Is this fair? Confused and Worried!

Vonsaur

First off I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place, I'm new to forums and wasn't sure where to put it.

I have a problem with Vodafone, which I have tried to solve with them but I'm getting no where so I decided to turn to here for help and advice. This is going to be incredibly long, trying to give as much detail as possible (sorry!)

It started last year around end of October/early September 2014, money was tight and I got slightly behind on my phone bill, £68 something pence. Which I didn't dispute, I contacted Vodafone and asked to set up a payment, the lady was very helpful and took my card details and set the payment to come out on 28/09/2014. Happy with this I thanked her and ended the chat. A few days later I was being plagued by a debt collection agency called Ardent Credit.

It started with a few texts, then it was emails and then phone calls. I tried to reply and explain I'd already solved this with Vodafone themselves, but something about the messages made me suspicious. Looking them up online didn't bring any comfort so I contacted Vodafone themselves. I spoke to 3 different customer service reps through the online chat, the first 2 didn't really seem to understand me and vaguely said they'd never heard of Ardent Credit and told me to ignore their future contact. I spoke to a 3rd who then gave me a list of all debt companies who work with Vodafone, Ardent was not on the list.

I then emailed Ardent back and explained this all to them, they stopped contacting me after that. On the morning of 28/09/2014 I checked my bank account and noticed the money hadn't been lifted, I contacted Vodafone again who told me they would be lifting it later in the day. I made myself literally broke to make sure the money was in my account, I was worried another bill may come out of my account meantime but I left it at that. I checked my bank the next day, they still hadn't taken the money. I contacted them yet again and was told there was no payment to be taken off me on the 28/09/2014 and that there wasn't any card details linked to my account. So in other wards my card details were lost?! She asked me to give her them again there and then, I refused, still dubious and worried about what happened to them the first time.

I left the entire situation for about a week until my nerves and anger had settled with them and again recontacted them. The bill was now £80 something as it had added another month on, I grew frustrated by the way the customer services reps spoke to me in almost pre-set responses nothing to do with my situation so asked if I could cancel my contract. I was passed on to someone who deals with cancellations, where they told me it would cost £200 odd to cancel it. I said that was fair enough but I couldn't afford that out right, I couldn't even afford the current £80 outright, so could I pay it up. I got a no in response.

Some time passed and they cancelled the contract themselves, finally. The bill stands at £355.59 which I again can't afford outright and I've tried saving but that to put it simply would take forever on my limited income. I had a loss in the family at the end of 2014 just before Christmas so I hadn't done much about it until recently, not that I was receiving much communication from Vodafone anyway. I contacted them the other day to ask if I could set up a payment plan to start paying the bill off, I was given a number to call, I tried explaining that I no longer have the sim or a house phone to use to call at present, I asked if there was another way to contact them, apparently not. Of course I've learnt to not accept what the first person from Vodafone customer service says so I ended that chat and started another, again I was only given a number.

I've since received a letter from Debt and Revenue Services and a notice of them coming round to my house. I noticed the email at the bottom of the letter was the exact same as Ardent Credit's as was the website. So here I am again contacting Vodafone trying to find out if these people are real and getting no where fast. I made an extra effort to get a new sim for my mobile, a cost I could of done without, so I could call the number. I spent just under 5 hours trying to solve the problem with Vodafone yesterday.

Starting with explaining the situation and asking a rep for the number, then forwarded through 2 people on the phone and waiting in a queue for 1 hour 40 minutes, to be hung up on. I recontacted the reps through the chat, they were very apologetic and I was given a different number, got straight through, was told to go to the Vodafone website to make payments. I then received a call from Vodafone and explained everything and she told me there was nothing she could do my case had been forwarded to a debt agency, and she gave me the number of the agency, which is different to the one on the letters I've received. At my wits end I opened a new chat to ask if these people were in fact working with Vodafone, I explained I'd been told they weren't, I also said they had the same details as Ardent. He said they were working with Vodafone and I should deal with them from now on.

I have since tried to make a complaint with Vodafone, who claim I was sent a letter saying I was being forwarded to a debt collector (I wasn't) and essentially got no where. I now owe a company who I'm still not sure about £408.93, including their commission, I never asked for my details to be passed on so I'm not sure why I have to pay to hire them.

