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Telemessage from BT

Hi, I received a second telemessage yesterday, from BT, saying I owed them £42 , the first one had said £12 . When I put my details in on the bt website, it comes up with a different account number, which is why I ignored the first one. I changed from bt to ee around 2 years ago, and pay by direct debit. Should I continue to ignore the messages, Iit says they will cut off my phone, and although I don't use it very often, I don't really want to lose it ? Sorry if I don't make much sense, 49 year old,single working mother whose elderly dog gets her up 2 or 3 times a night, and an 18 year old daughter that has suffered anxiety for 5 years, and has just been put on medication = tired lol !

Comments

  • sourcrates
    sourcrates Posts: 28,711
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    Ambassador
    edited 14 October 2016 at 11:47AM
    Hi,

    The problem is if you do leave it alone, BT will just pass the debt onto a debt collector, and as its a very small amount, will never see the inside of a court room, but small debts do get chased quite vigorously on occasion, what i`m trying to say is you have enough hassle in your life, without adding debt collectors to the equation.

    It should be a simple enough task to ring BT and find out what its all about.

    It could be someone with a similar name to yours, so might not even be your debt.
    If it turns out you do owe something, its best to nip these matters in the bud, if it turns out to be a small amount, ask them if they would consider writing it off !!

    But best to ring up and sort it out.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter
  • National_Debtline
    National_Debtline Posts: 7,998
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    Organisation Representative
    Hi yved33,


    I would suggest you email BT and ask them if this is genuine. If you have received a text message or voicemail about this then do not call the number they have left for you. Either go online and call BT from a reputable number you find, or safer still, email them. You always need to be careful of a potential scam.


    If money is genuinely owed you should get a letter requesting payment from BT or a debt collector - not just a message. If you have changed provided they shouldn't have any further ability to disconnect the phone and it would be unheard of for £42. Approach this through the reputable contact lines for BT and if money is genuinely owed you can try and arrange instalments to clear it.


    Laura
    @natdebtline
    We work as money advisers for National Debtline and have specific permission from MSE to post to try to help those in debt. Read more information on National Debtline in MSE's Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help guide. If you find you're struggling with debt and need further help try our online advice tool My Money Steps
  • sourcrates
    sourcrates Posts: 28,711
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Photogenic
    Ambassador
    Hi yved33,


    I would suggest you email BT and ask them if this is genuine. If you have received a text message or voicemail about this then do not call the number they have left for you. Either go online and call BT from a reputable number you find, or safer still, email them. You always need to be careful of a potential scam.


    If money is genuinely owed you should get a letter requesting payment from BT or a debt collector - not just a message. If you have changed provided they shouldn't have any further ability to disconnect the phone and it would be unheard of for £42. Approach this through the reputable contact lines for BT and if money is genuinely owed you can try and arrange instalments to clear it.


    Laura
    @natdebtline

    Yes good point, fraudsters are everywhere these days.

    I regularly get emails supposedly from apple or more recently, PayPal, asking me to authorise transactions by clicking here.

    Of course it's a scam, same could apply to your situation.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter
  • Definitely a scam. Think about it seriously. How can they disconnect you if you're no longer a customer ?
  • yved33
    yved33 Posts: 27 Forumite
    Thanks for the replies guys. I went on live chat , on the BT website this evening, and apparently the charge is for an email address that I haven't used for about 3 years. I explained that myself and my daughter had bt email addresses, but that we had had notification from bt, that if we wanted to keep our email address, we would have to make a one off payment. My daughter wanted to keep hers, so we paid for hers, but I had another email so I cancelled mine. It looks like they never cancelled it at their end. They have given me the phone number for the team that can remove it from my account, and I will be calling them in the next couple of days.
  • National_Debtline
    National_Debtline Posts: 7,998
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Organisation Representative
    Well that is good news. Hopefully you have a copy of the chat and just make sure that you get everything backed up in writing. Get confirmation of the write off and the fact that they will remove the information from your credit file.

    Situations like this have a nasty habit of coming back unless there is something in writing to confirm what was discussed on the phone.

    Laura
    @natdebtline
    We work as money advisers for National Debtline and have specific permission from MSE to post to try to help those in debt. Read more information on National Debtline in MSE's Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help guide. If you find you're struggling with debt and need further help try our online advice tool My Money Steps
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