Letters, after several phone calls to outsourced call centres, to Mr John Cartwright - Senior Manager of Collections and Extra Support - Électricité de France - in Britain
To EDF - I have just received this 'auto' reply which I disregard. The e-mail below is clearly addressed to the responsible officer - Mr John Cartwright.
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Dear Mr Cartwright, 2-08-2023
I write as the joint owner of Kiln Cottage, my wife Susan being the other owner.
The very clear letter by our current tenant Professor Peter Herbert (below), who also writes on behalf of his wife, has set out in meticulous detail your company's most oppressive demands for us to pay for electricity used in the tenanted cottage. Both Professor Herbert and my wife Susan have spent time on your outsourced call centre attempting to get the record straight.
We received what must be at least the sixth such demand, with menaces, dated 28-07-23. I attach a scanned copy -
I regard the demands being made of us as a combination of harassment and extortion. I have bcced a local firm of solicitors with whom I intend to update my will etc, and will instruct them to sue you if you do not reply and act appropriately within 7 days. And since harassment is a criminal offence, and likely extortion also, I will consider informing the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.
I had to write to EDF about 3 years ago when it was again harassing us to install a 'smart' meter. Your legal department should have it on file. We heard no more, but we have recently had letters alleging that the present meter is 'old' and needs replacing with a smart meter, as promoted and funded by central government.
EDF is clearly shown to be an unethical and uncaring corporation.
Read this on my oft read website, an article written by me in our local Mid Devon Advertise bcc
https://dhalpin.infoaction.org.uk/4-articles/letters-to-the-media/387-blind-pensioner-left-cold
If this lady had died of hypothermia, EDF would have been likely to be charged with manslaughter. Reflect, and apologise to us - also in our eighties. And change your billing system to a truthful, considerate and humane one.
for truth
David Halpin MB BS FRCS Kiln Shotts, Haytor, Newton Abbot, TQ13 9XR
I add https://www.edfenergy.com/zero-carbon and https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/civils/hinkley-costs-set-to-hit-33bn-20-02-2023/
Quote from last link - Construction News - EDF's accounts show that from all its UK activities, it made an overall operating loss of £998m in the year to 31 December 2022 on an investment of £2.6bn, an improvement from the £1.7bn loss it made in 2021 on an investment of £2.3bn.
Email from Professor P J A Herbert, to Mr. Cartwright of EDF:
FOR YOUR URGENT ATTENTION
Dear Mr. Cartwright,
So that there should be no misunderstanding about what follows, my wife and I became the short-term tenants of Kiln Cottage, Haytor, Newton Abbot, TQ13 9XR owned by Mr D Halpin, on 28 April 2023. As your records show, I contacted EDF on or around 4 May 2023 to inform you of this fact and its corollary that I, alone, had become responsible for electricity charges pertaining to Kiln Cottage until further notice.
I invite you to inspect the following photograph of two EDF documents: (excluded here to protect identity and personal information)
in doing so you will observe that they attempt to extract money, simultaneously, from two separate customers (Mr David Halpin and Mr Peter Herbert) for electricity delivered to one supply address (Kiln Cottage) for the overlapping periods 27 April 2023 - 5 June 2023 (Account number 671 181 384 733) and 28 April 2023 - 29 June 2023 (Account number 671 185 107 594).
No doubt you will need time to consult your various records and colleagues to understand fully the origin and manner of this extraordinary commercial behaviour and, perhaps, to appreciate its consequences. As to the latter, I must leave it to Mr Halpin to convey his views if and when he chooses but, please, understand that I am furious about the time, energy and patience that he, his wife and I have wasted trying to resolve this matter. And, I might add, this at a time of considerable personal stress, for reasons that need not detain you, for all parties concerned - except EDF, of course.
Shortly after MrHalpin received his bill (above) which, quite reasonably, he gave to me, I telephoned your ‘Complex Metering team’ in a last attempt to resolve what had become a thoroughly disagreeable and hitherto unsolved problem. This resulted in your advisor telling me to tell Mr Halpin that the duplication of bills was plainly wrong; that he should ignore his version; and, that EDF would telephone him shortly to redress matters. All of which I did - and to what effect?
None! Instead, under your signature, Mr Halpin received a letter and final demand for payment of £32.21 dated 17 July 2023 which, again quite reasonably, he passed to me because it related to Kiln Cottage. As you well know, this amount comprises two components one of which (£193.83) relates to consumption between 27 April and 5 June - which period is covered by my bill dated 29 June (above) and paid by direct debit on 17 July. I remind you - both personally addressed bills apply to the same , singular supply address! (Although none of my business, the second component consists of an outstanding debt owed by EDF to Mr Halpin.)
In essence, EDF has created a mess for which it alone is responsible and made no competent attempt to clear it up despite its customers’ concerted efforts to help it do so. Enough is enough.
May I ask you to acknowledge receipt of this missive by return; to investigate and correct the reasons for my complaint; to issue a corrected statement of account to Mr Halpin along with a full and comprehensible explanation of the dates and numbers involved; and, to assure me that it will no longer be necessary for Mr Halpin to give me EDF communications addressed to him concerning the supply of electricity, to me, at Kiln Cottage.
Yours sincerely,
Professor P J A Herbert, MSc., FCA
