Green Star energy keeps sending me bills — but I’m not even a customer!

I APPLIED to change my electricity provider to Green Star Energy in June last year. A couple of days later, well within the coolingoff period, I changed my mind and wrote to cancel my request, saying that I wished to stay with Southern Electric.

Since then, I have received bills from Green Star and am at my wits’ end as to how to make the firm understand.

When I spoke to the complaints department in September last year, I was told it would be sorted out. But I am still getting bills. Mrs M. B., Hants.

You sent me a clear, concise, beautifully handwritten letter, in which you explain that you do not have a computer. unfortunately, it seems that some companies treat those without computers as second-class citizens.

Your attempts to cancel led to a series of mind-numbingly daft letters from Green Star. The first, addressed to ‘Dear Mrs’, without any name, claimed your letter came through after the account went live. It instead provided you with a welcome pack.

The following letters claimed that you were trying to transfer supplier and warned of termination fees. By the time you wrote to me, you were being threatened with debt collectors and court action.

I, too, had difficulties making contact with Green Star. It is one of a growing number of newer companies that seem to have decided they don’t need to make phone contact with journalists.

When I phoned its customer service line, I was greeted by a very helpful lady who tried, but was not allowed, to transfer my call to the press office.

Instead, she sent a message asking them to phone me. No call came.

I finally got a response on Twitter, but was then told a day or so later — again, via Twitter! — that your issue was resolved.

Well, as you explained to me, it was resolved only because Green Star phoned you after I finally managed to get your complaint through to it.

Green Star has refunded the £150 you paid from an initial demand and has also offered you £100 compensation.

once again, I asked Green Star for a comment and — hey presto — on Monday an email arrived from president and managing director Joanne Thornton.

She said that customer service was central to the firm: ‘We’re committed to delivering positive experiences at every touch point with absolute fairness. Whenever we are made aware of an issue, we make every effort to address the matter towards improvement.

‘ Every single one of our customers is important to us and we measure our success on our ability to live up to the high standards we set for ourselves.’

Nice words. But if this is the case, why were your complaints not addressed for the better part of a year?

Given that last week, ofgem imposed a £679,283 mis- selling fine on the firm for publishing misleading information on a comparison site, we at Money Mail are curious to know whether other readers are having issues with this company.

You can tell the team by emailing moneymail@dailymail.co.uk or write to: Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.

AFTER my husband died, I found among his papers reference to an investment called b2 from March 2002. Could you please help me to trace this account? Mrs M. M., London.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I recalled that Barclays had run a short-lived investment operation called b2, so I started by giving it a call.

After a little bit of digging, it confirmed this was the case, but said the accounts had gone to Legal & General. L&G then went about trying to contact you.

It says it wrote twice and tried to call a number of times, without success. I found this surprising because, when I phoned you, you picked up on the third ring.

unlike some old accounts that turn out to have no money, this one had a balance of more than £6,000. L&G has now closed it and sent you the balance.

TWO payments of £787.36 have been made on my Sainsbury’s credit card and I have disputed both of them. The first was upheld after 45 days, and then they did it again.

It went to the same reference as the first, so surely the bank could have spotted and stopped it. This has now been going on for almost five months. Mrs J. G., Plymouth, Devon.

You had already gone some way to try to resolve this problem before you contacted me, but then felt you had hit a brick wall.

The payment claimed to be to Admiral Insurance, but when you got in contact, Admiral assured you that it had not taken any money, which set the fraud alarm bells ringing.

You tell me that when you spoke to Sainsbury’s Bank, you were told a dispute would be raised and any further transactions blocked. Yet the same thing then happened again — and, when you called, you were told that no dispute had been raised.

Sainsbury’s Bank says that it always advises people to contact a vendor when there is a transaction they don’t recognise.

But you had done this and the supposed vendor confirmed it was not taking the money.

The Consumer Credit Act makes Sainsbury’s Bank jointly and severally liable for disputed transactions.

Well, you have now received the second refund. Sainsbury’s Bank says that human error led to it being delayed. It has paid you £50 to apologise.

But then, the same thing happened a third time.

on this occasion, the bank suggested that blocking and reissuing your credit card would be the best option.

Instead, you chose to close your account.