Swtching energy supplier. New supplier says I’m already a customer!

[Evengalina]

Taking Martin Lewis’s advice, I duly switched suppliers only to be informed by the new supplier that they have checked their records and it appears that I am already a customer and owe them 3 years unpaid gas and electricity!

This is absolutely not possible as I have been with another company for the past 4 years and have been paying by DD all that time.

New supplier say we owe nearly £4000! And that we must have “slipped through the net somehow”.

How is this possible? I’m slightly panicking as they have since sent a scary letter saying if we don’t pay, they’ll send in debt collectors!

I’ve looked it up online and it appears that energy suppliers cannot ask for more than 2 years supply if reasonable attempts have been made by the customer to alert the company of unpaid bills.

Obviously I haven’t done this as I have been paying my bills, just not to this company!

How is it possible to have 2 live accounts?

If it makes a difference, they are both one of the big five.

Have you moved into your house in the last 2-3 years? It could be the previous owners didn't cancel their contract although I would have thought they would have been round before know. Your gas/electric bill will have a meter number on it so you could prove you have been paying to your current supplier. Good luck with sorting it out.

Do you have access to legal aid through your home insurance? Otherwise Guardian has that reporter who contacts unreasonable suppliers.

Is it the last 3 years they say you owe? Or from a long time ago?

If you can show them that you've been paying another supplier for the period that they claim you owe them then they need to liaise with the other supplier to resolve the meter dispute.

Are you sure it's in your name and not the previous owners? Our address currently has two names associated with it. Us who do pay for our water by dd (we're on a meter) and the previous family who didn't pay their bill but it's still linked with our address.

Despite repeated calls we still had a debt collector here a couple of weeks ago looking for them because our address is still on the account. Could it be something like this?

This is what is known as a crossed meters issue. Same meter and supply at two different addresses.

Contact who you believe to be your current energy provider and explain the situation. You CANNOT be supplied by two energy suppliers for the same supply. Ofgem will not allow it.

I work for an energy supplier dealing with these types of queries. PM me if you like x

Apparently it is my name on the account which is what is so strange about the situation.

I’ve lived at this address for 4 years and never switched.

Thank you @SkaPunkPrincess I will PM you

The other weird thing is that had I not tried to switch, this issue may never have arisen.

I sort of feel like this other supplier is trying it on but why would they do that?

Is it an outstanding bill from a previous occupant?
Is it a new build house?
Have your direct debits actually been taken and credited?
Gas and electricity or just one?

I used to work for an energy supplier as did DH.

Are tou renting? Would the estate agent or the landlord give the energybcompany your name a reading for when you koved in and your name?

And again! Sorry for the typos.

What I meant is it possible that the landlord or the estate agent gave the meter reading to the energy company when you moved in and also your name?

Contact your current/old provider and get them to check they are supplying. If they aren't you will then get all your DDs refunded and use that to pay the other ones. If both say they are supplying raise a complaint with both and tell them to sort it between them. Raise the complaints as soon as possible because if 8 weeks later you don't have a satisfactory answer you can go to the Ombudsman.