Airtricity trying to charge non customers

Cocolola

Hey guys. So my partner and I moved into a new house a couple of months ago. When we went into the agents to sign the lease and all that jazz the woman there tried to get us to sign up with Airtricity and UPC and a few other service providers that they had "deals" with. We declined stating that we were in a contract with Electric Ireland already and so couldn't switch even if we wanted to (which we didn't). We gave her our EI a/c number and she gave us the new house's meter reading. EI moved our supply no problem and we've been continuing as normal, receiving bills from them.

Anyway a week after moving in Airtricity letters addressed to the "New Occupier" started arriving. We never opened them as we assumed it was just their sales team trying to get us to join. Eventually they started to annoy me so I opened one only to find them demanding €300 with the following:

We are writing to inform you that you are at risk of electricity disconnection because:

• we have not received a contract for the account and/or
• we have not received your secutiry deposit payment of €300

They then go on to say that they will be contacting ESB Networks to arrange our supply be cut off and that they will be applying disconnection and reconnection fees to the "account". The next letter said they had made the request to ESB. WTF, we never even spoke to them once, never mind agreed to take a contract with them.

So of course we rang them and basically the lad on the phone said not to worry, just ignore the letters and he'd sort it out so we won't be getting them anymore.

Got one this morning, granted for just €3.60 as a standing charge but I'm still pee'd off about it. What are they playing at? Going around threatening people with disconnections and then continuing to hassle them with demands for fees for an account that doesn't exist. What can we do to get them to leave us alone?

finnteme

I was in excatly same situation last year. I just called them, and politely told that im not their customer.
I also contacted Electric Ireland to check if they can request disconnection, and no, they cant, since you have an valid contract with them.

I just returned the letters with Unknown recipient written on them, and eventually they stopped sending the letters.

Cabaal

Sounds like the agents never contacted airtricity to close off everything with them top be honest, esp as they tried to offer you Airtricity as a service provider.

dudara

Just because you transferred your ESB account to the address doesn't mean that there wasn't another supplier already in situ. The account with the older supplier should have been closed off correctly.

Cocolola

Thanks for the replies. Is this something that the agents need to take care of either themselves or by contacting the previous tenants then? Or do we need to deal with Airtricity?

foggy_lad

Cocolola wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Is this something that the agents need to take care of either themselves or by contacting the previous tenants then? Or do we need to deal with Airtricity?

You should have taken the meter reading yourself on the day you moved into the premises and contact Electric Ireland to give them your new details and the reading. Never leave anything up to estate agents as they are lazy and would have you signed up to a provider which could leave you with a bill for someone elses arrears!

Degag

If you signed with Electric Ireland, they would have sent a message through to Airtricity (the previous supplier) and they then should have closed the account in the previous persons name. I would contact Electric Ireland to make sure that everything went through properly on their side because if they didn't send the message, Airtricity would be within their rights to disconnect because they would still be supplying the property.

BQQ

Cocolola wrote: »

Hey guys. So my partner and I moved into a new house a couple of months ago. When we went into the agents to sign the lease and all that jazz the woman there tried to get us to sign up with Airtricity and UPC and a few other service providers that they had "deals" with. We declined stating that we were in a contract with Electric Ireland already and so couldn't switch even if we wanted to (which we didn't). We gave her our EI a/c number and she gave us the new house's meter reading. EI moved our supply no problem and we've been continuing as normal, receiving bills from them.

Anyway a week after moving in Airtricity letters addressed to the "New Occupier" started arriving. We never opened them as we assumed it was just their sales team trying to get us to join. Eventually they started to annoy me so I opened one only to find them demanding €300 with the following:



They then go on to say that they will be contacting ESB Networks to arrange our supply be cut off and that they will be applying disconnection and reconnection fees to the "account". The next letter said they had made the request to ESB. WTF, we never even spoke to them once, never mind agreed to take a contract with them.

So of course we rang them and basically the lad on the phone said not to worry, just ignore the letters and he'd sort it out so we won't be getting them anymore.

Got one this morning, granted for just €3.60 as a standing charge but I'm still pee'd off about it. What are they playing at? Going around threatening people with disconnections and then continuing to hassle them with demands for fees for an account that doesn't exist. What can we do to get them to leave us alone?

You acted just in time OP.
Looks like you had a lucky escape.

Happened to me when I moved to a new house.
Went on holiday the day I moved in. When I got back I saw these letters addressed to the new occupant from Airtricity.
I intended to get electricity from Bord Gais to avail of a discount, so binned the airtricity letters .
Long story short: the power was cut - had to pay a disconnection charge of 100 euro and then a reconnection charge of about the same.

Was then plagued by Airtricity reps going door-to-door.
Urge to kill rises every time I see fluorescent green. :mad:

Cerco

dudara wrote: »

Just because you transferred your ESB account to the address doesn't mean that there wasn't another supplier already in situ. The account with the older supplier should have been closed off correctly.

The new occupier has no responsibility to the previous supplier. No need for them to take any action in closing off somebody else's account. Just provide the meter reading to your preferred supplier.

Cocolola

foggy_lad wrote: »

You should have taken the meter reading yourself on the day you moved into the premises and contact Electric Ireland to give them your new details and the reading. Never leave anything up to estate agents as they are lazy and would have you signed up to a provider which could leave you with a bill for someone elses arrears!

Oh ya I should have been more clear sorry. We got the reading from the EA and then checked it ourselves and contacted EI with the details and they moved our account to the new address. The agents weren't involved (exactly for the reason you say).

Degag wrote: »

If you signed with Electric Ireland, they would have sent a message through to Airtricity (the previous supplier) and they then should have closed the account in the previous persons name. I would contact Electric Ireland to make sure that everything went through properly on their side because if they didn't send the message, Airtricity would be within their rights to disconnect because they would still be supplying the property.

We already had an account with EI, we just moved it but I'm hoping the same action would be taken. We'll definitely get on to them to make sure all is well though thank you.

BQQ wrote: »

You acted just in time OP.
Looks like you had a lucky escape.

Happened to me when I moved to a new house.
Went on holiday the day I moved in. When I got back I saw these letters addressed to the new occupant from Airtricity.
I intended to get electricity from Bord Gais to avail of a discount, so binned the airtricity letters .
Long story short: the power was cut - had to pay a disconnection charge of 100 euro and then a reconnection charge of about the same.

Was then plagued by Airtricity reps going door-to-door.
Urge to kill rises every time I see fluorescent green. :mad:

Good grief that's awful, I'm píssed on your behalf. The whole "new occupier" address thing isn't the best, you just assume it's them trying to get your business and not something serious.

Degag

BQQ wrote: »

You acted just in time OP.
Looks like you had a lucky escape.

Happened to me when I moved to a new house.
Went on holiday the day I moved in. When I got back I saw these letters addressed to the new occupant from Airtricity.
I intended to get electricity from Bord Gais to avail of a discount, so binned the airtricity letters .
Long story short: the power was cut - had to pay a disconnection charge of 100 euro and then a reconnection charge of about the same.

Was then plagued by Airtricity reps going door-to-door.
Urge to kill rises every time I see fluorescent green. :mad:

This is your fault though. You should have signed on with your preferred supplier on the day you moved into the property.

BQQ

Degag wrote: »

This is your fault though. You should have signed on with your preferred supplier on the day you moved into the property.

I know it was my fault. That's why I paid the money.

As I mentioned, I was going on holiday that day. I'd expected to be in the house much earlier, but the previous owners kept delaying the handover.

I didn't expect Airtricity to be so eager to cut me off that it was done and dusted before I got back.