Owed Salary

Elijah

Hi.:)

I was wondering if anyone could offer any help on the following problem:

I've recently left my employer and they've sent me a letter regarding £150.53 that I owe them in overpaid salary. They said that as it wasn't my fault etc...that I should ring them to discuss how to pay it back. The number they provided was an 0870 number and, frankly, I just refused to call it. Instead I draft a letter but did not send it until 9 days after receipt of their letter. In my letter I asked for a detailed breakdown of why I owe them this.

After 7 days of receipt of their first letter, they sent a second one expressing disappointment that I hadn't contacted them and that I had 7 days before they'd send it to their solicitors.

7 days later I get the letter from the solicitors threatening legal action. No mention of the letter I sent them. Intriguingly though, the letter from the solicitors is signed by the same person who sent the first? Thus leaving me to think that it's been with these solicitors since the start anyway.

It's kind of left a bitter taste in my mouth and I'm just looking for advice as to what other people would do. If anyone needs any more info, let me know.

Many Thanks,

Nick

P.S. If this is in the wrong place I apologise but I don't know where else to post it.

llh189

A similar thing happen to a friend of mine several years ago - although he knew that they had overpaid him.

Your are basically legally bound to pay the money back once they have proven how the overpayment happen.

My friend pleaded poverty and said due to his financial circumstances he could only afford to pay a nominal amount each month, they accepted this as knowing that they only way they could recoup the money was via the small claims court and because you are not refusing to pay, a small claims action would be pointless.

Accept that you have to pay them back and start with a low offer for the repayments.

as0ta

If you post on here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=141 you will find a few threads similar to yours.

brightonman123

were you due any holiday pay? see CAB with payslips etc, they may be able to draft a suitble reply!

Elijah

Thanks, peeps.

As far as I was aware, I took more holidays than I'd actually earned through the year as of the point of leaving. So I fully accept I have to pay that back. What I don't understand or accept is the basic pay they said they overpaid. I worked out my leaving date with two senior managers, taking in to account that I'd have been fully paid up on the date of leaving, and the managers accepted this so I don't understand why they've given me too much basic pay. I've drafted a letter to them, anyhow, and I'll wait for their response.

I'm still unhappy about their tactics though. They've clearly set out to intimidate me in to repaying them. And why give an 0870 number as a contact line? The company in question is HBOS, by the way. I realised whilst working for them how underhand they were so I guess this shouldn't have come as such a surprise.

Myself and other lower level colleagues had issues with the bank charges we imposed and we were apparently reversing too many for people. A senior manager came in to have a word with us about it and ended up saying something along the lines of: If you continue doing this then it'll effect your bonuses. I thought that was shocking to make bank charges almost a 'commission-based' thing for the call centre staff. Anyhoo, that's my rant over.

Thanks.