Should I Pay or Ignore SSE Debt Collectors?

Who are the typical SSE debt collectors and do you have to pay them? Energy bills have been a hot topic in the news of late, which is probably why people have been asking me important questions about SSE debt collection companies. 

Let’s get to some answers…

Do you have to pay SSE Debt Collectors?

You might not have to pay SSE Debt Collectors.

If you genuinely can’t afford your debt repayments then looking into whether you could have your written off might be just what you need. 

If you want to find out whether you qualify for having debt written off or payments lowered then fill out the short form below.

What is SSE?

SSE Energy Services is a gas and electricity supplier to UK households. They provide customers with a supply of electricity and gas, and in return, customers must pay for their energy usage. 

But this might be confusing to you, because didn’t SSE close down? Not exactly. 

Does SSE still exist?

SSE was taken over by OVO Energy in 2020, which is why the SSE logo now includes “part of the OVO family”.

So yes, SSE still exists as an energy supplier, but the company has been fairly recently bought out by another energy supplier.

Can you lower your repayments?

If you’re struggling to pay back your debt, then you might qualify for a debt solution.

Some solutions lower your monthly payments while others write off a portion of your debt. 

To find out whether they could work in your situation, hit the button below.

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Can energy companies send debt collectors?

If you have a debt to an energy company, the energy company may try to recover the payment themselves using an internal collections department. 

They could instead outsource the debt collection process to a debt collection agency, sometimes known as debt collectors. 

Debt collectors don’t have any additional powers to collect the debt. They simply do the tracing and admin on behalf of the energy company. They shouldn’t be confused with bailiffs, who can come to your home to collect debts or seize goods, but only after the matter has been to court. 

What debt collector does SSE use?

There is evidence to suggest that SSE use more than one debt collection agency to try and recover debts owed, including Advantis Credit Limited and Capital Resolve. 

It’s quite common for creditors and companies to use more than one debt collection agency. This recent forum post provides proof they’re still using Advantis Debt Collection:

Source: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6401025/paying-debt-collection-fees 

Do you have to pay SSE debt collectors?

You might have to pay SSE debt collection companies if you genuinely owe the money. But there could be a way to avoid paying. 

You may also need to pay late payment penalties, interest and debt collection agency service charges, although the latter must be reasonable and reflect actual costs incurred by the company. 

But if you disagree with the SSE debt, then there are ways to fight back against SSE debt collection companies. I’ll be coming back to these clever techniques shortly. 

Early options if you can’t pay your SSE energy bills

If you’re struggling to keep up with payments to SSE, it’s best to take action as quickly as possible. I understand that the situation can be daunting, but trying to ignore the problem won’t make it any better. In fact, it can make things much worse. 

The SSE website even has a page dedicated to people who are in financial difficulty. 

They encourage customers to get in touch and let them know about their situation. This is also recommended by Money Helper. SSE might be able to help you get through a tough period without having to contact a debt collection agency to collect arrears. 

Another option is to move you from your regular set-up to a prepayment metre. 

A prepayment metre is where you top up your electricity before you use it. It’s used to help people budget for their bills, especially during periods when energy bills have drastically gone up and the bills can be unpredictable. 

What can happen if you don’t pay your energy bills?

If you don’t pay a bill, you will be sent reminders and the account could be charged with interest or further fees. The account could then be passed to a debt collection agency, or it could be chased by an in-house debt collection department.

If you refuse to cooperate or cannot agree on a payment plan with the company, they could take legal action. This involved making a claim to the County Court and asking a judge to issue a County Court Judgment, which is a court order to make you pay the debt. There is a similar process for debtors in Scotland. 

If you don’t pay as the judge has ordered you to pay, you could face enforcement action. This includes:

1. Bailiffs who come to your home to collect payment or seize goods to be sold. They also charge eye-watering service fees that get added to your debt. 

2. An Attachment of Earnings Order, which is an order for money to be taken from your wages or pension income.

3. A Charging Order, which prevents you from being able to sell a property without repaying the debt. Inr are cases the property can be forcibly sold to recover the money.

Can your electricity be switched off for not paying a bill?

It’s extremely rare, but energy companies can apply to a court for a warrant to enter your home and disconnect your energy supply. But they’re much more likely to try to give you a pre-payment metre instead of attempting to disconnect the supply.

However, even this action has been heavily criticised with the BBC reporting that judges have been told to stop allowing energy companies to force pre-payment metres on people.

Can your gas be switched off for not paying a bill?

The same is true for gas supplies. Energy companies can apply for a warrant to enter your home and disconnect a gas supply. But this is extremely rare nowadays. It never used to be as rare, however.

SSE debt collection letters

SSE debt collectors might contact you in different ways, but they’re almost certainly going to send you letters if they know your address, which is likely due to the nature of the debt. 

Their debt letters could be scary and threaten legal action. They are made this way to scare you into paying without questioning anything, especially if they add payment deadlines in big red or bold text. 

How can I avoid paying SSE Debt Collectors?

You can temporarily avoid paying SSE debt collection companies, or avoid paying altogether if you reply to their debt letters in a certain way. 

I’ll be explaining the details below, but you could:

1. Ask SSE debt collectors to prove you owe the debt
2. Tell SSE that the debt is too old to be collected (if applicable)
3. Tell SSE debt collectors that you’re applying for breathing space to assess your options

Ask SSE Debt Collection to prove the debt

When you disagree you owe the debt, you simply have to ask them to prove it. There are prove-the-debt letter templates you can download online for free and use to save time. 

The SSE debt collector is then supposed to reply with an agreement you signed, such as an electricity agreement. If they don’t, you’re not obligated to pay the debt until they prove it to you. 

They can still take legal action against you for the unpaid energy debt, but you can use their lack of proving the debt to potentially avoid a court order making you pay. 

Tell SSE Debt Collectors the debt is too old

Energy debts become too old to be collected after six years in England and Wales and they even get written off completely after five years in Scotland. 

This is only if you haven’t made any payments towards the energy debt or admitted the debt is owed in writing within the last six years. No debt can become too old to be collected if it’s already subject to a court order. 

So, if your debt is too old to be collected, you can simply tell SSE debt collectors that you won’t be paying for this reason. But always check if this is the case by speaking to a debt charity first, or you could restart the six-year countdown by accident.

There are letter templates to help you do this easily. Just search for statute-barred letter templates online to save time. 

Consider a debt solution instead 

You don’t have to agree on a repayment plan with creditors and companies directly and it might not be the best debt solution for you, especially if you’re on a low income and/or have multiple debts. 

You can get debt advice from a charity to help you settle on the most beneficial debt solution for you. And the debt charity can even apply for government-approved debt breathing space to give you some time during the process. 

Should I ignore SSE Debt Collectors?

You probably shouldn’t ignore SSE debt collectors or the debt could get bigger and you may be taken to court. 

Even if you don’t agree with the debt or think there is a mistake, it’s always best to fight back against SSE debt collectors in some way.

Related questions

Why have I received a credit from SSE?

You most likely received a credit from SSE because you submitted a metre reading which was less than your projected energy use. SSE refunds customers when they have previously overpaid on their bills. 

Where can I get energy debt support and advice?

Debt charities like StepChange and National Debtline are fantastic if you want free debt advice. 

For more generic support and information on debt solutions, you can read my free Debt Help page. 

“It will only get worse” 😩

It’s cliché to say, but with debt it’s true; the longer you leave it, the worse the problem gets. 

There are straightforward and effective ways to deal with debt, but you have to know your options. 

Fill out the short form to find out about the debt solutions that could reduce your monthly payments or even write off some of your debt.

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