@carl said:
Now I am receiving two letters a week from Energy Australia. However, it is not addressed to my name. So I am just returning them.
What should I do about that? Should I contact Energy Australia?
And how is it even possible that my account was cancelled and someone opened a new one? Can I call Energy Australia tomorrow and have them opening a new account for my neighbor without any sort of verification?
Carl,
Since the name’s different, it’s possibly just a mistake where they transferred the wrong property. I’m not a lawyer, but my understanding is that they are chasing someone else for this debt, not you (although they think that this person is at your address). This may escalate from letters to debt collectors, but you should be OK by simply telling them that the person that they’re chasing doesn’t live there and that you’ve never heard of them.
It may save some hassles by ringing Energy Australia and letting them know. It will save Energy Australia the fees on debt collectors (assuming that their internal systems actually act on your call).
Since you’re not out of pocket (they refunded the $50), it’s probably not worth complaining to the ombudsman.