Debt Collection - At what amount of money owed is it not worth pursuing a debt?

the facts are very vague so I'll give you some.

Whether youre in contract or not, they wont end the contract until you either pay it up or agree a payment plan. If you havent done either, do so now. If you dont, youre only hurting yourself.

Now ignoring the ethical fact, you should be paying it, (you dont get to say you dont like their price after you buy the contract), if you decide not to pay on the payment plan, after 6-8 weeks of the first missed payment, it goes to debt collector.
The usual threatening letters will come out. As theyre on commission, the debt collectors will accept a part payment, usually within 60-70% of the original bill depending on your negotiation skills. they wont accept nothing unless the figure is sufficiently small enough. 900e is not. I would fully expect a court case and a judgement for that amount. If it doesnt happen, you've got lucky. Do you feel lucky? I wouldnt at 900e. Having a bad credit rating because of your own naivety in signing up for the contract is on your own head.

you can tell the debt collectors that youre in dispute with the company and theyll pass the debt back to them, then theyll contact you, Ive heard of discounts of up to 50% being given at this stage, again milage may vary depending on negotational skills. I would try this route.

I know someone who didnt get a mortgage because of a phone bill. That was the anecdotal story. Later transpired it wasnt the phone bill, vodafone had a direct debit on a contract that caused an overdraft on her bank balance that wasnt paid off. So it wasnt the phone bill but the unpaid overdraft. but she didnt see it that way. In her mind, if the money wasnt there, vodafone shouldnt have tried to take it out. sigh.

thehouses wrote: »

The contract is ongoing, but they are charging incredible data fees and will not cap these even if it runs into the thousands of euro. They cap these fees in the E.U., but won't in Ireland because they are not compelled to do so by legislation. While it may not be seen under law as a scam it sure feels like one. Though there are two acts I believe they are in breach of.

If you're referring to the EU data cap legislation afaik that only applies to data usage while roaming, not data usage in your home country whether that be Ireland, Germany or elsewhere.

thehouses wrote: »

No it's switched off with direct debits cancelled.

It's not clear if you have formally cancelled your contract in the proper manner but assuming you haven't you should be aware that merely keeping your phone switched off does not release you from an existing contract. If you remain in contract the monthly fees will accrue (network service is being provided whether you actually use it or not) and that €900 will get larger over time, making the prospect of legal action against you all the more likely.

WildCardDoW wrote: »

Mate you're definitely in the wrong here, fairly sure they can do without your repeat business.



You'll certainly be unlikely to get a contract with this company again and it could affect your ability to get other services from other companies.

I have personal experience of getting 40% wiped off a bill at debt collector stage for a family member who's not great with money. The proviso to agreeing to the 40% off and not paying the whole bill was that she could never take out a contract with that company again. 3 months after that she signed up to an offer with them with no questions asked by company. That was last year. Company was vodafone.

clint_silver wrote: »

I have personal experience of getting 40% wiped off a bill at debt collector stage for a family member who's not great with money. The proviso to agreeing to the 40% off and not paying the whole bill was that she could never take out a contract with that company again. 3 months after that she signed up to an offer with them with no questions asked by company. That was last year. Company was vodafone.

I know somebody who got a similar treatment. Theyed wanted to remove there landline for 6 months during renovations. Vodafone reps agreed, but then didn't disconnect the line for months and then started demanding arrears and a Disconnection fee before passing it on to a debt collector. The lack of coordination and communication is staggering in these companies an I can imagine many people have fend off these debt collectors over stupid stuff like that.

thehouses wrote: »

The E.U. had to bring in legislation on data roaming to prevent the exact same issue so I disagree with the above post. It is very easy for companies to put the customer first, but they choose not to unless forced to by legislation.

Would you ever stop referring to the date ROAMING charges (important word highlighted). The phone company does not need to cap the data you use. You are responsible for the data you use. You signed up to a contract and agreed to the charges. You then ran up a bill and decided to find a "justification" for not paying your bill. You cancelled your direct debit and I would bet my right nut that you kept using the phone until they cut you off. I bet you are still using the network, but as a PAYG customer. Have you maybe considered ethically paying for the rest of the contract you agreed to, while disputing the charges that you initially described as a scam? Shameful behaviour.

I hope they pursue you. You haven't a leg to stand on. And for 900e I bet they will. I don't know of any operators who let more than 300e go.

thehouses wrote: »

Awesome post.

Didn't expect that reply.

Also, you mentioned easily getting another contract with them. I forgot to mention that getting another contract with them usually means photo ID in the form of a passport or drivers license, which has your date of birth, which they use, with your name, to make sure you haven't screwed them over before. Using a different address and bank account will not help.

I'm not sure that there is anything new to be said in this thread.

OP, if you want it reopened, please let me know.

dudara