Recovery of amount letter now.

[dgs]

Regarding previous electricity debt posted a few days ago currently unanswered, my daughter has now received a warrant of entry letter for the full amount, even though the electricity supplier has this account on a 30 day hold because of weekly supply of meter readings and a subject access request in their possession which we are awaiting.
So they ask for full payment (several thousand)
A prepayment meter to be fitted. (not ideal)
Or the account passed for litigation to recover the debt through the court.
What action should we consider at this time?
Our single parent daughter is on full benefits with a yound 4 year old at home.
Any help is appreciated.

[efpom]

The fitting of a pre-payment meter has the advantage that the consumer cannot get herself further into debt. If that fitting is to be avoided, the supplier will require payment of the full amount and will probably require a deposit against future indebtedness.

If the consumer is unwilling or unable to come up with that money, the fitting of the pre-payment meter is inevitable.

As for the impending litigation, to avoid that, and assuming that the amount of the debt is not disputed, the consumer would have to pay that debt, either by paying it in full, or by coming to some arrangement to pay that debt off in installments.

The 30 day hold would only apply to the issue of proceedings and the fact that a subject access request has been made will not delay the fitting of the pre-payment meter, or the issue of proceedings.

[dgs]

The debt is disputed by the fact that no monies monthly unbeknown to our daughter were collected and the first she knew about it nearly 5 years later was a letter recently addressed to the administrators of the will and estate of the late (our daughter) and she is alive and well but what a shock for her!!
We wish to challenge it in a court so they can hear the whole story because this is all about their inability to correctly take money from the account and to not pick this up within months.
Also we wish backbilling to be applied because of the intransigence and not identifiying this sooner?

[efpom]

First, apply to the court for an Order that the Warrant of Entry is cancelled.
Second, await the issue of legal proceedings, and put in a defence, stating that you dispute the amount and give the reason why.

[dgs]

In the letter from the people instructed by the energy company they say unless payment is made in full (just under £5000 ) or agree a convenient time hor a prepayment meter to be fitted or discuss a suitable payment arrangement to pay off the amount (that'll take 20 years).
So unless we contact them immediately regarding the above a collections officer will visit the property to collect payment.
Is there any way to avoid a prepayment meter and if not how much more expensive are they and is there a ceiling on the amount above andbeyond the amount used that canbe charged on top.
Thankyou for your advice so far.

[efpom]

I do not have the knowledge to answer your 2nd question you may want to research the amount "on top" on the internet.

The only way to prevent a warrant of entry being executed, is to apply to the court for it's suspension or cancellation.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that you have no grounds to do do.