Student chased for water bill despite paying through bills company

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My student DS is getting harassed by a major water company for outstanding bills of £500.

He and his flatmates signed up to a bills management company and each paid a monthly direct debit amount to cover utilities including water.

The water company contacted my son and told him he still had to set up an account with the water company. He did, and he received a bill for £100 which confused and naive, he paid.

According to the bills management company, they’ve paid the water company. According to the water company, they haven’t. Bills management company not forthcoming with evidence saying it’s sensitive.

Anyone else come across this or ideas how to solve?

Your son will need to contact the companies involved and get the information/evidence that they have.
From that he should be able to prove that the company paid the bills for the address that he was at.

I'd first make sure that water was included and not separate,
Find the evidence that he has paid the bills company (if they are disputing that), give them the water company details and vice versa and let them sort it out between themselves.

Ask for a subject access request from water company to see if it throws up useful documents or reference numbers

And bills company

Thx for useful advice.

What a nightmare this is. He’s definitely not using a bills company again.

I just don’t understand why the bills company cannot provide evidence that they’ve paid Thames Water. Why would it be private? They took my DS’s money, and are then meant to have paid them. What’s private about that?

They are also really harassing my son. He’s really stressed.

They can provide evidence but only to the account holder.
Otherwise it will be a data breach.

You will also need to look at the accounf numbers.
The one that the management company paid into is likely to be different to the one that your DS set up.
What will be the same is the address and what you need to show is that the dates paid by the management company match the dates requested by the water company.

It may be worth your DS cantacting the student union an dteh university as they have likely dealt with this beofre and will probably have someone that can help with this.

Probably best he gets help from CAB.

The company are refusing to show your son evidence they paid the bill on his behalf? That's ludicrous. Tell him to demand they do so. Else what on earth is their purpose? And what is he expected to do when utilities are hounding him for bills he has entrusted to this shitty management firm?

Presumably his flatmates also paid towards this supposed water bill in advance? They all need to get together and complain.