So I moved in to my new flat about 3 months ago and set up my utilities with a new company.
Yesterday I recieved a letter from collections agency wanting to collect £195.00 on behalf of British Gas for a property that I moved out of just over 4 years ago.
As far as I remember all utilities and the like were paid off when I vacated that property. I had my deposits returned which wouldn’t have been the case if I had outstanding bills.

Since it was 4 years ago I don’t have any evidence that I can find that I had paid these final bills, but then nor have I been sent a bill for the amount I owe. If I had seen it I would have paid it.

Im unsure as to what I should do. I’m reluctant to just call up and pay this collection agency because they have sent me a letter when they haven’t actually specified what the money is for or what period. I also am not going to be able to provide much in the way of evidence of payments or otherwise from that far back.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Contact British Gas instead perhaps, they should be able provide you with details of what you were billed for and paid for at the time

I had this recently with British gas. It was a smaller amount than yours, but basically the same situation.

After talking directly to British Gas (didn’t speak to the collections agency at all) it was sorted out and they agreed I owed them nothing, it had been an error at their end.

I would recommend that you do the same really. As the collections agency will have no details other than that they have been told you owe X amount to X company. They won’t know, or care about, any other details than that.

Shame they didn’t wait another two years or it’d have been statute barred.

I’d consider denying all knowledge of the debt and asking them to prove it, and if they contact you again without proof you will pursue them for harassment.

Also, google the name of the collection agency, you might get some interesting reading.

IANAL.

(Though TBH thinking about it, Neal’s is probably better advice)

Had this with npower for the princely sum of £15 approx 3 years after we’d moved out. No red bills etc, just a debt collectors letter. We’d paid the bill but only had a cheque stub to prove it. We went to npower first and then the regulator who eventually sorted it and awarded us a few quid compensation.

nealglover – Member
I had this recently with British gas. It was a smaller amount than yours, but basically the same situation.

After talking directly to British Gas (didn’t speak to the collections agency at all) it was sorted out and they agreed I owed them nothing, it had been an error at their end

+1

they also have to tell you who you can complain to if you are not happy with their response

+1 to not communicating with the collections agency (Robinson way is it?) they will mess you around and not believe you. I made that mistake, spent weeks telling them that the debt was wrong and to pass the file back to BG. In the end I wrote a letter of complaint to the CEOs office and I got the whole fuss sorted, and some freebies to boot.

So I followed the advice on here and contacted British Gas today. After keeping me on hold for about 20 minutes while the lady on the phone spoke to the billing and debt departments she came back and told me that they don’t have a bill for the amount and she can’t tell me what the amount is for. I would have to ask the debt collection agency and see what they say, but here is an address if you wish to write to us. 😕

I guess the next step is contacting Energy Watch tomorrow and seeking advice there.

I had exactly the same problem. A Thames Water bill from a property that I’d moved out of many years ago. I had three debt collection agencies and a solicitors try their luck. All realised they didn’t have a case after a while as I had a few bills from the house I lived in afterwards. Eventually after about 2 years TW tried again direct so I called them up a few times, told them that in no way was I liable and they did a credit check and bingo realised their mistake and dropped it. Important things I learnt. 1. write to debt collection agency once to say you aren’t liable but ignore their further demands. 2. send letters to original utility in writing or fax documents and repeat the line saying “I am no way liable for this bill” 3. don’t be bullied. 4. Tell them to do a credit check!

Hope that helps

Steve

Tell them to get ****.

These arseholes phone up or write out of the blue demanding money or evidence that you paid the bill. I initially jumped through their hoops, but then it gets passed from one agency to another and so on.

The onus is not on you to prove you don’t owe money, it is on them to prove you do. I told them point blank I was not playing their game and the next letter I received would result in an invoice for my time. Never heard from them again.

I had similar problems last year with an agency tryin to get me to provide info to prove who I was. They aren’t allowed to do this, I fought them and financial ombudsmen found in my favour. 100 quid compo from agency. Mail me if you want and I’ll send my letters over, would suffice as a template to start the fun and games…

Thiz sounds like a very common “mistake” to be happening.