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ESB giving details to debt company

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  • 29-07-2019 5:13pm
    #1
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭


    got no phone call.no letter from ESB..Suddenly passed on to debit collectors?:eek:...not long standing maybe a week since last bill :eek:...adverage bill 50€ as i live by myself and i pay my usual 20€ a week
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    #2
    is_that_so
    Registered Users Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    You should try to contact them to see what's going on.
    https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/help/billing/trouble-paying-your-electricity-or-gas-bill-payment-options-and-more-


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    #3
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    thanks for fast reply but this isnt the problem,acount is paid always..im just wondering if its legal to pass on my details to third party without warning,phonecall, and fact my bill was only delivered last week:eek:


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    #4
    is_that_so
    Registered Users Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    thanks for fast reply but this isnt the problem,acount is paid always..im just wondering if its legal to pass on my details to third party without warning,phonecall, and fact my bill was only delivered last week:eek:
    It may be an error. I think you need to call them and ask them why this has happened as soon as you can. Make sure you have all that payment information to hand when you talk to them.


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    #5
    Former Former
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,728 ✭✭✭Former Former


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    thanks for fast reply but this isnt the problem,acount is paid always..im just wondering if its legal to pass on my details to third party without warning,phonecall, and fact my bill was only delivered last week:eek:

    Yes, it's legal. All companies put in their T&C that they can pass your debt to a third party collection agency.

    However, there's no way that they would do so after only a week. Either you've made a mistake or they have, ring them up and it will be sorted in no time.


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    #6
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    i might call it a mistake as it was odd but they have all details correct..reason im fuming is ive had this before (a mistake by phone company)and found they have no communication with the ESB after its passed and these idiot debit ccompanys just end up harassing you for days on end..they dont even get to see your bill and never reply back to ESB...


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    #7
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    i might call it a mistake as it was odd but they have all details correct..reason im fuming is ive had this before (a mistake by phone company)and found they have no communication with the ESB after its passed and these idiot debit ccompanys just end up harassing you for days on end..they dont even get to see your bill and never reply back to ESB...

    That does not mean an error hasn't occurred. Contact ESB - Well, Electric Ireland I would imagine.

    How is the average bill €50 yet you're paying €20 per week? If you mean the balance is 50 after your weekly payments, then chances are you have had a series of bills technically paid late, as balances are due within 14 days.


    Anyway, don't talk to the debit collectors and contact your supply company directly and promptly.


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    #8
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    Marie Echoing Shovel wrote: »
    That does not mean an error hasn't occurred. Contact ESB - Well, Electric Ireland I would imagine.

    How is the average bill €50 yet you're paying €20 per week? If you mean the balance is 50 after your weekly payments, then chances are you have had a series of bills technically paid late, as balances are due within 14 days.


    Anyway, don't talk to the debit collectors and contact your supply company directly and promptly.

    i pay it as it comes in is wat i ment..fuming so missed that part my adverage over 2months is 50$..im not running up debits with them as i do pay it off...ya ill get onto them if they dont prove that the debit will be lifted ill be leaving them...im on disabilty allowence and have the ESB allowence paid into it as well every bill so they are always getting money from me,this is why its all odd to me :mad:


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    #9
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    I had an embarrassing letter from Electric Ireland recently wanting payment of a bill I knew I paid online. iirc the bill was about a month or more overdue before the letter arrived. I was waiting on the phone to have a good rant at some poor sod so checked my statement online to see when I paid. I could see the amount clearly paid, it only dawned on me as the rep started to talk that I'd paid the right money only I'd paid it to Eir rather than Electric Ireland - apologised, explained and paid the correct account online there and then :o

    / sorry doesn't help the OP but thought it was a good story :)


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    #10
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    it is a good story...they said they texted me when they didnt and passed it to debit company a week out...im changing from them if their that quick to pass a customer of 14yrs to a debit company with no warning...


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    #11
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    it is a good story...they said they texted me when they didnt and passed it to debit company a week out...im changing from them if their that quick to pass a customer of 14yrs to a debit company with no warning...

    Look, there's obviously more to this than we know. Electric Ireland do no pass an account to a third party collector for being one week past the due date. Either there is an error, and errors happen everywhere, or there has been a series of bills not cleared by the due dates. You may take them as paid but anything after the set payment date is arrears unless a formal payment arrangement is in place.

    It's three days now since you opened the thread. What did they say when you contacted them?

    As for leaving them; be careful you don't jump from the frying pan in to the fire.


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    #12
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,845 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    You can't move supplier with a debt flag on your MPRN as far as I know


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    #13
    Former Former
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,728 ✭✭✭Former Former


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    they said they texted me when they didnt and passed it to debit company a week out...im changing from them if their that quick to pass a customer of 14yrs to a debit company with no warning...

    So there is a debt owed?


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    #14
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Former Former wrote: »
    So there is a debt owed?

    That's what it looks like to me. Many people think clearing a balance before the next bill comes out is ok but it is technically a late payment. I wonder what the OPs account shows with regard to a sequence of late payments. The passing to a third party by EI is very unusual and a last resort measure. Something is missing from the information available to us.


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    #15
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    ya just talking to reps....someone has put my account down as changing providers when i didnt....they closed my account,never sent reminders to me and changed my account...do u think i should some sort of compensation for this ?