Basically what I'm wanting to know is, is this fair for them to do that to me and is there anywhere I could officially report this or put a complaint in that will actually be noted. This is the first time I've ever been in debt and I'm not exactly sure what's right and what isn't. I am completely willing to pay what I owe but I feel like I've been pushed around and given more to pay unfairly.

I'm really sorry this was long and thank you so much for reading it,
Siobhan

hollydays

Surely by asking to cancel you incurred a £200 fee you could not afford to pay?

wealdroam

Vonsaur wrote: »

I now owe a company who I'm still not sure about £408.93, including their commission, I never asked for my details to be passed on so I'm not sure why I have to pay to hire them.

Pretty sure you agreed to them forwarding your details to debt recovery firms when you took out your contract with Vodafone.

You have to pay to hire the debt collectors because you have not paid your debt to Vodafone.

DoaM

I don't see any mention of a court order. Did they get one?

I also don't see any mention of the debt being assigned to the debt collector. Has it been? (If not then the debt isn't even theirs to collect - you are not liable for whatever fees they add unless they are the principal for the debt and they already have a warrant of execution).

Without a warrant of execution (or whatever it is called) the debt collectors cannot enter your property, nor can they seize any goods. Which means it is unlikely they'll come to your property. All they can do is send you scary letters.

Vonsaur

DoaM wrote: »

I don't see any mention of a court order. Did they get one?

I also don't see any mention of the debt being assigned to the debt collector. Has it been? (If not then the debt isn't even theirs to collect - you are not liable for whatever fees they add unless they are the principal for the debt and they already have a warrant of execution).

Without a warrant of execution (or whatever it is called) the debt collectors cannot enter your property, nor can they seize any goods. Which means it is unlikely they'll come to your property. All they can do is send you scary letters.

I never had any mention of a court order from Vodafone. They said they sent me a letter saying I was forwarded to a debt collector after I tried to complain, I never got any letter. The account has been forwarded to a debt collector, I'm just not sure who. The first 3 people told me the company was fake, the 4th yesterday said it was legit. I'm really not sure what to believe.

So I'm aware they have to hire a debt collector if the debt is unpaid, it's the not allowing me to pay and tellingme the debt collector isn't real when it is, is my problem.

Vonsaur

hollydays wrote: »

Surely by asking to cancel you incurred a £200 fee you could not afford to pay?

Yeah, which is why I had asked if it was possible to pay that up but they said no, so I never went through with cancelling it.

Vonsaur

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware I owe the money, I'm not disputing that at all and I will pay it, my problem is the being messed around and them not allowing me to pay it up with them. I would of paid bit by bit off my online account but I haven't been able to access it since the phone was cut off, I'm assuming the online account was as well.

tomtontom

Ardent are legitimate, and they do work with Vodafone. DRS are part of Ardent. Have you spoken to them?

DoaM

If they're merely a debt collector (and not acting as a bailiff or high court enforcement, with such authority) then I'm not sure I'd legitimise them with any contact other than "Specific amount of debt denied, please return this to your client".

SuperHan

Vonsaur wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware I owe the money, I'm not disputing that at all and I will pay it, my problem is the being messed around and them not allowing me to pay it up with them. I would of paid bit by bit off my online account but I haven't been able to access it since the phone was cut off, I'm assuming the online account was as well.

Sorry, where have they not let you 'pay it up'?

Did you make the £80 payment? And what about the monthly payments after that?

They do let you do the equivalent of paying the cancellation charge monthly - if you take the SIM out of the phone and carry on paying the monthly charge.

Other than some seemingly misinformed call centre staff, Voda haven't done much wrong. They have now told you the debt is with the debt collectors and there's been nothing stopping you paying them between then and now. I think you just need to pay it off ASAP.

Vodafone

Hi Vonsaur,

If you still need help with this, email me with your details via the link in our profile here.

All you need to do is copy and paste the link into your web browser and it'll take you to the Contact us form on our website. To make sure it reaches me, quote the code WRT135 - MSE in the subject line.

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post back with this and I’ll check I've received it.

Kind regards,

Lee

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