Should we pay this Airxxxty bill??

Sanmar2008

In December 2012, I and my husband and our surveyor were checking the house we would like to purchase, Airxxxty agent knocked the door and asked if we would like to joint up. We told him we only put the deposit down, we didn’t own the house. He told us how much money we would save by using Airxxxity in the future, we can register with him now and won’t be any charges until we move in. My husband signed on the Machine:mad:.


We got the key in May 13, we contacted Airxxxty,they told us that we have a bill builted up from Dec. 12 to now amount of 266 liable to pay as my husband signed the contract in Dec. :mad:.



should we pay for this bill?? we only got the key in May 13, and it's new house, nobody lived in it before. thanks!

BaylesOfHay

I would tell them where to go and that your not paying it. You haven't used electricity never mind +€200 worth of it.

If they try to charge you cancel

emeldc

Once you sign up you are liable for the standing charge no matter who you are with. It beats me how you were able to sign up for a power supply on a property you didn't own. What would have happened if you didn't complete the sale. Also your solicitor should have requested letters of discharge for all your utilities before you completed your sale contract. Talk to him, you're wasting your time pleading with Airtricity IMO.

sandin

emeldc wrote: »

Once you sign up you are liable for the standing charge no matter who you are with. It beats me how you were able to sign up for a power supply on a property you didn't own. What would have happened if you didn't complete the sale. Also your solicitor should have requested letters of discharge for all your utilities before you completed your sale contract. Talk to him, you're wasting your time pleading with Airtricity IMO.

quite obviously you've never dealt with a self interested airtricity/vodfone/o2 etc etc sales agent.

They TELL LIES. They are full of BS. The companies know that.

Tell airtricity that it was mis-sold to you, switch to ESB (they offer decent discounts too) and tell airtricity that you are willing to go to court and have the court decide.

Also as you did not own the house at the time (ownership only passes on the day the funds are transferred) you could ask why airtricity seem to do no checks and anyone could sign anything.

jca

Did you get an actual bill? What are you being charged for? Standing charges couldn't be that much, could they? I'm stuck with the fuc**rs too. The most expensive supplier I've ever been with.

Sanmar2008

sandin wrote: »

quite obviously you've never dealt with a self interested airtricity/vodfone/o2 etc etc sales agent.

They TELL LIES. They are full of BS. The companies know that.

Tell airtricity that it was mis-sold to you, switch to ESB (they offer decent discounts too) and tell airtricity that you are willing to go to court and have the court decide.

Also as you did not own the house at the time (ownership only passes on the day the funds are transferred) you could ask why airtricity seem to do no checks and anyone could sign anything.

Thank you Sandin, we are getting really stressed about it, as we just received a legal proceeding letter from Airxxxty:mad::mad::mad:we may really need to go to the court! My husband had wrote back to them. wait to see:mad:

Sanmar2008

emeldc wrote: »

Once you sign up you are liable for the standing charge no matter who you are with. It beats me how you were able to sign up for a power supply on a property you didn't own. What would have happened if you didn't complete the sale. Also your solicitor should have requested letters of discharge for all your utilities before you completed your sale contract. Talk to him, you're wasting your time pleading with Airtricity IMO.

i don't know why we could sign it. we have told him we only put the deposit down, but the agency said we can register with him now, it will save us a lot in the future! if we know we gonna receive a bill after half year we won't do anything! and no body use the power in the house, but Airxxty said there is a rental charge for that half year :mad::mad:

Sanmar2008

jca wrote: »

Did you get an actual bill? What are you being charged for? Standing charges couldn't be that much, could they? I'm stuck with the fuc**rs too. The most expensive supplier I've ever been with.

they said it is the rental charge, we received some bills when we moved in, as they had my husband's first name incorrect, we ignored all of them, and last week my husband received a legal proceeding letter, we finally realized there is a bill for us from Dec 12 to May 13 :mad:

whiskeyman

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

Thank you Sandin, we are getting really stressed about it, as we just received a legal proceeding letter from Airxxxty:mad::mad::mad:we may really need to go to the court! My husband had wrote back to them. wait to see:mad:

Have you actually rang them and explained your situation? It probably wasnt a good idea to ignore all those bills at the start just because the first name was wrong.
Hopefully sanity would prevail and they'd only bill from your moving in date.
Be sure to explain that their sales agent said you'd only be charged from this date.

