Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

[Darren Smith]

N- power took a year to send my bill now they want it all paid in one go and thats going to be a struggle for me . wilkin chapman want me to pay within 6 months or fill in a expenditure form they supplied - it has allot of information on it some of which i don't want to give them i have 3-4 days to get it back to them . it asks for my NI no. all my bills and all my incomes etc . I dont want to give them some of the information .
The bill is for 500 and i want to pay them back over a long period of time so im not skint beacuse they took such a long time
it has the option of a monthly payment offer and a settlement offer . .

Can someone help me draft me a reply to them with a more simplistic expenses thing on it .
Im self employed and i have told them i havent got any work currently so i was going to offer them about £9 a month . or £130 as a settlement .
I have work most of the time just when i spoke to them id lost my contract . and soon i start something new .
Ive sent them a payment of £9 just now. via online banking
Im not claiming any benefits but where work has been tight i am struggling to be honest i have 2 k of expenses a month and around that in income if im working . it says they may ask for proof of income ..... i dont want to give them my statements etc or my NI no - why should I .
thats why ive just started now making my offered payment .
i guess that and a reply will stop them taking court action .
Should we make a new expenses form or just leave out the bits i dont want to give them

[enaid]

Re: Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

Hi ,
Depending on the reason for the bill not being issued for 12 months or if it is a bill for incorrect readings on their part then there are rules they must follow. These you can read HERE
I know NPower have had massive fines for incorrect billing and poor treatment of customers and it doesn't look like they have learned from their mistakes.
You haven,t given a lot of details as to how this has gotten so far as to get to court stage.
As for them asking for you income etc they are entitled to as it is the only way they can be assured you can afford to repay what you owe, if you don't send the info then they will just surmise you can afford what they ask for.

[Darren Smith]

Re: Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

we changed from pre-paid to billed monthly and they took forever to issue a bill. infact by the time they had i was already moved out . I have been moved out a year now . They have been asking me to pay it for a year . I just havent paid it (It wasnt high on my priorities to be honest .) I also havent had it all spare in one go to pay . I have no issue in paying it . I used the power etc .. I just cant afford it one go . They said if itd going to take me more than 6 months i have to do a budget form for them .
Im self employed at the moment and kinda in-between jobs
i should have work in next few weeks so i am not on any benefits or nothing yet . i dont have allot of wages left over so paying out 492 in one go is going to hurt .
Im happy with the budget on the form etc but im not happy with giving them my national insurance number . there is some stuff on there i dont wish to give them (just NI number )
So right now my situation looks pretty bad ... less income than bills
Although i should be back in work hopefully in the next few weeks
I need to get something in place right away to stop the court proceedings
can i just send a email telling them the basic information
or just fill in the budget and leave out the NI no. (i dont see why they need this )
Im already making payments as of last night . (i sent £9 £2.25/week)
I have also made a offer of £130 in final settlement .
If im willing to pay and making payments now i cant see they wont accept it .

[enaid]

Re: Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

As far as I am aware the payment agreement has to be agreed by both parties, I doubt too they would take a settlement offer.
If your finances are as bad as you say then fill in the form as best you can.
Have you or are you about to apply for benefits?

[Debt Camel]

Re: Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

Not sure why you don't want to give then your NI number? You have a real problem - an erratic income - so it doesn't seem worth fighting over the bits which don't matter?

[Darren Smith]

Re: Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

Why do they want my NI no. if i dont get work in next week or so yep i will get benefits .
At the end of the day if im offering to pay something and making payments im sure they arent going to end up doing anything . My mum offered to give me the 25% settlement amount

- - - Updated - - -

And nowadays is it ok to reply via email . with these matters especially if time is short to get it in

[Diana M]

Re: Wilkin Chapman llp- Npower about to issue court proceedings

I don't know the full facts of why/how these arrears came into being, but if you're not getting anywhere with negotiations then why don't you follow their complaints procedure in preference to getting into an argument about disclosing your NI number (I'm with Debt Camel on this one )

https://www.npower.com/home/help-and...us/complaints/

First of all are there valid meter readings to back up npower's claim for the sum which they're chasing?

If they didn't read the meter for a year (or more) than as enaid has said in post #2 you may be able to evoke the Back Billing Code:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/h...ng-your-rights

If your complaint isn't resolved to your satisfaction then escalate it to the Ombudsman Services - Energy. Here's how to do that :

https://www.ombudsman-services.org/sectors/energy

What you don't want to do is dig your heels in on a matter of principle (you don't want to disclose your NI number) so that the solicitors (Wilkin Chapman) issue a county court claim in retaliation.

Di