westcot credit services

lulabelle · 21 March 2006 at 3:42PM

Not sure if this is on the right thread but would appreciate some advice if possible.

I own a flat in London which I let out. it was previously let to my ex-boyfriend and another tenant. he had sky tv in his name from when I lived there with him and wanted to keep it so I let him do so. He moved out in September and the current tenant stayed on and a new tenant arrived. In about November the tenants were messing me around by refusing to stay in for appointments and the like for gas and electric etc and I couldn't attend as I no longer live in the UK. I decided to instruct a management agent who charge a fee and so I increased their rent and stopped paying for the sky (which I had paid for previously as part of the rent).

i spoke to sky who said I could not cancel the contract as it was not in my name. By this time I had no contact details for the ex and he had also left my flat in a right state with things broken and damaged etc. I asked Sky what I should do and they told me to cancel the direct debit, that a couple of letters would go to my ex but if he didn't reply then nothing further would happen.

That's what I did.

I've now had an email from my ex saying that Westcot have been instructed and he owes £76 and asking me to pay it. I don't want to as as far as I was concerned it was cancelled.

What should I do?

southernscouser · 21 March 2006 at 3:49PM

It's his problem! As long as your name isn't on the credit agreement you aren't liable!

If he insists on you paying send him a bill for the stuff that was damaged in your flat when he left! That will soon shut him up!

Also tell him that unless he wants to keep receiving bills for it that he should phone and get it cancelled!

file_wizzard · 21 March 2006 at 3:58PM

lulabelle wrote:

I've now had an email from my ex saying that Westcot have been instructed and he owes £76 and asking me to pay it. I don't want to as as far as I was concerned it was cancelled.

What should I do?

You have answered you own question, if the debt is in his name then the debt is his pure and simply, regardless of the fact that Wescot are trying to chase the debt at the old address.

Any future correspondence should be returned to wescot stating that he is no longer at that address.

You have no obligation what so ever to pay this debt

THE_LONE_RANGER_4 · 21 March 2006 at 6:31PM

if its in his name you dont have a problem forward letters etc westcote cant do anything to you etc tell them his new address dont bother getting in to to much jaw jaw then forget about it not your prob

potty_pink_ladies · 26 March 2006 at 1:24AM

you should phone wescot and advise them of his address, he is fully liable if in his name and he should have cancelled sky when he moved out. if you phone be pleasant to the peerson on the phone as they are just doing their job even if they are abrupt.

Xbigman · 26 March 2006 at 3:12PM

On the other hand...

If only he could cancel sky, why didn't you simply ask him to do it? That would have been the polite thing to do. If my ex had simply stopped paying for something in my name and stuck me with a debt (and possible default on my credit rating) which was unnescesary I would not have been amused.
Regards

X

MrsTinks · 26 March 2006 at 4:41PM

Xbigman wrote:

On the other hand...

If only he could cancel sky, why didn't you simply ask him to do it? That would have been the polite thing to do. If my ex had simply stopped paying for something in my name and stuck me with a debt (and possible default on my credit rating) which was unnescesary I would not have been amused.
Regards

X

OP did say in forst post that she had no contact details for her ex though... :)Lord knows there are a few of my ex's out there that I have no contact details for and I'd like it to stay that way thank you very much

Up to you ultimately if you feel obliged to pay some of the fee or not as a goodwill gesture... legally though you are under no obligation to pay it as it was in his name and thus HIS responsibility to cancel it and no-one elses. When he moved out he should have cancelled and someone (including you) could have started a new subscription and left him with no responsibility. He didn't so his problem legally I'm afraid.

Xbigman · 27 March 2006 at 5:57PM

Oops, sorry for my harsh comments I just reread the OPs post. In this case, once he left OP should have contacted sky and informed them he had gone. They would have cancelled the ex's decoder card and OP could then open a new account. Phoning up and trying to cancel the account as a third party does not work as you cannot make changes to someone elses account. But if, as a landlord, you tell them an account holder has moved they will keep the account alive but stop writing to that address. They then allow a new account at that address

However, what has happened is that ex has left an active account behind. This is his mistake and unfortunately his liability. Tough on him.
Regards

X

westcot credit services

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free