Old job demanding I pay mobile phone bill.

gav_sw20

In a nutshell I left my job on 23 April 2010as got a new job elsewhere. Old role meant I had a mobile phone and was supposed to pay for my personal calls - I never did over the 4 years working there as no-one ever said anything.

Anyway 6 weeks before I left the Comms guy at work requested (through Orange business) that my number be ported amay from the company account and me be issued with a PAYG sim card so that when I left on 23rd April I could then walk away with my existing number and a working SIM.

Orange faffed around and I ended up leaving work WITHOUT this PAYG SIM but work did not ask for old contract SIM back - inadvertadly over the past 4/5 weeks I have ran up a bill effectively on their accound and they are demanding payment from me !

I personally thinks its a joke as (a)they should have taken the sim off me when I left and (b)I did all I could through Orange business to speed up the process

Theyre now demanding payment of £250 now within 10 days - I have the money but I just dont think ethically I should pay it...well not anything incurred since the 23rd April anyway.

I've also found out the other day that 2 years ago when I applied for a role at another company my Director got wind of it and contacted this company and stopped them offering me the job !!!

Where do I stand legally with the above ?

dmg24

You have incurred the costs, why do you not think you should be liable to pay?

Hammyman

gav_sw20 wrote: »

In a nutshell I left my job on 23 April 2010as got a new job elsewhere. Old role meant I had a mobile phone and was supposed to pay for my personal calls - I never did over the 4 years working there as no-one ever said anything.

Anyway 6 weeks before I left the Comms guy at work requested (through Orange business) that my number be ported amay from the company account and me be issued with a PAYG sim card so that when I left on 23rd April I could then walk away with my existing number and a working SIM.

Orange faffed around and I ended up leaving work WITHOUT this PAYG SIM but work did not ask for old contract SIM back - inadvertadly over the past 4/5 weeks I have ran up a bill effectively on their accound and they are demanding payment from me !

I personally thinks its a joke as (a)they should have taken the sim off me when I left and (b)I did all I could through Orange business to speed up the process

Theyre now demanding payment of £250 now within 10 days - I have the money but I just dont think ethically I should pay it...well not anything incurred since the 23rd April anyway.
?

So you knew it was a works phone that charged you for personal calls, you left the job and knew that it hadn't been ported over.

You should have handed the SIM card over to them if they'd not done it, ethically speaking.

There is nothing ethical about knowingly using a phone you know you shouldn't be using.

Where do you stand legally? With no leg to stand on.

paulwf

gav_sw20 wrote: »

Orange faffed around and I ended up leaving work WITHOUT this PAYG SIM but work did not ask for old contract SIM back - inadvertadly over the past 4/5 weeks I have ran up a bill effectively on their accound and they are demanding payment from me !

If you "inadvertently" ran up a bill for 4-5 weeks on a mobile with a bulk rate business plan surely it would be £10? Perhaps £30 if you used it really heavily?

So what are we talking about here OP? Are we talking about £220-240 of charges that you agree with and £10-30 worth of charges that you are contesting?

Or, was your usage not "inadvertent" but rather you thought you'd thrash the phone and run up £50 a week on the phone as you weren't responsible for it?

If it's the former option you're quibbling over a tiny matter, I'm sure you can sort it out between you with a quick call. If it's the latter then it's time to face up to your actions.

jimbms

You could have taken the sim out and bought a PAYG, instead you used the contract one and ran up a bill, your company is entitled to charge you for minutes used at the standard rate no matter what rate they pay. As you said you never paid for personal calls so in essence you took money off them. I take it they actually provided the phone as well so at the end you got the phone for free. You say you dont think ethically you should pay this bill, so in that line of thought do you think ethically you should pay for all the personal calls you failed to pay for, it works both ways. Just pay the bill, from what you say even when you pay up you still may have gained. As for them ringing up a firm where you applied to get another job, it happens all the time, thats life get used to it, you could never prove it.

Premier_2

gav_sw20 wrote: »

...inadvertadly over the past 4/5 weeks I have ran up a bill effectively on their accound and they are demanding payment from me !...

How did you "inadvertently" run up a bill knowing you were making calls via the company's account/SIM ?

Admitting that you did, why don't you think you should pay for those charges?

gav_sw20 wrote: »

...I personally thinks its a joke as (a)they should have taken the sim off me when I left ...

I think you should have handed back all the company's property when you left their employment :cool:

gav_sw20 wrote: »

... Where do I stand legally with the above ?

Potentially in deep do-do, but I'm sure you'll be able to smooth over the matter if you agree to repay the charges in full and hand back the company's property, or at least give an undertaking not to use it again inadvertently or otherwise.


Edit:

gav_sw20 wrote: »

...I've also found out the other day that 2 years ago when I applied for a role at another company my Director got wind of it and contacted this company and stopped them offering me the job !!!...

On what basis? Proving slander or libel will be difficult and expensive. And of course impossible if what he said about you was true.

slightlyconfused1

You left the company on 23 April and knowingly continued to use their phone account. You do not think you are ethically liable for these charges - why? You knew in the previous 4 years that you were liable for all personal calls yet don't think you should have to (and so far have refused to) pay. Legally I would imagine you are on extrmely dodgy ground. I would pay it as soon a possible and hope they don't try and take it further - I presume it is technically theft.

In light of the above it could be that your director told the truth ie that you do not pay for the personal phone calls that you make even though you are obliged to do so. Not a great reference and certainly enough to put prospective employers off.

Sandoval

Get your hand in your pocket and cough up the money for all the calls you made before the company takes it further!

Coming on here asking advice on how to weasel out of it!

People think they have no accountability for their own actions these days!

How things have changed! There was a time when decent folk could leave their front door open...

mountainofdebt

Personally I think your old company were more than generous in letting you keep the number (presumably to make it easier for you to arrange your social life) - I would have had your phone off you and left you to your own devices.

btw how the dickens did you run up a £200+ phone bill in 5 weeks ? Did you do any work in this time or were you on the phone all the time?

gordikin

Yet another troll...can't move on MSE for them recently!

SueC_2

I'd consult a sleep clinic if I were you - to 'inadvertently' run up £250 worth of calls must constitute a serious sleep talking problem!