Worth asking o2 for compo???

stojio

Hi people, here is my situation.

o2, who I have been with for a long time, have sold a debt to a debt collection agency. I allowed my address to be used as a forwarding address for a phone bill for somebody, and now this debt collection agency are claiming I am due them nearly £500.
The debt is not mine and I managed to clear up the situation (o2 fraud team are investigating and have told me that I am definately not responsible for the money because the credit checks in the account were not in my name and there was never any legal transfer of ownership (which i knew).
so why did they go ahead and sell the debt to a debt collection agency under my name?

should i write a letter telling them i feel i am entitled to compensation for the distress and worry they have caused? i wouldn't mind some free stuff!

Matt_Nixon

I would have thought that allowing your address to be used as a forwarding address would rule you out of any compensation.

Tedrick_2

And as you are aware, as are O2 that this debt is not yours, there is no justification to offer any 'goodwill' gestures.

stojio

i was thinking it might be worth asking just for the "distress" it caused, what with getting a letter from a debt collection agency and being threatened with court action, because o2 used my details on someone elses account. originally, o2 said it WAS my debt, and that i had to pay - until i *repeatedly* requested them to check properly. it was only then that they realised it wasn't mine at all. if it had happened to somebody else, they might have been intimidated into paying (the debt collection folks were definately using scare tactics.)

my point is that i never made any agreement with o2 regarding this contract whatsoever, and they only agreement i had to be a forwarding address was with the person who owned the phone - never officially with o2. how can the debt suddenly become mine, with all my details attached to it??

anyway, thanks for your advice. anybody else had any similar experiences??
and do you think it would harm my future chances of haggling down the price of a contract with them if i sent them a letter?

stojio

b-b-b-b-b-bump it up

jnm21

Well, when I had a genie contract, they failed to cancel it, billed me for time it wasn't due to be connected, left voice mails on the sim saying it would be cut off if I didn't pay (DOH!), refused to speak to me & sold it to a debt collection agency (Moorecroft) when I canceled the DD. I had paid the amount owed (for calls made & reasonable line rental), but paid MC to save my credit record - it was only when I mentioned Oftel that o2 (higher complaints) suddenly wanted to talk to me (they refunded the money I paid MC pronto). MC were a right pack of knuckle draggers - basically if o2 say you owe them money, they'll harass you until you prove otherwise.

Previously when I cancelled a pair of contract sims & took £10 P&G sims, cellnet credited both payments (£20) to one & started sending me red letters on the other.

GeoThermal

I would think this is a misuse of your personal information under the Data Protection Act.

stojio

Thanks people, it's much appreciated - GeoThermal, i would also have thought that was the case, so thanks for backing me up there. it's my intention to fire a letter of complaint off to the head honcho as soon as they get back to me with the "fraud report". while i may not have any legal entitlement to compo, i definately think it's worth asking.

cheers!