ESB and the 300 deposit

CamperMan

ESB and the 300 deposit,

OK, I had a small office for 6 months, at the start the ESB insisted on a 300 euro deposit or setup a direct debit, I hate direct debits so refused to set that up... Every time the bill arrived, I paid the portion of the bill minus the 300 euro deposit, 6 months on, I have moved out and cancelled my ESB account at the office, yet the ESB still want the 300 deposit and have told me that they will pass the debt to debt collecors and my name will be registered on the debtors list. All oustanding bills have been paid. :mad:

First off, this is not a debt, all the ESB usage was paid for on time, I refused to pay the deposit as I have heard of people simply not getting it back. Afterall the ESB would have to pay me the deposit back if I had paid it so why are they issuing me with such threating letters??

Is there anyone I can go to on this matter other than the ESB?

Thanks

Cabaal

They provided a service and you agreed to the terms of the service if not paying via direct debit which included paying a deposit that you never did, you are in the wrong in respect of this side of things.

If you didn't agree with the terms of the ESB providing the service then you should not have used it.

You can say that you've heard of people not getting this back but this is speculation on your part and facts are not present, you failed to meet your side of the contract.

By right you should have paid it (the deposit) when you commited to using the service..

Anyway, contact them and query exactly what they believe the 300 relates to, if they say its the deposit then ask why are you paying it if you have no services with them.

CamperMan

I have already expalined to you that I have cancelled the ESB account direct with the ESB and there are no outstanding bills left other that this 300 euro deposit, even though I have closed the account they still want it, I see it as a scam, why ask for a deposit now the account is closed????

Cabaal

CamperMan wrote: »

I have already expalined to you that I have cancelled the ESB account direct with the ESB and there are no outstanding bills left other that this 300 euro deposit, even though I have closed the account they still want it, I see it as a scam, why ask for a deposit now the account is closed????

You had the office for 6 months as such I'm guessing you had power during this 6 month period? If so then you should have followed there terms of the agreement, this included paying a deposit which you didn't.

Fair enough there's no outstanding debt for power usage but its clear something needs to be changed on there system since you didn't follow what the system is setup for.

If you want a direct answer for why they still want the deposit I'd suggest asking the ESB directly.

buckfasterer

Are you or have you been a customer of theirs in the past? If you are an existing or returning customer you dont need to pay the deposit and they will just send you out the bills.

dudara

CamperMan wrote: »

I have already expalined to you that I have cancelled the ESB account direct with the ESB and there are no outstanding bills left other that this 300 euro deposit, even though I have closed the account they still want it, I see it as a scam, why ask for a deposit now the account is closed????

It is no scam. They are perfectly entitled to seek their deposit. You agreed to the service, whereby one of the terms and conditions was a E300 deposit. You never paid the deposit, so even though you've closed the account, you're still liable for the deposit.

You don't get to cherrypick which parts of a service you want to pay for.

Oryx

dudara wrote: »

You don't get to cherrypick which parts of a service you want to pay for.

But hang on a minute. While I get that the op didnt comply, I do agree with his point. Why are they hounding him for a deposit that they would automatically have to then return to him? (After all securing the account is what the deposit is for, no? It should have no further requirement once the a/c is closed.)

OP, theres no point going round the houses here, you really do have to argue this out with the esb. I would recommend calls followed by letters detailing what was said in the calls. Whether its their system or not, I agree that chasing you now seems nonsensical.

tony1kenobi

Tell them that the first however many bills you paid (that reached the amount of E300) covered the deposit you were asked to pay.

They are now looking for the last E300 outstanding on your bill for units you used.

Tell them to take it out of your deposit instead of refunding it.

It works in my head.

dudara

Oryx wrote: »

But hang on a minute. While I get that the op didnt comply, I do agree with his point. Why are they hounding him for a deposit that they would automatically have to then return to him? (After all securing the account is what the deposit is for, no? It should have no further requirement once the a/c is closed.)

OP, theres no point going round the houses here, you really do have to argue this out with the esb. I would recommend calls followed by letters detailing what was said in the calls. Whether its their system or not, I agree that chasing you now seems nonsensical.

I get what you're saying here, but it's my understanding that the deposit is returned after 14 months of the service.

