The problems of being an expat...
Jan. 27th, 2014 09:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
My mother called me this morning. Fairly remarkable actually, mum's in her 80s and is never quite sure which number to use. Anyway, she had a letter from a debt collection agency about my 'debt' - this was news to me. Apart from the mortgage I don't actually have any debt in the UK. She passed me the details and I called them.
Apparently, back in 2009, Orange didn't close my phone account cleanly and continued to register it as open and billing and now the debt, 80 quid, has caught up with me. This falls into the space of one of those things that is a nightmare. Do I just pay it to make it go away, or do I dispute it and deal with the problems that not living in the UK generates - we've already had that as the debt agency can't call a US number, nor write to a US address. In fact, the conversation was fairly comical:
"You did have an Orange account opened in 2005?"
"Yes, but I moved to the US in 2007."
"But this XXX is your address?"
"Until I moved to the US in 2007."
"Umm... but you were using the phone?"
"No, I was living in America, where I live now."
Bit daft really, and it really does feel like a thing I'll end up paying because it will be just too damn painful to fight it anymore. But I have disputed the charge.
Apparently, back in 2009, Orange didn't close my phone account cleanly and continued to register it as open and billing and now the debt, 80 quid, has caught up with me. This falls into the space of one of those things that is a nightmare. Do I just pay it to make it go away, or do I dispute it and deal with the problems that not living in the UK generates - we've already had that as the debt agency can't call a US number, nor write to a US address. In fact, the conversation was fairly comical:
"You did have an Orange account opened in 2005?"
"Yes, but I moved to the US in 2007."
"But this XXX is your address?"
"Until I moved to the US in 2007."
"Umm... but you were using the phone?"
"No, I was living in America, where I live now."
Bit daft really, and it really does feel like a thing I'll end up paying because it will be just too damn painful to fight it anymore. But I have disputed the charge.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-27 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-27 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-27 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-27 11:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 03:50 am (UTC)I'd say both countries have weird strengths and weaknesses. In the UK they're more likely to be out and out rude to you, whereas in the US they'll pretend to be nice while treating you badly.
There are times when I miss people actually being rude :)
no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 03:11 pm (UTC)First, if you have had no contact from Orange about the debt for a period of at least six years, then it is statute-barred and therefore unenforceable. So you need documentary proof from Orange that they had contacted you about it within the relevant timescale. If the supposed debt dates back to 2007, this may well be the case. This is the most likely way to get rid of it without paying, unless Orange are prepared to fess up that they screwed up closing your account. Also, if they can't produce the original credit agreement, as signed by you, the debt is similarly unenforceable.
Second, these debt-buying collection agencies are an absolute bunch of crooks and will say anything - legal or otherwise - to screw the cash out of you. They pay pennies for debts that have gone bad, and their entire business model is to harass people into paying up, regardless of whether the money is owed, or the debt enforceable. They will send letters to anyone with the same name - or even a different one that's close - or hassle family, new people at the old address, anyone they can think of, and demand that they pay up. They will be rubbing their hands with glee that you bothered to call them, unfortunately.
Ultimately, the final sanction comes from the Financial Ombudsman Service, to which you have right of appeal once you have given the company eight weeks (IIRC) to fix it and you have come to an impasse. Several of the ones T was landed with went away, thanks to the FOS deeming the debts unenforceable. But it does take time. And (also unfortunately) not all of the debt-bastards have signed up with the FOS.
However. As I said on FB, the amount of hassle and cost (money and time) and palaver it will take to get it to go away is probably not worth it, at least not for £80. Credit black marks fall off your credit history after six years, but if you want to remortgage in the meantime, that will be a problem. It is very wrong that the only sane way to make the hassle go away is usually to pay these parasites.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-28 09:18 pm (UTC)