@npowerhelp NPower rejected me to change to Scottish Power due to DEBT of PREVIOUS TENANT!

[adeeb135]

I have been reading through the threads and I couldn't see anything to answer the current predicament I am in.

I moved in as a new tenant on the 30th January 2015 and setup gas and electric with scottish power through a company (tenant Shop) who was given my details through the lettings agency.

 

 

Scottish power setup electric and gas (or so I thought) through direct debit and then all was in place till about one month ago when we had a visit from MeterPlus who are partnered with Npower looking for a Mr Patel (previous tenant). He was informed that he no longer lives here and that was the end of it till yesterday morning when I heard some rattling outside they had returned and changed my meter to a prepayment meter and were unable to change it back unless I contacted Npower.

 

 

After speaking to the reps (Npower) he said we received two requests from Scottish power and both were rejected on the grounds that debt was owed but, because the debt on the gas was apparently less they allowed that to be changed to Scottish Power but left the electric and continued to supply it until today.

 

 

I explained I am a new tenant and had setup a connection with Scottish Power for electric and gas and I am not the previous tenant but they said I needed to inform them that I was a new tenant and now I need to pay the bills accrued for the last 6-MONTHS even though I never requested this from them and neither did they have authorisation from me.

 

 

I have already spoken to members of their department and management team and filed a complaint due to their lack of communication and apparently not knowing I moved in as a new tenant even though their representative was informed and they accepted the application for changeover to gas but not electric.

 

Based on this scenario my question is

 

1. Am I liable to pay this 6-month bill which has been accrued due to Npower assuming I am the original tenant and subsequently kept supplying me until yesterday when they changed it to a prepayment meter

2. They are requesting a meter reading from when I moved in if I am unable to provide it what is the next step to get an accurate bill (if I am liable)

3. Can I take any legal action against them for their clear failings to investigate thoroughly follow information through and for the unecessary time wasted and harrassment to me and my family.

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated

Thank you in advance

Edited August 21, 2015 by citizenB

[Bazooka Boo]

Have you been paying them since you moved in via the DD?

[Eversir]

1. Nope. You are not liable for another tenant's debt.

 

2. This is a tricky one. Really you should have recorded one, but so should the landlord. You should really have given initial meter readings to the current provider, which would have been Npower.

 

Failing that I think the utility company is allowed to use a reasonable estimate. That would likely be a product of the number of days you were in the property multiplied by a reasonable daily usage (for the size of property, the number of occupants and time of year).

 

3. Depends on the situation, the length of time and the actual damages you have suffered as a result.

 

Need to understand the situation with transferring to Scottish Power in more detail. Did SP contact you to say the move had been blocked? Did Npower contact you?

[Eversir]

I'd consider getting an SAR sent to both Scottish Power and Npower to see what information they hold about you and what information has been communicated.

They have 40 days to respond, so get the ball rolling now.

 

Also read the customer services guide and record your calls!

[Conniff]

As you have been in since January, that is more than six months, so I would say, yes, you are liable for the past six months electricity, after all, it was you in occupation.

 

 

You don't say they have billed you for the past tenants usage.

[Eversir]

Perhaps my misunderstanding, but from the way the OP has written it would seem that they attempted to transfer to Scottish Power upon moving in to the property. They only later discovered that Npower had blocked the transfer of the electricity supply (and not the gas) - presumably due to a debt owed by a previous tenant. The first the OP knew of this was when a MeterPlus came to install a prepayment meter.

 

From the sounds of it, the OP hasn't made a note of meter readings - particularly the starting read - and now Npower is trying to bill on a figure that may include usage from the previous tenant as well as their own. Granted it isn't particularly clear and it would be helpful if the OP will clarify this.

 

Npower certainly shouldn't have blocked the transfer for the new tenant. Is Npower charging you one of their more expensive tariffs for electricity, and would you have gotten a better deal with SP had the transfer not been wrongly blocked? If so, you perhaps need to be working out how much money you are now worse-off due to Npowers mistake. As Conniff quite rightly says, you will have to pay for your electricity usage - the backbilling rules won't apply here I don't think.

 

You need to check with your letting agent / landlord whether they have the final meter readings for the previous tenant.

[Conniff]

Perhaps my misunderstanding, but from the way the OP has written it would seem that they attempted to transfer to Scottish Power upon moving in to the property. They only later discovered that Npower had blocked the transfer of the electricity supply (and not the gas) - presumably due to a debt owed by a previous tenant. The first the OP knew of this was when a MeterPlus came to install a prepayment meter.

 

From the sounds of it, the OP hasn't made a note of meter readings - particularly the starting read - and now Npower is trying to bill on a figure that may include usage from the previous tenant as well as their own. Granted it isn't particularly clear and it would be helpful if the OP will clarify this.

 

Npower certainly shouldn't have blocked the transfer for the new tenant. Is Npower charging you one of their more expensive tariffs for electricity, and would you have gotten a better deal with SP had the transfer not been wrongly blocked? If so, you perhaps need to be working out how much money you are now worse-off due to Npowers mistake. As Conniff quite rightly says, you will have to pay for your electricity usage - the backbilling rules won't apply here I don't think.

 

You need to check with your letting agent / landlord whether they have the final meter readings for the previous tenant.

 

 

Not mistake Eversir, 'incompetence'. Npower don't make mistakes.

[adeeb135]

Thank you all for your responses,

I will try to answer all the questions above in order

1. I don't recall receiving any letters from Npower or from SC however both said they had been sending letters Npower would have been sent in the previous tenants name. However, SC may have been overlooked by myself as I just assumed they DD was being taken out so everything was running how it should.

2. With regards to a SAR - i'm not familiar what it actually is and how I go about getting one and its benefits?

3. Billing wise I have never received a bill from them in my name and as stated above I have haven't opened the previous tenants letters to see if they had sent anything for him.

 

I assumed it was a straight forward case they were looking for a tenant who had moved out the agent was informed and that information which was not forwarded back to NP in fact their report states nobody answered the door and they left a letter to respond within 7-days which I don't believe the agent even left for me!

Look forward to your responses

[BankFodder]

You will probably only be able to make headway on this if you are prepared to take legal action.

You should :

Read our customer services guide.

Phone Npower several times and record each conversation and compare the different versions.

Send Npower an SAR

 

You should certainly have given Npower your meter readings. However, you seem to say you have inform them about your you have and they accepted it. Didn't they ask you for any readings?

It seems to me that you could have a basis for bringing a court claim full breach of contract and maybe for trespass because the meter may have been changed unlawfully.

[honeybee13]

Hello there.

 

If you want to read up on SARs, click on the letters SAR in one of the posts above and you'll go through to a different page with information.

 

HB

[adeeb135]

Thanks for the info guys I'll keep you updates, this website and the people here are amazing I never expected such a rapid and comprehensive responses.

[ericsbrother]

Scottish Power are as bad as NPower so perhaps you should shop around a but more.