Sanmar2008

whiskeyman wrote: »

Have you actually rang them and explained your situation? It probably wasnt a good idea to ignore all those bills at the start just because the first name was wrong.
Hopefully sanity would prevail and they'd only bill from your moving in date.
Be sure to explain that their sales agent said you'd only be charged from this date.

thanks, we had wrote a letter to them to explain what all happened. wait to see.......

flutered

a mirror of the grief i had with eircom, how glad was i to leave them, i am now putting up with 1.35 download and 0.18 upload.

whiskeyman

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

thanks, we had wrote a letter to them to explain what all happened. wait to see.......

letter is one thing, but I'd always just ring up for a quicker reply.
It'd put your mind at easier sooner!

Sanmar2008

whiskeyman wrote: »

letter is one thing, but I'd always just ring up for a quicker reply.
It'd put your mind at easier sooner!

Thanks, we actually rang them first, but their customer service team seemed no help at all. the only thing they said was we have to pay as we signed, they couldn't give a answer why their agency still asked us to sign although we had told him we were not the owner, they also no help on why we received bill although their agent said no charges before we move in...........

Greenmachine

Not sure if you will get any joy from them. Lesson learned for the OP I guess. I imagine when the last tenant moved out they were chasing for a new customer or the account to be settled. Unfortunately your husband bit the carrot months before you had actually moved in.

Sanmar2008

Greenmachine wrote: »

Not sure if you will get any joy from them. Lesson learned for the OP I guess. I imagine when the last tenant moved out they were chasing for a new customer or the account to be settled. Unfortunately your husband bit the carrot months before you had actually moved in.

it's nobody live in it before, it is a new house. We wait to see what's their reply, may forward this to our solicitor, or just have to pay off:(

rovoagho

Are the "legal proceedings" direct from Airtricity or from a debt collection agency?

flutered

whiskeyman wrote: »

letter is one thing, but I'd always just ring up for a quicker reply.
It'd put your mind at easier sooner!

letter needs to be regestered, or an email, then you have proof that it was sent.

rovoagho

You can do both. But I wouldn't bother with Airtricity. Bunch of muppets working there.

Sanmar2008

rovoagho wrote: »

Are the "legal proceedings" direct from Airtricity or from a debt collection agency?

It's from airtricity directly.....

rovoagho

You're both wrong really, ye shouldn't have signed the contract, and they shouldn't have presented it. I'd be writing and asking them to meet midway, and I wouldn't rush into an agreement. Make them sweat for it, you're covered once you can show you're being reasonable.

jimmycrackcorm

I wouldn't pay it. Push the fact that the agent selling you it told you that you wouldn't have to pay until you moved on. Clearly also they should have a phone record that you rang to confirm connection when you moved in.

if they push it then tell them you will happily contest it in court and how will a judge rule on the assumption that someone would want to pay for electricity before they moved in.

emeldc

To me, this sounds ludicrous. You say it was a new house, so who's name was the ESB connection with (if there was a connection) prior to you signing with Airtricity. Either way you can't sign up for a power supply to a property you don't own or rent. If you hadn't completed the sale how on earth could they chase you for a bill. You need to speak to your solicitor. He should have checked that the ESB had been transferred to your name on the day of completion.

Sanmar2008

sent the complaints to Aitrcitity, but received a letter today from their collection Agency BCWGROUP, very short sentences, it says' our client have advised that you signed the property up in Dec. and are liable for charges, despite the fact that he did't sign lease or move into property until May 2013'

just emailed them back:

As I explained in my previous letter, it was MIS-SOLD to me, as I did not own the house at the time. I need to know why airtricity seem to do no checks and anyone could sign anything. How I were able to sign up for a power supply on a property I didn't own or rent? What would have happened if I didn't complete the sale? Also, the fact that the agent told me that I wouldn't have to pay until I moved in. I need the full explanation from Airtricity for all the above issues.

rovoagho

Replying to a debt collection agency is joining a conversation, which is exactly what they want. Don't take their calls, answer their emails or letters, or answer the door to them; which they will threaten to do.

If you feel the need to cover your ass, send a registered letter along the lines of "my contract is with Airtricity, I will not discuss the matter with you". Then cut them off.

emeldc

I still say the OP's solicitor has a part to play here. It his job to tie off the loose ends and make sure the utilities are transfered to the OP on the day the sale closes. He should have foreseen a problem if the ESB was in the OP's name for the previous 6 months when the property belonged to someone else. A simple letter from him to Airtricity pointing out the incompetent error of their ways would probably sort it.

sandin

emeldc wrote: »

I still say the OP's solicitor has a part to play here. It his job to tie off the loose ends and make sure the utilities are transfered to the OP on the day the sale closes. He should have foreseen a problem if the ESB was in the OP's name for the previous 6 months when the property belonged to someone else. A simple letter from him to Airtricity pointing out the incompetent error of their ways would probably sort it.

