What happens next? Old debt.....

[blue virgin]

Hi. I have an outstanding debt for �258 owed to O2 from over a year ago. Now, I have just found out that on 12th of April, I was sent a letter to my old address from a Credit Services company demanding payment as a final notice. I was then sent a letter on the 1st of May from a solicitors stating that unless payment was received within 7 days, legal proceedings may be started without further notice.

Now, if I don't pay them, for my own reasons, what happens next? I assume it goes to court, and then what? As I no longer live at the address where they have me living, what will happen to the guy who lives there? Will he have the baliffs turn up on his doorstep and have to prove he is not me?! I could pay the bill, but O2 were so awful to me (which is why I left them), that I don't really want to. Besides which, I don't even know what the debt is for!

[kevb0444]

Hi....Ok the 1st thing that will happen is that you'll get a Default Notice on your credit history. Chances are thats happend already. Then you'll get a CCJ if the solicitors take the matter to court. If this happens then any legal costs will be added to your debt. The poor guy at your old address will have the baliffs turn up at his door (i know as it has happed to me not long after i moved in to my house) but all he has to do is show them some ID and they'll leave him alone.

If your not sure what the debt is for then ring O2 and speak to them. You don't have to give them your new address if your sure you can get old letters forward to you. Or you could ring the debt collectors who can some times knock abit of the debt just to get it paid. If you feel O2 have passed on the debt with out consulting you and you feel that you wish to dispute the amount or the whole debt then put a complaint in writting to O2 and then contact the debt collectors and tell them that the amount is in dispute and they sould then give you and O2 a few weeks to try and sort things out and back off for a while. I know how sh*tty mobile companys can be...i had a huge fight with Orange once as they had over billed me for around �100 and they think they can do what they like. It took me over a year to fight them but i won in the end. If you are going to fight the debt then get back to me as i might have some good advice for you ok. I've been there and it's not nice.

[bellasasha]

hiya

thats so weird , o2 did the same to me except it was 900 quid!!!!!! they chased me for 2 yrs and now i havent heard from them. i have since moved so i dont know what happens there...they dont have my address but to be honest it was their own error so hopefully they have realised but my credit rating was seriously affected by them and there is nothing i can do about that

good luck bluevirgin

[kevb0444]

Hi Bellasaha. Chaces are O2 have not forgot about you as they never admit to there mistakes. If they think you owe them money (even if it is there mistake) they will find you. Chances are your credit rating was smashed coz you probable have some default notices and a CCJ from O2. Just so you know Bellasaha there is something you can do about your credit history. If you fight O2 about the bill and you win you can force them to remove any negative credit history that has been made against you by them for there mistake. You can make a claim under ss.7 and 13 of the Data Protection Act 1998 to have this information removed.

[bellasasha]

hi kev, thanks for the info

i am actually going thru bankcruptcy just now as all my debt was racked up by my ex. so once that is thru then i am clear from them i beleive.

thank you though for the info about fighting it

[kevb0444]

Oh..ok. Just make sure you list that debt when you go bankrupt. Oh and keep a copy of the court order (once you're been made bankrupt) by your front door as some debt collectors will still try it on after you've gone bust. Shove it in there face and tell them where to go if they come calling. One debt collector told a friend of mine who had gone bankrupt that he had to pay up coz they said once he was dicharged they would come back to collect the debt.....which of course they can't. So be warned

[bellasasha]

thx kev, u are a star

xx

sorry for hijacking blue!!

[jelisa]

i wouldnt even worry bout it - no they wont go to the house or anything like that - i have had several situations like this and trust me nothing ever comes of it - basically - the phone company sells the amount of what you owe them to another company (they call themselves debt collection agency's) they buy it for a smaller price of its actual value - in which case o2 gets some of the money you owe them back - this suits them and this also suits the agency as they ask for lthe full amount back from you+more ....some people get scared and pay it - therefore this is why these agencies mention court etc..... you will find that if you ignore them (like i did) they will continue to send letter after letter - as time goes on you will notice that they reduce the amount (this is just them getting desperate to get the amount back fo which they bought it from o2) i honestly wouldnt pay it !!!!!!!!!! but if yolu insist - youcan arrange a payment plan with them - they will send you out blank giro slips and you pay them weekly till the amount owed is paid in full............... if you do choose this option - then please do not let them pressure you into demanding ridiculous amounts of weekly payments - they will try their best to -take no notice and simply inform them that is all you can afford - offer to send them a breakdown of your income an outgoings (make some of it up to show how poor you are) then offer only a small amount of around #5.00 per week - legallly they cannot take you to court - as it is classed as non- priority debt - and you have offered repayment - even if it is 25p - the courts are not interested,.............the only downfall is that your credit history maybe tarned.........................goood luck - i hate 02 tooo

[blue virgin]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I got another letter today from the credit services company, just saying the same as before really, although they do specifically mention baliffs in this one. The thing is, I can afford to repay the debt, but firstly, I hate O2 and there is no way I owe them this much, and it's from a long while back anyway, and secondly, I live abroad now, and I guess my credit history here now is of less interest to me. Still can't decide whether to pay up or not though! It'd be easy to pay, just to put an end to it, but it just seems wrong somehow.....