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Wescott chasing me for £250 O2 phone bill?
treefiddy350
Posts: 9 Forumite
7 months ago O2 sent me a phone bill of around £220 however as it was unusually high I ignored it as I assumed it was a mistake. They have chased me a few times and disconnected me so I switched network providers.
They passed the debt to Wescott around 5 months ago who have sent me a few letters and called me, however I raised a dispute twice saying it was a mistake on O2's part, which delayed it another few months.
I recently recieved a letter from Wescott saying they checked with O2 and confirmed the bill is correct, so the dispute is now closed and I should pay Wescott. (they added around £20 to what O2 originally tried to charge me).
I'm not just willing to pay the amount (around £250) because they say it's correct. How do I get out of this situation?
They passed the debt to Wescott around 5 months ago who have sent me a few letters and called me, however I raised a dispute twice saying it was a mistake on O2's part, which delayed it another few months.
I recently recieved a letter from Wescott saying they checked with O2 and confirmed the bill is correct, so the dispute is now closed and I should pay Wescott. (they added around £20 to what O2 originally tried to charge me).
I'm not just willing to pay the amount (around £250) because they say it's correct. How do I get out of this situation?
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Comments
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Hi,
Make 02 (via Wescott) a full and final offer settlement for the amount you believe you should of originally been charged by 02.
Wescott are only acting for 02, so will have to await instruction from there client.
Puts the matter to bed in the easiest way possible, or you could ignore it, and it may get lost in the mists of time, or you could end up with a county court claim, no way to be sure.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter0 -
In future dispute the bill if you believe it to be too high or get a sim with a cap on it.0
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Hi
If you still want to dispute the bill you can escalate your complaint to the Communication section of Ombudsman Services.
www.ombudsman-services.org/communications.html
James
@natdebtlineWe work as money advisers for National Debtline and have specific permission from MSE to post to try to help those in debt. Read more information on National Debtline in MSE's Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help guide. If you find you're struggling with debt and need further help try our online advice tool My Money Steps0 -
Why haven't you directly queried the bill with O2 yourself?0
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My thoughts exactly, I'd query/check if mine was £0.5 higher than expected let alone a couple of hundred pounds higher. The bill break down will always show where the extra charges come from. Why do people ignore things like this?AnotherJoe wrote: »Why haven't you directly queried the bill with O2 yourself?Paid off the last of my unsecured debts in 2016. Then saved up and bought a property. Current aim is to pay off my mortgage as early as possible. Currently over paying every month. Mortgage due to be paid off in 2036 hoping to get it paid off much earlier. Set up my own bespoke spreadsheet to manage my money.0 -
My thoughts exactly, I'd query/check if mine was £0.5 higher than expected let alone a couple of hundred pounds higher. The bill break down will always show where the extra charges come from. Why do people ignore things like this?AnotherJoe wrote: »Why haven't you directly queried the bill with O2 yourself?
I did check at the time. It was a bunch of numbers I didn't recognize. and a LOT of them were charges of less than £10 -
AnotherJoe wrote: »Why haven't you directly queried the bill with O2 yourself?
when I did they did an investigation into it and said it was correct. however im not convinced as its 10x higher than my normal bill0 -
sourcrates wrote: »Hi,
Make 02 (via Wescott) a full and final offer settlement for the amount you believe you should of originally been charged by 02.
Wescott are only acting for 02, so will have to await instruction from there client.
Puts the matter to bed in the easiest way possible, or you could ignore it, and it may get lost in the mists of time, or you could end up with a county court claim, no way to be sure.
dont they have to first prove it is me who owes the bill, so im not obliged to pay unless they prove that first? and also give me a complete breakdown of the bill?0 -
treefiddy350 wrote: »dont they have to first prove it is me who owes the bill, so im not obliged to pay unless they prove that first? and also give me a complete breakdown of the bill?
O2 have already told you that you owe the money. You say they haven't given you a complete breakdown of the bill and then you say that there was a bunch of numbers you didn't recognise for less than £1 - so it sounds to me like you have seen the itemisation. You really should have queried it more at the time.
It is highly unlikely that it is some kind of error, those calls (or whatever they were), will have been made from your SIM, therefore you are liable.
If you really think you have a good reason not to pay, you need to write to O2 and dispute it properly, possibly taking it to Ofcom.
I am not sure why you would think if you would ignore it, it would just go away?0 -
Anoneemoose wrote: »O2 have already told you that you owe the money. You say they haven't given you a complete breakdown of the bill and then you say that there was a bunch of numbers you didn't recognise for less than £1 - so it sounds to me like you have seen the itemisation. You really should have queried it more at the time.
It is highly unlikely that it is some kind of error, those calls (or whatever they were), will have been made from your SIM, therefore you are liable.
If you really think you have a good reason not to pay, you need to write to O2 and dispute it properly, possibly taking it to Ofcom.
I am not sure why you would think if you would ignore it, it would just go away?
it's not always the case, mistakes happen it billing systems.0
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