Solicitor has not part to play in utilities as the cahrages for utilities are attached to the person, not the property. Property Tax on the other hand is attached to the property as are any mortgage charges.

Tell Airtricity that you are sending a complaint to the ombudsman in relation to their mis-selling.

Btw - Airtricity are the absolute last utility supplier I would ever use as they tried and scammed my parents until a legal letter from a family member was sent promising a very exceptional level of court action and a posse of reporters to witness a charge of bullying & threatening an elderly couple.

emeldc

sandin wrote: »

Solicitor has not part to play in utilities as the cahrages for utilities are attached to the person, not the property. Property Tax on the other hand is attached to the property as are any mortgage charges.

Tell Airtricity that you are sending a complaint to the ombudsman in relation to their mis-selling.

Btw - Airtricity are the absolute last utility supplier I would ever use as they tried and scammed my parents until a legal letter from a family member was sent promising a very exceptional level of court action and a posse of reporters to witness a charge of bullying & threatening an elderly couple.

Yes but if you buy a house with outstanding utilities you can face disconnection at worst, and a lot of hassle at best. That's why the loose ends need to be tied off as they should have been in this case. Having said my solicitor is a bit OTT.

I agree with you completely about Airtricity. I wouldn't buy an AA battery off them.

Sanmar2008

We may have to pay it and make a complaint to the National Consumer Agency and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

melekalikimaka

they can only charge you for an active meter, its impossible for them to charge you or even reg you unless you have an active mprn, so that means there was power at the site, you just hadnt moved in?

Kristopherus

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

We may have to pay it and make a complaint to the National Consumer Agency and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

I'm astounded that you're even considering paying:eek:. You should write to the NCA BEFORE you offer them a cent. Forget about Rabbette's gang. You'll be lucky to get an acknowledgement from them. You could make use of your local TD or even Councillor, who'll be calling to you next April/May looking for votes. Make him/her work for the vote:D.

When writing to the NCA enclose copies of all correspondence with Airsh**ty. Do not entertain the Debt Collectors. You do not have a contract with them so tell them to get off your property if they do call.

emeldc

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

We may have to pay it and make a complaint to the National Consumer Agency and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

I can't take it anymore. I'm off to <SNIP>

lala88

Kristopherus wrote: »

I'm astounded that you're even considering paying:eek:. You should write to the NCA BEFORE you offer them a cent. Forget about Rabbette's gang. You'll be lucky to get an acknowledgement from them. You could make use of your local TD or even Councillor, who'll be calling to you next April/May looking for votes. Make him/her work for the vote:D.

When writing to the NCA enclose copies of all correspondence with Airsh**ty. Do not entertain the Debt Collectors. You do not have a contract with them so tell them to get off your property if they do call.

More proof that posters can say anything they like as long as its something boards agree with

Sanmar2008

as we just received a letter of Notice of Court Auction ' ......................once judgement has been granted the following may apply.......YOU DEBT BEING INCREASED TO INCLUDE LEGAL COST AND INTEREST, YOU NAME BEING ENTERED IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS, YOU CREDIT RATING BEING ADVERSELY AFFECTED FOR FUTURE CREDIT APPLICATION...................''

Sanmar2008

Kristopherus wrote: »

I'm astounded that you're even considering paying:eek:. You should write to the NCA BEFORE you offer them a cent. Forget about Rabbette's gang. You'll be lucky to get an acknowledgement from them. You could make use of your local TD or even Councillor, who'll be calling to you next April/May looking for votes. Make him/her work for the vote:D.

When writing to the NCA enclose copies of all correspondence with Airsh**ty. Do not entertain the Debt Collectors. You do not have a contract with them so tell them to get off your property if they do call.

we received a letter of NOTICE OF COURT ACTION today, that's why we consider to pay :(:(

Sanmar2008

emeldc wrote: »

I can't take it anymore. I'm off to <SNIP>

I feel being threatened by those letters every day..................:(:(:(:(

razzler

Fear of going to court is what they're hoping for, to make you pay. If it were me I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Get some advice on how things may go for you in court before you decide to pay or not. We got advice from FLAC for a somewhat similar issue and we were optimistic going to court. And I wonder where the sales rep is in all this? He should be quizzed on how he got the customer to sign up.