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    #16
    B_ecke_r
    Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭B_ecke_r


    my3cents wrote: »
    I had an embarrassing letter from Electric Ireland recently wanting payment of a bill I knew I paid online. iirc the bill was about a month or more overdue before the letter arrived. I was waiting on the phone to have a good rant at some poor sod so checked my statement online to see when I paid. I could see the amount clearly paid, it only dawned on me as the rep started to talk that I'd paid the right money only I'd paid it to Eir rather than Electric Ireland - apologised, explained and paid the correct account online there and then :o

    / sorry doesn't help the OP but thought it was a good story :)

    you would be amazed how often this happens


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    #17
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    Mr.S wrote: »
    :confused: no? Why?

    harrasing calls,letters,considered bad credit now as debit company involved...not looking for the big cash payout :P maybe a reduction on a bill


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    #18
    Gwen Cooper
    Registered Users Posts: 719 ✭✭✭Gwen Cooper


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    harrasing calls,letters,considered bad credit now as debit company involved...not looking for the big cash payout :P maybe a reduction on a bill

    They would send you a bill that said that it's final. That's how you know that your account is closed.

    They said that they texted you, that means that debt was there - this would also be shown on your bills.

    I'd say pay off your final bill and don't try to stir the pot, it won't end favourably for you.

    And a word of advice - if you're getting your disability allowance off your electricity bill, it's not transferred to your new supplier so you will need to talk to Welfare again to re-register for it.


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    #19
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    ah so cos their mess up i have to get the allowence back...my bill didnt say final unfortunatly...and i didnt get the texts and havent ever got a text from them in 14years..madness LOL


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    #20
    Gwen Cooper
    Registered Users Posts: 719 ✭✭✭Gwen Cooper


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    ah so cos their mess up i have to get the allowence back...my bill didnt say final unfortunatly...and i didnt get the texts and havent ever got a text from them in 14years..madness LOL

    Electric Ireland have no way of changing your providers. They are literally unable to do it. It all goes through the other company that you're being moved to, so I'd start with asking them how you switched over ('Them' meaning the new company, they're the ones with answers).


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    #21
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    why should i chase this with a different company...i have to spend money and time to find a needle in a haystack...this is their error not mine....


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    #22
    Gwen Cooper
    Registered Users Posts: 719 ✭✭✭Gwen Cooper


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    why should i chase this with a different company...i have to spend money and time to find a needle in a haystack...this is their error not mine....

    Because, as I said already, no electricity supplier would be able to switch you to someone else, not even if they wanted to. There is no way for them to do it.

    When someone switches companies, the new company is in charge of it all, they contact your old company on your behalf and get the process rolling. (It's a bit more complicated than this, just putting it very simply.)

    That means that the new company are the ones to tell you how they got your details over to them. You can keep asking ESB all you want, they won't know. All they can see is that you're leaving the company, they don't see how it happened. It all comes from the other side.

    Contact the new company with your MPRN (would be on any of your old bills) and ask them when did your MPRN end up registering with them.

    You'd be surprised how many times people actually give a wrong MPRN for their switch by accident.


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    #23
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    i understand all of what you are saying and rep is saying same.and thanks for fast replys..but which company is it..theirs at least 5 i know of...as far as i can see its their problem..asked my neighbour he didnt swap over either...had a chat with my brother and hes saying raise a complaint ..hes going to give a hand as he deals alot with contracts and data protection..his advise is to raise a commplaint and if they wont solve it go to ofcom and small claims etc...


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    #24
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    i understand all of what you are saying and rep is saying same.and thanks for fast replys..but which company is it..theirs at least 5 i know of...as far as i can see its their problem..asked my neighbour he didnt swap over either...had a chat with my brother and hes saying raise a complaint ..hes going to give a hand as he deals alot with contracts and data protection..his advise is to raise a commplaint and if they wont solve it go to ofcom and small claims etc...

    Just tell your brother that a) OFCOM deal with telecommunications and postal services, not energy supply and b) are in the UK not Ireland. It's the CRU here for energy. Also, this is not a small claims court issue.


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    #25
    Gwen Cooper
    Registered Users Posts: 719 ✭✭✭Gwen Cooper


    I understand that it’s a pain. My advice is to ring ESB Networks, with your MPRN in hand.

    Tell them that you suspect that someone switched over to another company with an incorrect MPRN and that your account with Electric Ireland was moved to another supplier as a result.

    Give them your MPRN, they will ask you to confirm your name and address and once they’re sure that they’re talking to you, they should be able to tell you what company you’re being switched to.

    Then call the new company and ask them how they got your details. If someone made a mistake with the MPRN, it’s likely that they won’t have your name on file. Just tell them that it’s your MPRN and that you’d like to stop it. There’s a time limit within which they can cancel, not sure how many days it is, but I have a feeling it’s 30 or 60.

    If they agree to cancel, it will take ages, but it will be done eventually. If the time limit passed, they will tell you to switch back to ESB yourself - you do that by calling ESB with your MPRN and current meter reading.

    It’s a painful process but it needs to be done. Look at it the way that someone else is being billed for your usage and let’s say that in three months they realize their mistake - the bill will be transferred to you and you’ll end up paying for it all.

    If your brother is willing to help, let him, and be there with him when he’s calling as the companies might need to confirm data protection details with you before speaking to him.

    Definitely check with the dept of protection about the allowance though, it’s been most likely cancelled as soon as your account was closed.

    Good luck :)


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    #26
    mcdaids69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 174 ✭✭mcdaids69


    ya thanks..the rep on here said after asking me to find the person that now they will solve it ....jesus wat a work around..when i said it wasnt my job to chase someone they suddenly said they will solve it....madness...the allowence info was the best info thank you so much


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    #27
    Gwen Cooper
    Registered Users Posts: 719 ✭✭✭Gwen Cooper


    mcdaids69 wrote: »
    ya thanks..the rep on here said after asking me to find the person that now they will solve it ....jesus wat a work around..when i said it wasnt my job to chase someone they suddenly said they will solve it....madness...the allowence info was the best info thank you so much

    You probably just got lucky that this was caught early enough. If the change of company was only made recently, they can try to stop it from their side, but it only happens rarely :)


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