Mobile Phone contract

groovyboothy87

Hello


I know this is a foolish mistake I have made but I took a mobile phone out in my name for my ex partner. This wasn't the first contract all was well with that one but now we have split up he hasn't been paying me for it. There is around 18 months still on the contract.
I agreed to would cover the initial couple of payments while he got sorted but now 4 months down the line he still hasn't sorted himself out at all and I'm still stuck with the bill which I understand is my responsibility (Learn from my mistakes!)


He has now confessed he sold the handset 3 months ago so I cant even take that back to re-coop majority of my losses by selling it. The handset is insured but can I report it to them as stolen/lost and claim or would this count as my own fault for allowing him to leave the house with it anyway, not that I thought about it at the time. I just don't think he is aloud to sell property in my name.


Any advice would be appreciated

grumbler

A phone isn't a 'property' registered on any 'name', and in this case it can be viewed as a gift unless you can prove otherwise.

You are at mercy of the network and have to pay.
Some networks give up to 1/6 discount if you terminate the contract early and pay the lump sum (ETF).

SnowTiger

groovyboothy87 wrote: »

I know this is a foolish mistake I have made but I took a mobile phone out in my name for my ex partner.

[...]

He has now confessed he sold the handset 3 months ago so I cant even take that back to re-coop majority of my losses by selling it. The handset is insured but can I report it to them as stolen/lost and claim...

I don't think the phone has been lost or stolen.

An insurer would probably ask about the circumstances of the loss or thief.

I doubt they'd pay out if you said you'd given the phone to someone who sold it.

diamonds

The phone belongs to the account holder unless proven otherwise, cancelling the handset may incur him refund costs to that partu that make him more unlikely to pay anything to you between cost and ongoing bills and resentment.


Get a third party to discuss payments, one of his relatives for example...neutral to you.


You may have to pay it off monthly and learn from experience, you could cancel the sim and get a re-issue and use it yourself or a family/friend to completion or anyone credit worthy to transfer it to their name for the remaining minimum term.


If it resorts to such, considering changing the number or get a PAC and port a number to the account to keep the account going without his current number, even buy a payg sim and port number accross which will be cheaper than the telco changing number where they intend to charge for a number change.

diamonds

SnowTiger wrote: »

I don't think the phone has been lost or stolen.

An insurer would probably ask about the circumstances of the loss or thief.

I doubt they'd pay out if you said you'd given the phone to someone who sold it.

Legally gifted and use of are two different situations, withholding anything when borrowed from the legal owner is still theft. Dont expect the Police to volunteer that info though, because you going civil recovery saves them time and paperwork, at the cost of clogging up the civil courts system (that classic gov dept passing the buck to another gov dept).

Theft is a criminal offence, it may take a solicitor to enforce such charges via a letter to the local constabulary depending on individual officers or police constabulary, enforcement, training and individual constable attitude are everything.


http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60