centre left a lot to be desired as well, varying between threatening, indifferent and defending points I knew to be blatant lies.

 

They seem to be chronically confused as well. I suspect that my troubles started when they changed a meter. For some reason, at this point their system 'forgot' that I was a customer and billing stopped. When (presumably as the result of some sort of software system that hunts for errors) they decided to pick the billing up, they acted as though they had never left me alone for a second, whereas in fact for well over a year they had done nothing, zero communication and no effort to take the money, despite the direct debit still being in place and funds available.

 

I also suspect that further confusion on their part has allowed me to switch to another supplier whilst still (according to them anyway) owing more than the Code-defined £500 per fuel account. Not that I'm concerned about that aspect, but it highlights what a mess they are.

[goodatresearch]

Usually when they change a metre the engineer writes the old metres last reading on a label which he sticks on the new metre. Have you checked?

[CAGareBrilliant]

Usually when they change a metre the engineer writes the old metres last reading on a label which he sticks on the new metre. Have you checked?

 

That was a good call, thanks for that - yes, the engineer did indeed leave a reading card on the meter when he changed it.

[CAGareBrilliant]

Just to update this thread - I have now successfully achieved a switch to a new provider, away from EDF, regardless of their unjustified rejection of my claim that they are in a code violation by attempting to claim payments from me that predate 12 months from when they first contacted me.

 

I am now writing a detailed complaint to the regulator about their conduct. They are continuing to hassle me for the unjustified debt, but have admitted that they cannot simply come round to my house and stick a prepayment meter in.

[goodatresearch]

Well. Keep is informed re the complaint