Company wasn't taking the direct debit

Shropshireguy

This may not be the correct place, but i was just wondering collectively what the views were on the following ....

I had a Satellite broadband subscription, £90 a month (was an unlimited data plan etc) and had it since 2013, just over a year ago the company changed ownership and name etc, which wasn't any concern or problem, but at that time my monthly direct debit stopped for whatever reason (without my knowledge, ie something must have happened during the changeover)

Anyway, in January i left the company, i gave them a call and gave my months notice, no problems at all, they cancelled the service, everything all as it should have been, but a few months later i get a letter from a collection agency saying i owe them around £1300!

I spoke with them to find out why when i had cancelled it, and equipment had been collected by them so it couldn't have been for that, and they told me that it was the direct debit that had stopped over a year previous to me cancelling the service!

Now firstly, i have checked old statements and they are correct, the money has not been going out of the bank, so i know know that i do owe that money, but they are just dealing with it through a collection agency and demanding the money and threatening court etc

My question is, have the done anything wrong that i can pull them up on, not to get out of paying, but to get the collection company to stop calling and sending letters and allow time to pay etc

To have the direct debit stop, and as a company not saying anything to me about it seems like a ridiculous thing to do, not one phone call or letter in all of that time. They continued to send the invoice each month which only had that months charge on it and didn't mention arrears, and even when giving my notice and stopping my service nobody mentioned anything about a final balance being due etc, even after i left, it wasn't them who contacted me, the first thing i knew about it was a collection agency letter

I know plenty of people will say that i should be looking through the bank statements to see what is going out etc, but when you look through the statements you look for charges that shouldn't be on there, not ones that are missing, with so many things going out you don't really think that something won't be taken, and even if you did, you would expect a letter, call, or even cutting the services until you paid.

Is there anything that they can be pulled up on when i am negotiating the payment plan to stop them from trying to demand it all?

[Deleted User]

If you’ve not been paying them then you’ll have the money spare.

Pay it and move on.

Shropshireguy

Great response, thank you for the help

Actually the money isn't spare, because when you have money left in the bank it tends to get spent on other things.

I am new to this site though, i guess with over 5000 posts that explains why you are such a money saving expert and have lots of spare money, hopefully i will achieve your level of wisdom and riches soon

Blackpool_Saver

I can never understand these types of posts, how can you not know if money is being taken from your bank? Do you not go online and check your DD/SO list and look at your ins and outs on your statements?

Shropshireguy

Did you read the post???

The direct debit was set up in 2013, it had been going out every single month since then, up to mid 2017 when the company cancelled it, without a letter or phone call or anything to say so

Money was NOT going out, hence the money owed, i didn't feel a need to sit there each month checking that the company who had been taking the direct debit for 3 years might have suddenly stopped taking it for some reason

I thought this forum might be useful, guess i was wrong

Blackpool_Saver

Shropshireguy wrote: »

Did you read the post???

The direct debit was set up in 2013, it had been going out every single month since then, up to mid 2017 when the company cancelled it, without a letter or phone call or anything to say so

Money was NOT going out, hence the money owed, i didn't feel a need to sit there each month checking that the company who had been taking the direct debit for 3 years might have suddenly stopped taking it for some reason

I thought this forum might be useful, guess i was wrong

I read every word. It is your responsibility to make sure you pay your bills. You should be keeping an eye on your SO and DD actions.
If you go online you will see them in a list, most online banks also show the last time they were taken. I know you are angry but please don't take it out on me.

Blackpool_Saver

Shropshireguy wrote: »

i didn't feel a need to sit there each month

Each month? I check my bank online every day!!!!!!

Shropshireguy

Sadly i am too busy to be sitting there with a list of payments and checking the bank, when i do check i get chance to go through and make sure there is nothing going out that shouldn't be, as i say, it's not really like i should be expecting someone not to be taking money without them telling me they aren't getting paid, i know i wouldn't be supplying a service to someone without them paying, and certainly wouldn't be letting them leave as a customer without paying a final balance

DCFC79

Shropshireguy wrote: »

Sadly i am too busy to be sitting there with a list of payments and checking the bank, when i do check i get chance to go through and make sure there is nothing going out that shouldn't be, as i say, it's not really like i should be expecting someone not to be taking money without them telling me they aren't getting paid, i know i wouldn't be supplying a service to someone without them paying, and certainly wouldn't be letting them leave as a customer without paying a final balance

It doesn't take long to check off each receipt.
Obviously it depends on what goes out of your account but could take say 10 minutes.

DCFC79

Shropshireguy wrote: »

Did you read the post???

The direct debit was set up in 2013, it had been going out every single month since then, up to mid 2017 when the company cancelled it, without a letter or phone call or anything to say so

Money was NOT going out, hence the money owed, i didn't feel a need to sit there each month checking that the company who had been taking the direct debit for 3 years might have suddenly stopped taking it for some reason

I thought this forum might be useful, guess i was wrong

It is a great site and the forums contain a wealth of knowledge too.

[Deleted User]

If the money was spare would you not have thought “where’s all this extra money stacking up from” and checked?

Get it paid and be done with it.