EDF are threatening us with bailiffs - we don't owe them money

[Sparks]

And we are not even their customers. There is a long back story to this It's a mistake on their part that has been repeated for years.

We live in a building that is made up of two semi-detached houses that have been converted into flats. Each flat has its own gas supply. Several years ago, EDF started sending gas bills addressed to "xyz house" (a misspelling of the name of the building) with no person's name on them and no flat number. At a certain point, again this was years ago, we queried it and were told it's nothing to do with us. Since then bills arrive and I just bin them.

Last week we got a form letter through the door saying they were unable to fit a prepayment meter (I doubt they even tried) and if xyz house don't pay up, they will send bailiffs to our property to drill through the locks and remove belongings. DP tried to ring them, but never managed to speak to anybody.

Yesterday they phoned and left a message on our machine. How did they get our number? Also, why are they ringing me and not people in the other flats? I'm worried they are trying to pin the supposed debt on me.

I just want them to leave us alone. What do you think I should do to make them go away?

Contact them by phone , email and letter keeping a record of every thing and every time you have contacted them.
Go to citizens advice as they can back you up that you are not a customer of thiers
Contact one of the media, tv/radio/newspaper of your choice, local radio/ newspaper love this sort of story as well. It helps to get a bit of weight behind you and speeds things up no end.
Righteous indignation...they are in the wrong.

oh i love a good fight like this, good luck.

same here we have talked to someone and still recieved a bill the other week.

write them a letter - ask for a court date - go to court.

If it ever got to court, I'm sure they would lose. I just don't want it to go that far. If I have to take a day off work, I want it to be for something fun.

You might want to write to them and mention this case to them... the case citation is Ferguson v British Gas Trading Ltd [2009] EWCA Civ 46.

If they don't back off, you could consider taking action against them under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

have you ever looked at the serial no of the meter on this bill? it may begin with a 2 and then seversl 0's before other numbers. compare it with the serial no of your gas meter. if they are the same, it is your bill. if it is different, it is not your bill.

Thanks for that pitterpater. I'll mention that. I already feel like they are harassing me.

Foxy I don't have any of the bills. Since they were not addressed to me or any of the other residents, and EDF told me they were nothing to to with me, I have binned them all.

i take it you have a gas bill, besides this one then? compare than serial no to the one on the meter in your house.

I have a gas bill from another supplier not EDF. There are separate meters for each flat and the number on my bill matches my meter. That's all fine.

This EDF thing is a complete mistake on their part.

i am not disputing what you're saying. what you then need to do is phone edf and tell them you want an appt for a meter inspection to verify (for their own benefit) that they are billing you for the correct meter as you suspect they may not be.

until they have done so that they had better cease and desist their threats blah blah.

the problem here tends to be right from when the meters were first installed. without going into any boring details, it can be a genuine mistake on their behalf.

We had a similar problem, but not with edf.
Our problem was when the estate was built there was plot no's, then when it we got our official address it was one number different because they missed out 13.
Next door moved out and didn't pay their bill but for some reason their bills were then addressed to our door number.We had threats with bailiffs, but luckily because we had an account with the same company they finally agreed that the bill was not for us. Took months to sort out.

EDF are completely hopeless! I phoned them and had a long talk with a man in their call centre. As it turns out, their system has our address as one house with one gas supply. I explained that there are a number of flats each with its own gas meter. I said that all the meters are on the outside of the building, so they could inspect them at any time, but the man was not interested in that. Said they would contact other people to get "more information."

Now that I know they are so cr*p, I don't feel worried at all. I checked with my neighbours and none of them has gas from EDF. Nobody owes them any money, it's just their administrative error that has rumbled on for years. The letter threatening bailiffs is just a form letter, obviously intended to scare people into paying.

The house was converted into flats in about 1980, so their information is about 30 years out of date. EDF did not even exist then!

It sounds like when the house was turned into flats the original meter was removed but its acct was not closed. Since EDF took over LEB this acct has 'surfaced' in the process.

By contacting 'other people' he probably means the gas transporter who would have removed or installed any meters. anyway let's hope it is the start of the end of the confusion.

The baliffs cannot get involved until a court has issued a judgment against you and the judgment has gone unsatisfied - i.e. you have not paid it. Presumably this has not happened or you would be aware of the judgment and EDF would be citing it in their correspondence with you. so don't worry about them coming round tomorrow.

Defo go to citizens advice and get them to write a letter to EDF on your behalf. You need to deal with this formally and in writing in order to get them off your back once and for all.

Good luck.