NPOWER and recommended boiler service trader - 7 day court Threat Letter From Solicitors

[treextree]

Hello i wonder if you can help me pls

have received a pay within 7 day letter from Thomas Higgins partnership solicitors

however i am of the understanding i don't owe them the debt they say i do

its from a local firm of plumbers for the sum of 81.53+ vat total = 97.84.

 

In Dec 2015 i moved house and decided to get Monthly Boiler cover from Npower

they said i needed my boiler to be serviced in order for them to cover me

the Local Firm was then employed By NPower

and they came in to service the Boiler in Jan

- this was done with an all clear and service book signed by them

 

2 days later on the 29th Jan the boiler wouldnt work 

i rang Npower who came back to me saying the local plumbers have said it actually needs an air pressure switch

and they could come in 2 days later to fit it

 

they attended on 1st Feb - to fit part

when the engineer arrived he said this boiler doesnt need an air pressure switch

it needs a complete new circuit board rewire

- he asked if i would like a quote -

i said you would need to speak to NPower

- he said they probably wont authorize it as its about 600 hundred pounds

- i said well i will speak NPower

 

I did contract Npower and told them what the plumber had said ,

and they (NPower)said well as it now has a major fault

and if i wanted to continue with their cover

i would have to pay to have to repaired myself

and no longer would be eligible for their service cover .

 

2 weeks later Npower wrote to me asking had i got the major circuit board fault fixed

i said no - they cancelled my policy

 

I heard no more

till the beginning of April when an statement arrived from the local Firm claiming an invoice dated the 22nd Feb for goods and services was overdue and to be paid within 7 days

- so i wrote back saying their contract is with Npower not Myself -

No- Response

 

Then at beginning of May another Statement arrived

this time with a copy invoice invoice date 22nd feb for this Air pressure switch

and labour charge £97.84 again pls pay within 7 days

- this time i wrote back on the 9th May asking them to prove me with Written Evidence the debt was mine

- i sent this letter via recorded delivery -

again no response

 

today i get the solicitors letter from this Thomas Higgins Partnership saying they have been instructed by Local firm to collect this debt within 7 days or they will issue proceedings including interest and court costs

Having looked up Thomas Higgins its one of their standard £2 + vat threat letters

Should I Respond to this Or Ignore it ,

is it just a if we talk in BOLD CAPITALS and say were a solicitors you might pay us

can you pls advise - do you think they will take me to court ?

( sorry for the sermon )

[Ford]

first post in 6 years, welcome to cag

npower, see the threads on them.

the guys will be along

 

ps, what is the nature of that sols letter. do they actually say that they 'will' issue proceedings ie it is a letter before claim/action (same thing).

[Ford]

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?465792-Thinking-of-choosing-Npower-Check-this-out

[treextree]

Hello you're right

first post in all that time as i went to register today

only to be told i already had an account ,

something i don't remember doing all those years ago LOL

, anyway ty for replying

 

The letter from THPS says

 

Dear Mrs ........ Re :local firm

We have been instructed by our above named client to apply to you for payment of their outstanding account

amounting to the sum of £97.84.

 

We must advise you unless payment is received in settlement of this account within seven days

proceedings will be commenced for the principle sum, interest and court costs without further notice to you

 

yours faithfully

Thomas Higgins Partnership Solicitors

 

all queries and payment must be made direct to Local firm

 

then it has a tear off remittance advice slip

 

Its not Npower trying to take me to court its the local pluming firm who i didnt employ Npower did

Im guessing that Npower have washed there hands of the debt so now there trying it with me - in the hope that a BIG BOLD LETTER FROM A SOLICITOR and i will just pay up

 

TIA for any help

[renegadeimp]

If theyre contracted by Npower, then firmly tell the solicitor that Npower are the ones they need to be chasing, not you.

[treextree]

it says on THPS Letter any queries to contact Local firm direct - ive done that twice they just ignore me !

But i will contact the solicitors direct and send recorded so i have a paper trail

 

would they take me to court for a debt of this size anyway or is it just send a scary letter tactic and hope i pay up ?

[BankFodder]

I think it's important to lay down a paper trail to show that you have responded and you have been trying to deal with it.

 

What the solicitors and copied out the plumbers and explain that you have no contact with the plumbers and that they were employed by Npower and if there are any debts outstanding and they are owed by Npower.

 

Make sure you point out in the letter also that you have written on X number of occasions trying to deal with this and on each occasion you have had no reply and that if they start proceedings, this will all be brought to the attention of the court.

 

Let us know if they actually bother to sue you.

 

I'm really interested to know about this insurance cover which you had from Npower. How come they didn't cover you for the full work? Are you sure that you didn't qualify for it under the policy?

[treextree]

the cover i had from npower was just a basic boiler cover for £10 pm - the reason they cancelled the policy was that i had the service by local firm all ok service book duly signed which i have

- it stopped working 2 days later -

i called npower Again to fix it - they sent in there local firm again - who told npower it was an air pressure switch

- when engineer arrived 2 days later - he said it wasnt the switch but a circuit board which was a 600 pound + job

- Npower at that point decided i couldnt be covered as it was a pre existing fault which if i wanted to continue with cover i would have to fix at my cost - - i didnt

a few weeks later Npower cancelled my contract - This is why i believe the Local firm is trying to get the 97 quid out of me - cos obviously they billed Npower for the repair who have told them shes not on contract anymore , now there coming to me for it

 

Today though i have as suggested started my paper trail with sols and sent a registered letter to Thomas Higgins solicitors disputing the Debt AGAIN - lets hope this time the local firm actually bother to reply and not ignore me again

i will let you know if i get any response

[treextree]

hello can i have some advice pls

 

Finally i have received a response to my letters asking then to provide details of why they think I am responsible for the debt .

they have also enclosed the letter I sent to Thomas Higgins solicitors who tell them they specialize in undisputed matters . and telling them to deal with me direct

finally they have sent me a letter including copies stating how surprised they were to find that i am still disputing this have said they had responded - however i never received these before ! ,

Copy's of their emails that they sent with a quote to Npower on the 29th jan and then a supposed response from Npower saying customer is happy for work to be completed - no mention of quote

- then a page of email type photocopies dated 11th may - again Npower telling them we just made customer aware remedial work was required then advised yourself (local firm) that customer (me ) wanted a quote - and that customer (me ) is no longer on membership --

then local firm emailed Npower again to ask if this was written or verbal - npower said it was verbal over the phone

local firm then again emailed for more details from Npower asking was the customer (me ) to be invoice directly

response back from Npower to local firm - just says thats correct

(emails were on different days and from different people at Npower ?)

 

BUT they also enclose a job sheet including the quote AFTER the work was carried out which has my signature on it - or should i say a copy of my signature cos its just my initial and surname and in no way , do i ever sign my name in this way.

this job sheet is also dated a different day to the date of there invoice !

What should i do now should i respond in anyway - or do i let them just take me to court if that's there way of thinking and defend it in court

TIA

[Andyorch]

If they are tampering with Job sheets and your signature...signifies they are massaging their paper trail to fit the claim...therefore I would ignore them and let them issue a claim...you have no contract with Mr Local Plumber...Npower does and authorised it.....their cost.

 

Andy