Bt want me to pay for bills after I moved out of that address

zickzackduck

Hello, this is my first post here, even though I've used a lot of advice from this wise community, but now I have a dilemma and would love to get some help from you clever people.

In the last few weeks I have started to get texts, emails and letters from a company called SRJ telling me that I owed them money. They didn't say how much money or who they were working for and I couldn't think of any company I owed money to, so after searching this forum I found a poster who was also being hassled by SRJ and didn't know why. He was told to ignore it and that's what I've been doing.

Today, however, I've received a letter that tells me the full story, SRJ are working for BT. In May of 2011 my friends and I all left a flat and I went traveling for four months. My friend was emailing me, telling me he was having a hard time closing the accounts from all the various companies because I wasn't around and a lot of them were in mine or both our names. He said he talked to them and told them he was just going to close the bank account we shared, and apparently the companies said that would be fine. And it was fine, until now it seems as BT say I owe them money for the months we haven't been living there and haven't been using their services.

So in a nutshell, I moved out of a place, thought all accounts to do with the place had been cancelled, now I'm getting threatened by BT for bills for months after we moved out.

What do I do?

DCFC79

Well you should agree with bt to repay whats owed whether its so much a month or 1 payment. As well as closing the ccount you should have cancelled at the BT end eg give so many weeks notice to cancel the service.

mattyprice4004

If it's in your name and you did use the service, you owe them money.

It's not their fault you moved out.

arcon5

Make a full and final settlement offer, they'll probably take it just to close the account.

unholyangel

Were you under contract with them? If you were in a legally binding contract with them for a minimum term, the money is likely owed.

If you were not under contract with them, informed them you wish to cancel etc then you may be able to dispute the debt. But remember, cancelling payment and cancelling a contract are not the same.

timbstoke

Sounds to me like you moved out of a house without bothering to close your accounts, or even tell BT that you wanted to, and as such they kept the account open. You now need to pay them what you owe them. Consider it a life lesson for the future.

It's probably also not a bad idea to tell them to cancel the service, unless you want to do the same again in another 6 months.

shaun_from_Africa

My friend was emailing me, telling me he was having a hard time closing the accounts from all the various companies

I'm not really surprised considering that:

I wasn't around and a lot of them were in mine or both our names

I doubt if any sensible company would allow someone to close an account that wasn't in their name as this could lead to all sorts of problems.
If this was allowed, just about anyone could make a simple phone call and get someone elses phone, internet, electricity etc disconnected.

I would also take what your friend stated with a pinch (or two) of salt.

he talked to them and told them he was just going to close the bank account we shared, and apparently the companies said that would be fine.

Simply removing the method of payment doen't generally cancel any contract and the business supplying the service would probably still need instruction from the account holder that they require the service terminating.

fluffnutter

Sorry to be unsympathetic but why did you think it was OK to go off travelling for four months whilst you still (knowingly) had open and unsettled accounts in your name? As part of planning your trip did you not think it was a good idea to sort out your admin before you went? A lesson learnt I'm afraid. BT might be sympathetic I guess, but if the bill's in your name (singly or jointly) you owe them the money.

zickzackduck

Thanks for the replies from everyone. I think I've learnt how much much of a total idiot hole I was and I'll call them up tomorrow and pay them the money, making sure the account is closed for good. Life lesson definitely learnt!