The railway arches near her home had long looked derelict but not a danger until a mum started getting demands to cover an outstanding energy bill for the property which had nothing to do with her.
Amid the dark of the unit something was clearly amiss. As Sylvia Hughes plunged deeper trying to prove her innocence, her formal verifications seemed to fall on stony ground.
From the original supplier British Gas, another provider appeared to have taken over. Demands to pay a £2,000 debt for the erroneous business account came next from a disconnection agent working for Corona Energy and warnings it would seek a warrant for forced entry and the serious damage all that would do to her credit record.
++ If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk
Months later Sylvia’s struggle became too much and she asked Crusader for help, explaining:
“I paid for and sent Land Registry proof I am not the owner or landlord. My daughter and I are so scared the agent will gain entry to our house and cut us off even though we do not live in these arches.
“We are two women living on our own we wouldn’t have a hope of fending them off. It’s terrible not to feel safe in your own home. We’ve made almost 40 hours of phone calls and got reassurance from the agent they would not proceed with the warrant action. But that was just verbal, we asked for this in writing but have had nothing so we still feel very vulnerable.”
British Gas responded promptly and effectively when Crusader asked them if they could help get to the bottom of what had gone on. We did raise the matter with Corona Energy but have not heard.
But the twin forces of British Gas plus the eagle-eyed observations of the Royal Mail postie for the area have made an enormous difference.
Initially there seem to have been an error in taking the details of Sylvia’s home address that led to her getting the bills. While the mismatch was corrected on British Gas’s system the account was moved to a new supplier. British Gas never shared Sylvia’s details with Corona Energy, but recognising her distress British Gas has sent her a £100 goodwill gesture.
And the postie? A popular figure in the area, the Royal Mail stalwart noted all the mail being sent to Sylvia and then pointed it how it had an incorrect postcode – one digit out, also helping the women make their case.
“He is the best, our nightmare should be over and our data removed. We thank everyone who supported us. Verification should be better though,” they told Crusader. [Names have been changed]
