‘A gas supplier put my name on my daughter’s bill and won’t rectify it’
QMy daughter inherited my ex-husband’s house after he died. After the grant of probate was extracted, the house and utility bills were put in my daughter’s name.
As my daughter lives in the
United States, I occasionally check the house and pick up any bills so I can forward them to her. The last time I was there, there was a gas bill and it had my name on it.
When I opened it, I realised there was more than €1,000 of an unpaid bill to my name.
I rang the gas company – but the agent refused to change it back to my daughter’s name.
I couldn’t believe that a company would put a bill in someone’s name without their permission.
Is there anything I can do? Maria, Dublin
AThe first thing you should do is confirm with your daughter that she had a contract with this energy supplier and, if so, what the details were.
Secondly, it’s the job of the executor or executors to make sure your ex-husband’s estate is distributed according to the instructions in his will, so it would be worthwhile asking your daughter to contact them to confirm the facts about the administration of the estate.
Armed with these details, you should write to the energy company and explain that you were never party to the contract in place, and that you want the account transferred back to your daughter.
Energy companies are obliged to have codes of practice in place for how they deal with customers.
According to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) handbook for energy suppliers, “a supplier may not open an account without the consent of the person who is to be the named account holder or their nominated representative.
“Where an account is opened by a nominated representative, a supplier must have the account holder’s consent to the opening of an account in their name”.
If the energy company still refuses to remove your name from the account and you have completed their complaints process, complain to the CRU, the energy regulator.
You can do this through their webform on cru.ie, by emailing customercare@cru.ie, or by writing to the Customer Care Team, The Grain House, The Exchange, Belgard Square North, Tallaght, D24 PXW0
For more information on how the CRU’s complaint process works, go to www.cru.ie/make-acomplaint/complain-to-the-cru/