Employer chasing me for phone bill

Pinch Flat

So left my job recently. I was wiping my phone (My old company provided one, but with my personal number that had been ported over when I commenced employment) to hand it back to my employer. Got a message via our admin person that my old employer employer (authorized verbally by a director) says I can keep the phone. Director was not there on the run up to me leaving.

My old employer's mobile account is through company A, my new employer is mobile company B. My intention was to close the old account (my old employer told me there was 6 months left on the contract, which I was not interested in), and migrate to a pay-as-you go to hold on to my number while my new employer's account was being ported. Everything gets swapped over.

Old employer contacts me and says there's €400 owing on my old account, which they want paying for. I'm obviously not entertaining this. Am I right?

the_pen_turner

surely the contract is with the employers. were you paying the bills or were they.

Fann Linn

Have they hung you out to dry for the outstanding 6 months of the contract from company A?

In fairness company A should still get paid as part of their contract to your old employer.

Looks to me like they passed the buck to you imo.

Pinch Flat

Yeah contract was employers - they were paying the bill. I took the phone when I left and under good faith proceeded to get it to a bill pay. The old emoliyer informed me after leaving that there’s 6 months to go on the contract, so it was neither here nor there. They would have got hit for a penalty anyway for breaking a contract early, as I wax taking my number with me anyway - phone aside. I’ve had my number nearly 20 years and everyone knows it, so going to a new number for me would be a pain.

Pelvis

The phone number doesn't belong to you because you ported it to your old employers account.

It's not clear but It sounds like you cancelled the contract with company A and didn't clear it with your old employer first?

Glass fused light

Not necessarily correct re owning the number, one of the companies I worked for had an agreement in place where numbers remained the 'property' of the employee. They were given the option of a company number or ported their personal number in to the company account and authorisation was given to the mobile company to allow the employee to act on the companys behalf. Plus a letter was issued to the employee confirming that the employee would be given the number back on termination of their employment. I would suggest you get a similar letter off your current employer.

I am assuming that the bill was issued in the name of the company and you were not authorised to action the porting yourself? If so I would suggest that there was a misscommunucation between the authorised person and the director as to what 'keeping the phone' involved. If so, you don't owe the money back (but I would offer to give the handset back as a good will gesture) and the company have to take the hit. If it was held directly in your name and direct debited from the company bank account you owe the company.

Payment as a good will gesture could be a consideration depending of your income and how personal the director will take having to cover a legitmate (business loss) employee cost and the long term impact your ex-employer would have on any career moves in your industry.

godtabh

I read that as your company allowed you to take the phone and expected you to honor the contract. Unreasonable to think that you walk away with a free phone and nothing else.

Problem is no one was specific.

Xterminator

Hi Op

Its not 100% clear this isnt an unpaid bill etc, or a fee for leaving contract early. but as described it sounds like the latter.

Do you think your old employer should be left with the bill for you leaving contract early & keeping phone, or do you think ti should be the person who has had use of the phone, and chose to change provider?

Do the right thing.

Ashbx

Following on from other advice, if you don't feel its fair you have pay the €400 you should be willing/offering to give the handset back. Im surprised they let you keep it because that is simply not an option in the company I work for.

Whatever you do decide to do, going forward work numbers and personal numbers should always be kept different in my opinion! So if you leave one place of employment, you dont feel that you are entitled to that number.

Avatar MIA

You should be able to hand back the phone and port the number.

I don't think your employer was allowing you to keep the phone and keep paying for it :pac:

toyotafan

Pinch Flat wrote: »

So left my job recently. I was wiping my phone (My old company provided one, but with my personal number that had been ported over when I commenced employment) to hand it back to my employer. Got a message via our admin person that my old employer employer (authorized verbally by a director) says I can keep the phone. Director was not there on the run up to me leaving.

My old employer's mobile account is through company A, my new employer is mobile company B. My intention was to close the old account (my old employer told me there was 6 months left on the contract, which I was not interested in), and migrate to a pay-as-you go to hold on to my number while my new employer's account was being ported. Everything gets swapped over.

Old employer contacts me and says there's €400 owing on my old account, which they want paying for. I'm obviously not entertaining this. Am I right?

To be honest, I would pay €400 and keep the phone or return it to my old company, as basi ally it was not mine.