T mobile debt collecting problem

Mobile_hell

12 years ago my son lost his new mobile, I had to pay the contract for the following 2 years, without even being able to use the minutes etc. close to the end of contract I spoke to a lady at T mobile who suggested I get a settlement figure to end the contract, which I did, paying over a £100 there and then. I asked for a letter confirming it was completed and she said T mobile don't send letters and next bill would show the zero balance.
The following month the bill came in, zero as expected, a few months later I got a letter asking for £43.20 as 'I hadn't given a months notice to cancel my contract when I paid the settlement figure!'
I refused to pay it as a settlement figure is a settlement, since then I have been hounded by various companies that the alleged debt has been passed to, for ten years, over and over I have explained what happened, but that is ignored, many times the companies have sent copies of invoices which say, zero balance, followed by another saying I still owe £43.20, I am sick to death of it, but I will not give in , I had a settlement figure and paid it, should have been end of. What can I do to get them to leave me alone?

[Deleted User]

Try the Consumer Rights board, there's maybe better advice on there:-

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=173

eDicky

Mobile_hell wrote: »

1for ten years, over and over I have explained what happened,

This was a mistake, entering into communication with them. If you ignore and keep quiet it expires (I forget the exact term) after six (?) years, but every time you communicate the clock resets. Cease now.

molerat

eDicky wrote: »

This was a mistake, entering into communication with them. If you ignore and keep quiet it expires (I forget the exact term) after six (?) years, but every time you communicate the clock resets. Cease now.

Total rubbish. Entering into conversation does not reset the clock.

[Deleted User]

molerat wrote: »

Total rubbish. Entering into conversation does not reset the clock.

No it doesn't, which is why I recommended the Consumer board for better advice

Edit: the OP has started a new thread over there so they could lock this one unless only Mods can do that?

eDicky

molerat wrote: »

Total rubbish. Entering into conversation does not reset the clock.

You're right, sorry for the garbage. As long as never acknowledged or collected, a debt is statute barred after six years has elapsed.

Mobile_hell

How can I find out more about the rule on six years, I have always told whichever company they sold it on to that I didn't owe anything because I had paid the settlement, so would that be covered? When they ask me to confirm that I had a contract with T mobile, can that be twisted to some sort of admission of owing the extra money they ask for?

mobilejunkie

I think the talking with them is a total red herring. If they have registered the debt it'll be on there for six years unless they remove it. If they say you owe the money, it would have been on there - and it was been from what is described.

Sounds like when you checked what you thought was the final bill you didn't check it carefully enough. Bills show the period charged for (even if £0) so unless it was for a shorter period or stated it was a final bill it probably just showed an advance payment for that month. Difficult to know without seeing it.

Sounds like either they took an advance payment without ending the contract, or miscalculated the settlement cost, or your son had use which exceeded any pro-rata allowance in the final period. In any case, ignore the letters; the six years have long gone and in any case any previous entries on the credit fils (now long expired) would be on his, not yours.

Mobile_hell

Couple of points, the settlement figure was offered by T mobile over the phone, the discussion went along the lines of " I have paid for this contract for 20 months without a single phonecall or bit of use, " the lady suggested I asked for a settlement figure, I asked her for one/she spoke to her manager and offered a final settlement figure, I paid it there and then over the phone. I asked for a completion letter, she said they don't do that and my final statement/ bill would reflect the final payment having been paid. I received a final bill for zero. Six months went by and out of the blue I received another statement, I immediately phoned them, they said I hadn't given a months notice before settling the account and they wanted a final months payment plus extra for sending the bill. I honestly was told that the settlement figure I paid was the end of two years of paying out for nothing. I have explained the situation to Red, to Lowell, to Fredricksen to Cap quest and several move, for about 10 years. Last I heard was four years and ten months ago, then suddenly phonecalls and texts started coming again I won't give them my address because then I would be getting letters every day again.

eDicky

Probably the best thing is to simply tell them that you have never acknowledged this debt and it is now statute barred for some years already, so you will not be entering into any further correspondence or discussion about it. Until they realise that you know this, they are likely to keep trying it on.