2006 debt being chased-threat to remove windows from house

Randomjargon

Is this a joke. Pay for your windows...like normal people

antrobus

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

There was a story in the newspapers last week of a company that had actually done this. Was it you?....

No, because the householder in that case had actually paid for the windows.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2949242/Mother-returns-school-run-gaping-hole-extension-14-000-windows-stolen-fitters-row-payment.html

duck_egg_2

oswestryg wrote: »

In Dec 2006 I had 2 windows replaced in a house I was renovating and now live in; we wished for the other windows in the house to be replaced but although we chased and telephoned the company for 4 months we never received a bill for the first two windows or any communication from the company in question. So in April 2007 I appointed a new window company, who replaced the remaining windows and was paid



In January 2015 I received a letter, address incorrectly, name and house, from the original window company asking for the debt for the 2 windows they fitted in Dec 2006, a sum of around £670, saying if I did not pay in 7 days I would be taken to county court.


I replied, using a template saying I did not acknowledge the debt and it was statute barred etc.


I have just received another letter saying that as I do not acknowledge the debt they now plan to arrange a visit to remove the windows in the next 14 days, and claim that this is part of their condition of sale, a photocopied copy of which is enclosed with the letter. the treat on county court is no longer mentioned...



Questions

• Was I in my right to say the debt was statute barred? I had no communication written or verbal with them for 7 years +, between Dec 2006 and now.

• I never received an invoice or signed an agreement showing the “conditions of sale” or received any correspondence saying these could be viewed at etc..so can they now be enforced?

• • If so do they have the right to remove my windows?

• Can they enter or threaten to enter my property to remove the windows legally?

Thanks in advance

I doubt that they'll follow through with that threat, the windows are worthless after ten years. If they do, get yourself a nice new pair of windows for roughly the same price or maybe even cheaper these days.

I blame them for their incompetent admin, they don't deserve a penny after nine years and the bill should be written off.

Good luck!

poppasmurf_bewdley

antrobus wrote: »

No, because the householder in that case had actually paid for the windows.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2949242/Mother-returns-school-run-gaping-hole-extension-14-000-windows-stolen-fitters-row-payment.html

So they didn't take the windows then?

nottoolate

they did. installers had not actually been paid so was still their property.

poppasmurf_bewdley

nottoolate wrote: »

they did. installers had not actually been paid so was still their property.

So just like the OP's situation then. The installer hasn't been paid in his situation either. I appreciate that in the article's case, the householder was 'piggy in the middle'. The householder in that case was an innocent party, unlike the OP who is as guilty as hell.

redux

duck_egg wrote: »

I doubt that they'll follow through with that threat, the windows are worthless after ten years. If they do, get yourself a nice new pair of windows for roughly the same price or maybe even cheaper these days.

I blame them for their incompetent admin, they don't deserve a penny after nine years and the bill should be written off.

Good luck!

It's not incompetent all the way through.

They've written to the customer at least 3 times to ask for the money, including over a year ago as someone spotted, and possibly more if there are some details we still haven't been told.

It's not impossible for the customer to have been mistaken about which company it was, and thus ignoring correctly sent bills from some time ago.

This forum is about people trying to clear debts while struggling through hardship. There is no real hardship here, but something slightly more towards cynicism.

In some trades , even though they are in competition for work, they cooperate in exchanging knowledge about bad payers.

If you were a window supplier and fitter, and you were invited to quote to replace two completely absent windows on a house with no other apparent recent work done, what questions would you ask? Good luck!

FatVonD

I'm sure a patio door and a window will cost you a lot more than £670 to replace at today's prices.

They did the work, you were happy with it (since you wanted them to do further work) so just pay what you owe them.

duck_egg_2

redux wrote: »

It's not incompetent all the way through.

They've written to the customer at least 3 times to ask for the money, including over a year ago as someone spotted, and possibly more if there are some details we still haven't been told.

It's not impossible for the customer to have been mistaken about which company it was, and thus ignoring correctly sent bills from some time ago.

This forum is about people trying to clear debts while struggling through hardship. There is no real hardship here, but something slightly more towards cynicism.

In some trades , even though they are in competition for work, they cooperate in exchanging knowledge about bad payers.

If you were a window supplier and fitter, and you were invited to quote to replace two completely absent windows on a house with no other apparent recent work done, what questions would you ask? Good luck!

I'd ask for a deposit and cash on completion.

It's not as if the OP didn't try to pay.

"we chased and telephoned the company for 4 months we never received a bill for the first two windows or any communication from the company in question"

It's the company's own fault, they shouldn't be harassing anyone after such a long time lapse and write it off as their bad.

redux

duck_egg wrote: »

I'd ask for a deposit and cash on completion.

It's not as if the OP didn't try to pay.

"we chased and telephoned the company for 4 months we never received a bill for the first two windows or any communication from the company in question"

It's the company's own fault, they shouldn't be harassing anyone after such a long time lapse and write it off as their bad.

I don't think the OP has been entirely accurate in what we've told so far on this thread.

• Was I in my right to say the debt was statute barred? I had no communication written or verbal with them for 7 years +, between Dec 2006 and now.

The OP posted a previous thread on the same subject, about a letter in November 2013, and included this comment:

oswestryg wrote: »

the question i have is after 7 years, is the debt/bill still valid, legally do i have to pay it?

If i did not pay it could he legal pursue me?

I'm also self employed and accept that he completed the work so am willing to make an offer, but want to understand the situation before doing so

Willing to make an offer?

Either this representation of willingness to pay was untrue, or an offer was made but then the process petered out, which constitutes communication and acknowledgement of the debt.

Perhaps there have been other so far unmentioned episodes in this saga ...

Your comment it's not as if the OP didn't try to pay is not at all applicable to this person's behaviour in and following November 2013.

Maybe this person is not likely to gain any sense of conscience from reading any replies here, but we can hope.