Broadband Billing Issue

subway

Help

i was with a certain broadband company for exactly 1 year (feb 07 to feb 08)
i gave them my DD details and received a bill every month.
i never received an overdue notice and never received mention of any billing issues.

they have now mailed me, (no phone call etc) to say i am on my second notice to pay the amounts for the entire year.
i dont have the money to pay this

my account was closed 3 months ago and they never mentioned it to me then.
what do i do, do i have to pay it all now?

Trampas

you never paid one bill over the year?

did you notice that no money was been taken?

Pay up it above questions are yes.

foggy_lad

make sure that you owe them the money first as this could be an email generated by a computer error and it may be difficult to get money back if you paid and owed them nothing!

i noticed with my direct debits for the same companies esb gas sky etc some have the frequency listed as monthly others as quarterly and more as bi-monthly or half yearly and most of these should be bi-monthly or monthly payments!

so presumably these other payments could be requested in a years time after any contract is up?

subway

i do owe them the money, ive checked my finances and they never took the money.
i dont check my bank account to make sure my bills are paid,
i give them DD details and if theres an issue its in their interest to tell me.
they never mentioned it when i upgraded the service, when i changed the service, when i cancelled the service, nor when i received my monthly bill that stated -
amount due 80eu
amount outstanding 0eu

i know i have to pay it, im just not cancelling my holiday to give them a grand on a days notice.

im asking what are my consumer rights here.
i gave them every opportunty to bill me, they had ample chances to notify me.
so its obviously a cock up in there billing system which isnt my concern.
ill happily pay them at the rate they were meant to bill me.

anyone been in this position before, that can give some real world advice?

subway

in case its not clear from my first post,
the second notice is the first notice ive received.
it was sent by normal post so i presume the first one is lost as its not at the old house

cgarvey

Try a polite phone call. Explain that you assumed they were taking the money all along (giving your reasons you've mentioned above), and ask if they would accept full payment over 3 months, in lieu of their billing error.

foggy_lad

or a not so polite call asking how they are still in business if they dont take money from their customers? then offer them as much a month as you are willing to spend on them(€1) and they can be happy with this or take you to court?

you have done nothing wrong and they should not be sending reminders they should be calling you and begging for the money they failed to take

cgarvey

Foggy, that's misleading advice. The company are perfectly entitled to the money, for the service delivered. If it's a year's subscription then it's most likely worth selling off to a debt collector, and that's when the real fun starts.

Be reasonable with the provider, and hopefully they'll be reasonable in return. Going in all guns blazing is unlikely to get anyone to be sympathetic, and you'll be left facing the full bill (which you owe).

Sam Vimes

foggy_lad wrote: »

or a not so polite call asking how they are still in business if they dont take money from their customers? then offer them as much a month as you are willing to spend on them(1) and they can be happy with this or take you to court?

you have done nothing wrong and they should not be sending reminders they should be calling you and begging for the money they failed to take

you know just what to say to turn a slightly bad situation into a crisis. OP I wouldn't follow that advice if i were you

this is bt isn't it? They're notorious for doing that

foggy_lad

subway wrote: »

i do owe them the money, ive checked my finances and they never took the money.
i dont check my bank account to make sure my bills are paid,
i give them DD details and if theres an issue its in their interest to tell me.
they never mentioned it when i upgraded the service, when i changed the service, when i cancelled the service, nor when i received my monthly bill that stated -
amount due 80eu
amount outstanding 0eu

i know i have to pay it, im just not cancelling my holiday to give them a grand on a days notice.

im asking what are my consumer rights here.
i gave them every opportunty to bill me, they had ample chances to notify me.
so its obviously a cock up in there billing system which isnt my concern.
ill happily pay them at the rate they were meant to bill me.

anyone been in this position before, that can give some real world advice?

from this i do realise that the amount is owed as it was not paid but this is through the absolute neglicance of the company and is not the fault of the op so why is this company sending letters demanding the full amount in one go??

the op had made provision(the company most likely insisted on direct debit payments) to pay this debt as they used the service but the company for whatever reason ignored all opportunities available to them to send reminders to their customer and collect the amounts owed!

surely now it is up to the op to decide on how they pay this debt?

subway

well, in a perfect world, im sure it would be

but i have neother the time or the resources to take on a company who will most likely just throw me to the debt collectors and leave my perfect credit rating in tatters.

ive spoken to the company and they have offered a 6 month interest free payment term that wont affect my credit rating.
the letter i have received (bad grammar and all) is automated apparently.

thanks for all the advice on this.

Sam Vimes

foggy_lad wrote: »

surely now it is up to the op to decide on how they pay this debt?

logically, maybe. legally, not necessarily. just because it makes sense to you doesn't mean that's how it's written in the irish statute books

cgarvey

subway wrote: »

ive spoken to the company and they have offered a 6 month interest free payment term that wont affect my credit rating.

I assume you're happy enough with that? Sounds reasonable anyway, and no legal hassle involved.

jor el

subway wrote: »

ive spoken to the company and they have offered a 6 month interest free payment term that wont affect my credit rating.

That's good at least. Just note, that telecoms companies cannot effect your credit rating anyway. If they mentioned this, it was probably a scare tactic to ensure you don't run out on the debt. They do this all the time, and they should not be allowed to.

board om

jor el wrote: »

That's good at least. Just note, that telecoms companies cannot effect your credit rating anyway. If they mentioned this, it was probably a scare tactic to ensure you don't run out on the debt. They do this all the time, and they should not be allowed to.

they cant effect your credit rating directly, but they can in the long run. if they sell the debt to a debt collection agency and the agency take you to court and win the case, then your credit rating will be effected. this is what they mean when they say they can effect your credit rating. i know what you mean about them not being abole to do it directly though.

subway

they didnt say it, however it was one of the things i was worried about and they confirmed that it wouldnt affect me.
i was aware it wouldnt affect my rating, but was glad they werent sending me to a debt collection agency.

im not thrilled with the whole thing, mainly because its an extra bill that i thought i had paid off, but nothing can be dont about that