OK - just went and checked the ESB website

Provided your bills are paid in full and on time, your deposit will be credited to your account 14 months after payment, or credited against your closing bill if the account is closed before the 14 month period.

No deposit is required if you have been a customer of ours in the last two years and your account was paid on time and in full.

It would appear that in the normal course of events that he would be entitled to his deposit back, but as he never paid it in the first place, it's now been overdue on the ESB billing systems for quite a while.

You need to seek clarification on this - but I genuinely don't know who would be the best resource.

Mr. Presentable

Give them the deposit, and then ask for it back.

I am surprised they provided the service without security in the first place.

jhegarty

How can they sue for a deposit on a service they are no longer providing ?

The €300 should have been credited back to the account when it was closed, even if it hasn't been paid.

Mr. Presentable

jhegarty wrote: »

How can they sue for a deposit on a service they are no longer providing ?

The €300 should have been credited back to the account when it was closed, even if it hasn't been paid.

Agreed. But the damn thing will be automated and a computer cannot see the logic.

amcalester

tony1kenobi wrote: »

Tell them that the first however many bills you paid (that reached the amount of E300) covered the deposit you were asked to pay.

They are now looking for the last E300 outstanding on your bill for units you used.

Tell them to take it out of your deposit instead of refunding it.

It works in my head.

This is what I would say has happened.

The first €300 the OP paid went to cover the deposit and then each bill was down the 300 from then on. As he never paid the first 300 then that is still owed and once it is paid the deposit will be returned.

foggy_lad

http://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/your_account/our_credit_terms.jsp

Please note: Provided your bills are paid in full and on time, your deposit will be credited to your account 14 months after payment, or credited against your closing bill if the account is closed before the 14 month period.

this is not the same as returning your deposit! will they just refuse to return it saying it will apply to your new address?

Fnergg

CamperMan wrote: »

...I have moved out and cancelled my ESB account at the office, yet the ESB still want the 300 deposit and have told me that they will pass the debt to debt collecors and my name will be registered on the debtors list. All oustanding bills have been paid. :mad:

If you have cancelled the account and have received a final bill the €300 should have been automatically credited leaving only the electricity charges payable.

There is no way you should be pursued for the €300. I would suggest you contact the ESB again to clarify the situation.

Regards,

Fnergg

dudara

Fnergg wrote: »

If you have cancelled the account and have received a final bill the €300 should have been automatically credited leaving only the electricity charges payable.

This is the case in the normal course of events. It is credited because it was paid at the start. The OP never paid it, therefore it can't be credited back.

vincenzo1975

a couple of things dont add up here, and Im sorry, but it sounds like the OP is being a bit economical with the story.

the ESB will not close an account while there is outstanding debts on it. I assume the OP has sent a letter or made a call instructing closure, but whether this is accepted by the ESb is another matter.

have you recieved written confitmation that the account is cancelled?

Also, the deposit would of had to be paid regardless of the OPs opinions on the fairness of it. So it is likely that the ESb took the first €300 payment made as being the deposit. This means that if the first bill was €400 inclusive of the deposit, and teh OP paid just €100, then the ESb will jsut take it that €100 has been paid off the deposit and the rest is still due.

this means that the OP is still in debt to the tune of €300 for electricity used, which must be paib before the deposit can be returned. This scenario will be complicated further if there is a minimum period service agreement, and a cooling off period has elapsed. if this is the case, then the OP may be in violation of the contract.

the whole story sounds a bit iffy to me, but more infornmation is needed.

Fnergg

vincenzo1975 wrote: »

.....
the ESB will not close an account while there is outstanding debts on it. I assume the OP has sent a letter or made a call instructing closure, but whether this is accepted by the ESb is another matter.

.......This scenario will be complicated further if there is a minimum period service agreement, and a cooling off period has elapsed. if this is the case, then the OP may be in violation of the contract.

the whole story sounds a bit iffy to me, but more infornmation is needed.

I agree that more information is required but it is incorrect to state that ESB will not close an account if there is an outstanding debt. If a cusotmer has left an address the account will be closed regardless of what is outstanding.

There are no minimum service agreements with ESB.

Bottom line here is that if the OP has paid for the electricity usage he will not/should not be pursued for the €300 deposit.

Regards,

Fnergg