demanding money after 3 years

shepherd123

i used to advertise with the yellow pages
they recentally contacted me saying we forgot to take a payment 3 1/2 years ago , were sorry but can you pay it now
normally i would just pay but 3 1/2 years is a long time and if they forgot to take the payment i think with the amount of time passing i shouldn't have to pay now

can anyone tell me where i stand legally , thanks

vuvuzela

shepherd123 wrote: »

i used to advertise with the yellow pages
they recentally contacted me saying we forgot to take a payment 3 1/2 years ago , were sorry but can you pay it now
normally i would just pay but 3 1/2 years is a long time and if they forgot to take the payment i think with the amount of time passing i shouldn't have to pay now

can anyone tell me where i stand legally , thanks

Legally, they probably have up to 6 years to get payment from you. After all, you used the service / product / whatever, so you should pay for it.

I think it's a particularly pathetic attitude to take, and if you're simply here to get advice on how to avoid paying, you'd better think again

zzzLazyDaisy

They have 6 years to pursue a debt.

The question is, are you satisfied that you owe the money. If not, ask for a copy of the invoice and check your bank/credit card statements to see if you did in fact pay the bill (you may be able to do this over the phone on telephone banking).

If you do owe the money, then yes, you should pay the bill.

Abbafan1972

If you know you owe the money, then why can't you just pay it?

maninthestreet

You've had 3.5 years interest-free credit, so pay them if you really do owe them this money.

tinkerbell28

They have 6 years to pursue the debt.

bod1467

As others have said, you need to pay. (Assuming you can't prove that you haven't already paid). But if they've added interest/fees for non-payment then tell them to sling their hook - you're only paying what was the contracted amount.

fozmcfc

If it's a large amount and you need too, you should also ask to pay it over a reasonable amount of time in installments.

bod1467

OP says it is "over £400", whatever that actually means. At a guess I'd say it was £23 per month x 18 months = £414. Only the OP can say whether that is a large amount to pay in one go, but I accept your point - negligence by the supplier should not cause undue hardship on the consumer when recovering a debt.

arcon5

Others are technically right, but I'd make them jump through hoops. They are by far a reputable company as far as their sales arm are concerned!!

Have them proof the debt, send account statements, dispute it and then barter like hell in F&FS (get it in writing).