O2 want to take me to court

Barlett

Posted this in consumer issues but might be better placed in here.

So I've just got back to my folks place for a visit to find a letter from a solicitor threatening me with a court summons if I don't pay an outstanding 02 bill of 100 euro...here is the back story.

A couple of years ago I signed up for a student broadband dongle paying a flat fee me for 10 euro a month. It wasn't great but anyway a couple of months later I moved apartment where we had fiber optic broadband so I didn't need the dongle anymore.

Because the contract was for 12 months (as I was a student) I figured Id still have to pay even though I wasn't using the dongle anymore.

Fast forward 12 months, I've finished college and I'm heading abroad for a while. Contract is finished (or so I thought) so I cut off the direct debit and forget about it. Come home a few months later and I have 9 bills from O2 each charging me 10 euro a month.

They called me to inform me as I had now reached the threshold for an outstanding balance they were cutting me off. I said but surely when I didn't pay two bills in a row you should've at least called me or cut me off. They said that's not how they operate.

They told me unless I pay up they would refer me to a debt collector. Anyway I come back to my folks home one weekend and there's a couple of letters from debt collectors I didn't pay heed to it because I was refusing to pay. Now I've received a letter from solicitors (with my surname spelt wrong) and a DRAFT court summons.

At the end of the day I paid 10 months for a service that didn't work properly and I didn't use, so now I have to pay another 10 months because they wanted to let the money build up so they could bill me for 100 euro? I was told in the shop the contract would end after 12 months.

I should've called them before I moved abroad but I stupidly forgot to do it. One thing I will say, I'll never be an O2 customer again.

Just to have the story clear, I paid up each month of my 12 month contract. I cut it off then, but they kept billing me for a rolling contract while I was away (even though I was no longer a student).

Basically I know you can't give legal advice but is this worth worrying about?

F1ngers

Barlett wrote: »

Posted this in consumer issues but might be better placed in here.

So I've just got back to my folks place for a visit to find a letter from a solicitor threatening me with a court summons if I don't pay an outstanding 02 bill of 100 euro...here is the back story.

A couple of years ago I signed up for a student broadband dongle paying a flat fee me for 10 euro a month. It wasn't great but anyway a couple of months later I moved apartment where we had fiber optic broadband so I didn't need the dongle anymore.

Because the contract was for 12 months (as I was a student) I figured Id still have to pay even though I wasn't using the dongle anymore.

Fast forward 12 months, I've finished college and I'm heading abroad for a while. Contract is finished (or so I thought) so I cut off the direct debit and forget about it. Come home a few months later and I have 9 bills from O2 each charging me 10 euro a month.

They called me to inform me as I had now reached the threshold for an outstanding balance they were cutting me off. I said but surely when I didn't pay two bills in a row you should've at least called me or cut me off. They said that's not how they operate.

They told me unless I pay up they would refer me to a debt collector. Anyway I come back to my folks home one weekend and there's a couple of letters from debt collectors I didn't pay heed to it because I was refusing to pay. Now I've received a letter from solicitors (with my surname spelt wrong) and a DRAFT court summons.

At the end of the day I paid 10 months for a service that didn't work properly and I didn't use, so now I have to pay another 10 months because they wanted to let the money build up so they could bill me for 100 euro? I was told in the shop the contract would end after 12 months.

I should've called them before I moved abroad but I stupidly forgot to do it. One thing I will say, I'll never be an O2 customer again.

Just to have the story clear, I paid up each month of my 12 month contract. I cut it off then, but they kept billing me for a rolling contract while I was away (even though I was no longer a student).

Basically I know you can't give legal advice but is this worth worrying about?

When your 12 months were up, you were in a rolling contract(check the small print, it's there) until you cancel, so if you haven't already done so, give them 30 days written notice to terminate the contract - registered post.
You are responsible for the monies owed to O2, not the debt collectors. You have no contract with any debt collectors.

Barlett

I know that but can O2 run up the bill like that without calling me once or sending a reminder letter during those 10 months?