ABajaninCork

I agree with Razzler. Let the matter go to court. I doubt it'll even make it there...

rovoagho

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

as we just received a letter of Notice of Court Auction ' ......................once judgement has been granted the following may apply.......YOU DEBT BEING INCREASED TO INCLUDE LEGAL COST AND INTEREST, YOU NAME BEING ENTERED IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS, YOU CREDIT RATING BEING ADVERSELY AFFECTED FOR FUTURE CREDIT APPLICATION...................''

The last sentence proves the lies: Neither utilities nor collection agencies can affect your credit record. Only financial institutions.

Who did this letter come from exactly?

wmpdd3

OP, I'm guessing that English may not be your first language and that maybe this is stopping you from taking this further but from the information you have given here you are n the right and they have no case against you.

They are hoping you will just pay and get on with your life, they will only take notice when you send in a solicitors letter or complain to the ombudsman.

emeldc

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

I feel being threatened by those letters every day..................:(:(:(:(

Just not threatened enough to ask a solicitor. I am beginning to doubt some of this.
Definitely my last post.

weisses

Sanmar2008 wrote: »

we received some bills when we moved in, as they had my husband's first name incorrect, we ignored all of them, and last week my husband received a legal proceeding letter, we finally realized there is a bill for us from Dec 12 to May 13 :mad:

I think your naivety is the biggest problem here

And its also strange that Two days after being contacted for the first time by the debt collecting agency you already get a Notice of Court Auction (I assume its from the same company)

Get some proper legal advise ..... you need it

wirelessdude01

Think something about this situation doesn't quite add up. Court action wouldn't be initiated quite so quickly after initial contact by the debt agency. Are you sure other letters that were received advising of what would happen weren't ignored/binned?

jjbrien

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Think something about this situation doesn't quite add up. Court action wouldn't be initiated quite so quickly after initial contact by the debt agency. Are you sure other letters that were received advising of what would happen weren't ignored/binned?

Its a classic action by a debt collection agency to say they are going to take you to court. The letters usually say we may etc but are very cleverly worded when in fact they will do nothing. Its such a small amount that its hardly worth their while taking you to court. Also since they have the spelling of your husbands name wrong it wont hold up in court. When taking someone to court you have to make sure you get everything right or the case will get trown out of court.

Debt collection agency's usually buy debts from company's for cents in the euro lets say you have a debt that is 100 euro they will buy it for 10 euro and someone pays them more than the 10 they payed for it then its all profit.

My advise is get in contact with your local citizens advise centre they have a free legal clinic in your area. They will be best able to advise you on what to do with it all.

Littlelulu13

I had to contact airtricity before and got nowhere at all with the customer service agent . He just wasn't getting it and was sticking to the rules (as one would expect him to). I asked to speak to the manager and after going round and round and round in circles with him he finally got the manager and hey presto.... problem solved! The manager was lovely and wiped the debt (it was only €10 or so but still).

Have you asked to speak to a manager? You can get someone to speak on your behalf if you are not confident to do it yourself, you just need to say that you are giving permission.

Most importantly you will get further with these things if you are calm and cool rather than shouting like a lunatic.

I would ask to speak to a manager and try that approach, they are the only ones that can clear something like that from the system anyway.

Good luck

emo72

mate, this is never going near a court. you will get threatened with it. thats all the power they have, threats. dont worry.

mitosis

OP, talk to your solicitor. Talk on boards is cheap and you ought not be taking advice from anonymous posters with nothing at risk. Talk to your solicitor, the one who closed the house for you in May

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

mitosis wrote: »

OP, talk to your solicitor. Talk on boards is cheap and you ought not be taking advice from anonymous posters with nothing at risk. Talk to your solicitor, the one who closed the house for you in May

Absolutely! Please see your solicitor. It is so easy for people here to be brash and tell you to ignore them or fight them etc but, as said, talk is cheap and they are not the people who have to deal with this in the real world.

lala88

Frida Salty Pillar wrote: »

Absolutely! Please see your solicitor. It is so easy for people here to be brash and tell you to ignore them or fight them etc but, as said, talk is cheap and they are not the people who have to deal with this in the real world.

Agreed more over when posters clearly have issues and agendas with the companies in question

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Sanmar2008

Thank you very much for all your help. I emailed our solicitor last Friday, she told us how to draft a formal complaint letter to Airtricty which i have sent to them on Friday by register post. So wait to see.......

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.