Utility Warehouse signed me up without consent

[Guest]

Hi All

 

I've read a lot of horror stories about Utility Warehouse but none that quite matches my scenario.

 

My partner and I recently moved house and the previous tenants must have been with Utility Warehouse as we received tons of mail from them, telling us the house had previously been supplied by them and trying to coerce us into sign up.

I only opened the first two and consigned the rest to recycling.

 

Then today, I received a letter in a plain white envelope, which I opened.

The letter is a demand for a 'missed payment' along with a membership number.

It is addressed to a Mr .

It also states we will be liable for a £6 late payment fee.

 

Now, I've written to them stating neither they, nor anyone else, can enter us into a contract without our consent, and telling them where and just how far up they can shove their unsolicited spam,

 

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this?

I'm guessing they were forwarded our details by the letting agent (as the current supplier) but has anyone else experienced this?

It's one thing to bombard you with marketing mail in the hope of signing you up, but it's quite another to sign you up then claim you've missed a bill. This crosses over to fraud in my book.

 

Thanks.

[dx100uk]

contact your present supplier and tell them this is going on they will block it

UU have been carpeted atleast once for this by regulators too already

[Guest]

Following on from this, I've managed to get hold of someone at Utility Warehouse who states I received the bill because it took 21 days to switch to my new supplier.

 

Apparently this is all above board, so even though I am smarting at the notion the previous occupant can render me liable to paying for utilities at a rate I had no say in, I accept I'll have to pay them for the units used in the meantime.

 

And therein lies the problem

- the new supplier apparently started to supply me on 18 September.

 

UW have sent me a bill due on 30 September for 'an estimated usage' and now a £6 late payment charge.

However, I don't owe them this - I owe them for the units used between me taking on the tenancy and the date of the switch-over.

 

They are quite blasé about the whole thing, even though they clearly know the start readings (given to them by the letting agent) and end readings (the point at which the other company took over).

 

I've sent them an email to the effect that if they provide me with a bill for actual usage, I will pay it (albeit under protest).

 

Is this thing the norm?

I've moved house before and never had such problems.

Perhaps I didn't change supplier so quickly on previous occasions.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Guest
spacing

[dx100uk]

well only pay them the usage for when they WERE billing you and YOU were their customer not before not after and certainly no penalty charges!!

[ericsbrother]

You start off on a deemed contract- ie someone is supplying you with leccy and despite the fact you dont like them they still have the job. UW are a letting agents favourite utility co because they get a backhander for makiing them so.

 

no late payment charge can be applicable. I would pay by cheque if I were you and make it clear that the payment is a final settlement of the account. You may need to do your own sums to ensure you do pay the correct amount.