Excessive bill from talk talk.

Justaquery

Excessive bill from talk talk.

A few months ago I changed my address which meant I no longer needed my previous internet provider as my new shared property already had access. As I left my property a similar time to the end of my contract I choose not to renew the service. I have since received correspondence from a debt collection agency over an unpaid bill I was not even aware of. As a student this bill is rather a difficult strain on my income. Talk talk made no attempt to contact me over this until the debt collection agency became involved and are refusing to remove the charge. Has anyone had a similar situation to this and what are my options?

TadleyBaggie

So did you actually cancel the broadband with Talk Talk? Or did you just assume moving would automatically cancel it?

JJ_Egan

You moved .
You did not cancel your contract or may have been in contract for x months more .
The supplier may have tried to contact you but you moved .
Now the supplier wants you to honour and pay the contract .

Is that the top and bottom of it ???

macman

Oh dear. Your contract did not come to an end, only your minimum term did. The contract then continues until such time as you give 30 days notice. If you haven't done this then you remain in contract and the debt will continue to build.
If this is the case then your only option is to settle the debt. Unfortunately now it has already gone to a DCA it is likely that your credit record is already trashed, and clearing the debt will not remove that default.
PS: the same principle applies to your mobile: the contract does not end after 12m or 24m.

Justaquery

JJ_Egan wrote: »

You moved .
You did not cancel your contract or may have been in contract for x months more .
The supplier may have tried to contact you but you moved .
Now the supplier wants you to honour and pay the contract .

Is that the top and bottom of it ???

No as the 12 month contract had ended. Why should I pay for a service I couldn't receive? It's clearly a case of the customer being misled. What I'm asking for is a suggestion on the best route to solve this problem as I can ill-afford it.

littleboo

As has been previously mentioned, the contract is a minimum term, not a fixed length. The service continues when the minimum term ends unless you cancel. So if you left the property without notifying the provider, they will continue to supply the service and to charge you for it. Did you contact TT to cancel the service ?

JJ_Egan

Justaquery wrote: »

No as the 12 month contract had ended. Why should I pay for a service I couldn't receive? It's clearly a case of the customer being misled. What I'm asking for is a suggestion on the best route to solve this problem as I can ill-afford it.

Nope we are all reading this as you failing to cancel a valid contract . Its a clear case of your error and now trying to wriggle out of your obligations no question of being mislead at all .

macman

You could have received the service-you chose not to by moving out. As already pointed out in every reply, no mobile, landline or broadband contract is a fixed term. It doesn't just 'end' and the service gets cut off after 12 months. That term is simply a minimum, before which if you leave you will have to pay an early termination charge. Nothing misleading at all about it.
There is no way to reduce the debt at this late stage-how long ago did you leave the property?
I would be more concerned about your trashed credit record than the amount of the bill, should you hope to get any credit in the next 6 years.