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Phone contract went to debt collectors!

My girlfriend has a mobile phone contract with Vodafone (through carphone warehouse, where she used to work). It was a 2nd contract for anything to do with her work/customers, so never made any calls on it.
It was manadtory to have a direct debit setup when the contract was taken out. For the past 2 months shes never recived a bill (we have missed quite a few letters, thinking dodgy postie) but as it was a DD we just forgot about it.

Until we got a letter from a debt collecting agency! Stating we owed £76 for the phone contact, and carphonewarehouse have handed the debt over to them.

We looked through her online banking, and sure enough the DD hadnt come out of the account! We phoned up stright away and paid it, as were buying a house, and just about to get our mortagage.

the lady on the phone said that if we paid before the date set by them, there wouldnt be any marks on the credit score, and it would be marked as paid (as it would of been if the DD came out)

What i dont understand is HOW it was cancelled. She never would of cancelled a DD. And when she looked on the Online billing it said a DD wasnt setup, but it HAS to be to access online billing! its all mad!

Comments

  • Xbigman
    Xbigman Posts: 3,926 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If you are getting a mortgage the prime consideration is to protect your credit rating. Has the mortgage been approved? In any event get copies of your credit file immediately and look. You don't want any surprizes.

    From your post it looks like they never set up a direct debit (their fault), meaning you do actually owe the money. This is one of those situations which is really annoying but it is not worth the agro of complaining. Forget about it and enjoy your new home.
    Regards




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  • the direct debt was definantly set up as a few payments had already come out. They just stopped!!
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