Being Charged for utilities on account for 18 months when i was not at the property

micymon

I joined EI in Dec 2018 as a new customer with the service being at a property i have just bought in dec 2019 .
I have never been as customer of EI before and i never lived at that address before. 
I told EI this, i also provided proof to credit control about this. I spent much time on the phone trying to explain this too. However, they are billing me for charges on the property dating back  to March 2017. I called many times again about this, i was told there were no charges prior to my sign up- this was all false information from EI as they have taken a large amount from my bank account via direct debit which are charges that I am not responsible for. How do I report this to a consumer watchdog?

XsApollo

I’m pretty sure you can now recall that debit.
Get on to your bank and get them to recall it.

micymon

Thanks XsApollo
I did ring my back but too late to recall the debit at this point. I could place a block on future direct debits so hopefully that will spur a resolution!

Electric Ireland: Una

Hi micymon,

Thanks for getting in touch.

If a customer moves into a property, takes a meter-reading and goes to register with Electric Ireland and there is an outstanding balance for a prolonged period in relation to the same MPRN/GPRN, also due to Electric Ireland, Credit Control will request a copy of the deeds (or letting agreement in the case of renting) for the new customer.

Then the account can be opened as of the date/meter-reading that the customer moved in, so we will check further for you if you private message us the relevant Electric Ireland account number, stating that you are the account-holder and confirming your name, address and date of birth.

You can also request a SEPA refund from your bank for any direct debit that you dispute.

We will respond as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Una

micymon

Hi Una

Just to recap on our conversation below ( i have removed private details). 

Originally Posted by micymon
Thank you for your reply to my boards message. I have been trying to resolve this since i first became an EI customer. This has been particularly frustrating and time consuming. I am very dissatisifed with how long this has taken and the level of customer care. 

I probably have explained the situation many times. I have emailed credit control about this, send proof of my purchase of the property, and been told that there are no charges on the account. There were, and they have been taken out of my account. charges dating from xxxx- i only bought the property in xxx
My account is xxxx
Name xxxxx
Address xxxxx
xxxxx I am the account holder. DOB: xxxxx

i have blocked further direct debits as I cannot speak to anyone regarding my account and noone (even those i speak to on the phone) can clarify what is going on. 

Michael



Hi Michael,

Thanks for your message.

How did you send Credit Control proof of purchase?

Thanks again,
Una








Update: 
I have written to credit control many times and received some replies advising to send 'a solicitors letter which confirms the date you moved into the property.'


I did this on the 7th of February and on the 22nd February you wrote back and told me to send as a .pdf attachment (i had done this already on the 7th February). I did send this again on the 22nd of February and have still received no reply. 


Since i have blocked my direct debit you have kindly sent me a letter demanding a more recent bill, however i would like to get the original bill resolved (an ongoing process since December). 




on another note- how can i cancel my electric ireland account? what is the cancellation fee or is one bound into a contract. Understandably, I am considering moving to another provider if possible. 

Electric Ireland: Una

Hi micymon,

We are very sorry to read of your unhappiness.

We can only discuss your account privately, and we need to review it regarding your contract question also, so we have sent you a private message.

Best regards,
Una