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Company asking me to pay more than agreed

12357

Comments

  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Posts: 15,876 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper

    However they first said that I owed £358.80 and when I disputed this they said that I actually owe £450!


    From the total price and the payments already made it should be £358.80 that is still due to be paid
    you need to ask them where the extra £91.20 is from and see if they will write this figure off if you pay the outstanding balance for the goods...especially if you have paid by the schedule and they had the incorrect figures
  • comeandgo
    comeandgo Posts: 5,930 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    So that does explain your comment on their maths calculations.  You knew all along you had underpaid.  It was a mistake and you are due them the balance.
  • Okell
    Okell Posts: 3,135 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 15 January at 11:57PM
    I think the correct posiition is that the OP still owes £358.80 and not £450.  The trader's maths is at fault again.  [Edit:  But see edit at foot of this comment]

    This all seems to have happened because the trader miscalculated what 10% of the total price was in the first place.

    The total price was £4038.  For some reason the trader seems to have done some back-calculation to arrive at the first 10% payment.  (I'm not quite sure how they've done it but...)

    Instead of correctly calculating 10% as £403.80 the trader seems to have wrongly deducted the first payment of £358.80 from the total of £4038, and has then proceeded to calculate 10% based on the reduced total after the first payment has been taken off

    So each time the OP thought they had been making a payment of 10% (or multiples thereof) they had actually only been paying 8.9% of the correct total £4038

    The trader has caused this by subtracting the first payment from the correct total before wrongly calculating the 10% (or 40%) on the remaining balance.  This was wrong.  They should have calculated the 10% (or 40%) amounts before deducting the first payment from the correct total.

    The OP really should have noticed this straightaway - as should the trader.  It's obvious that £358.80 is not 10% of £4038.  (It's only become obvious here once the OP gave actual figures we could see).

    I think the trader is wrong that the OP owes £450 still.  The OP owed £4038 and has paid £3679.20, therefore they owe £358.80.

    The trader has - I think - confused matters again by subtracting £3588 from £4038 = £450.  The trader has erroneously arrived at £3588 because they think the OP has only paid 10 instalments each of £358.8.  But - according to the figures given us by the OP - he has paid more than that

    He's made a total of 6 instalment payments of £358.8 and a larger payment of £1526.40.  That larger payment should have been £358.80 x 4 = £1435.20, but it was obviously calculated wrongly - again - and the OP paid £91.20 more on that larger payment than he should have done.

    So whether the OP owes another £358.80 or another £450 depends on how much he actually paid when he paid the larger supposed 40% payment at the outset.  The trader obviously thinks he only paid £1435.20, the OP thinks he paid £91.20 more than that.

    Neither the trader nor the OP seem mathmatically inclined... 

    [Edit:  I think the trader is wrong about the OP owing £450 becuase I'm looking at what the OP has said he's paid.  But on reflection I'm not sure how reliable the OP is in knowing how much he's paid...]
  • comeandgo said:
    So that does explain your comment on their maths calculations.  You knew all along you had underpaid.  It was a mistake and you are due them the balance.
    I did not "know all along" as I did not add anything up until they contacted me. I believed that they had done their maths correctly therefore I paid what they asked for.

  • Okell said:
    I think the correct posiition is that the OP still owes £358.80 and not £450.  The trader's maths is at fault again.  [Edit:  But see edit at foot of this comment]

    This all seems to have happened because the trader miscalculated what 10% of the total price was in the first place.

    The total price was £4038.  For some reason the trader seems to have done some back-calculation to arrive at the first 10% payment.  (I'm not quite sure how they've done it but...)

    Instead of correctly calculating 10% as £403.80 the trader seems to have wrongly deducted the first payment of £358.80 from the total of £4038, and has then proceeded to calculate 10% based on the reduced total after the first payment has been taken off

    So each time the OP thought they had been making a payment of 10% (or multiples thereof) they had actually only been paying 8.9% of the correct total £4038

    The trader has caused this by subtracting the first payment from the correct total before wrongly calculating the 10% (or 40%) on the remaining balance.  This was wrong.  They should have calculated the 10% (or 40%) amounts before deducting the first payment from the correct total.

    The OP really should have noticed this straightaway - as should the trader.  It's obvious that £358.80 is not 10% of £4038.  (It's only become obvious here once the OP gave actual figures we could see).

    I think the trader is wrong that the OP owes £450 still.  The OP owed £4038 and has paid £3679.20, therefore they owe £358.80.

    The trader has - I think - confused matters again by subtracting £3588 from £4038 = £450.  The trader has erroneously arrived at £3588 because they think the OP has only paid 10 instalments each of £358.8.  But - according to the figures given us by the OP - he has paid more than that

    He's made a total of 6 instalment payments of £358.8 and a larger payment of £1526.40.  That larger payment should have been £358.80 x 4 = £1435.20, but it was obviously calculated wrongly - again - and the OP paid £91.20 more on that larger payment than he should have done.

    So whether the OP owes another £358.80 or another £450 depends on how much he actually paid when he paid the larger supposed 40% payment at the outset.  The trader obviously thinks he only paid £1435.20, the OP thinks he paid £91.20 more than that.

    Neither the trader nor the OP seem mathmatically inclined... 

    [Edit:  I think the trader is wrong about the OP owing £450 becuase I'm looking at what the OP has said he's paid.  But on reflection I'm not sure how reliable the OP is in knowing how much he's paid...]
    The OP does indeed know that exact amounts that SHE paid!
  • Okell
    Okell Posts: 3,135 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    Okell said:
    I think the correct posiition is that the OP still owes £358.80 and not £450.  The trader's maths is at fault again.  [Edit:  But see edit at foot of this comment]

    This all seems to have happened because the trader miscalculated what 10% of the total price was in the first place.

    The total price was £4038.  For some reason the trader seems to have done some back-calculation to arrive at the first 10% payment.  (I'm not quite sure how they've done it but...)

    Instead of correctly calculating 10% as £403.80 the trader seems to have wrongly deducted the first payment of £358.80 from the total of £4038, and has then proceeded to calculate 10% based on the reduced total after the first payment has been taken off

    So each time the OP thought they had been making a payment of 10% (or multiples thereof) they had actually only been paying 8.9% of the correct total £4038

    The trader has caused this by subtracting the first payment from the correct total before wrongly calculating the 10% (or 40%) on the remaining balance.  This was wrong.  They should have calculated the 10% (or 40%) amounts before deducting the first payment from the correct total.

    The OP really should have noticed this straightaway - as should the trader.  It's obvious that £358.80 is not 10% of £4038.  (It's only become obvious here once the OP gave actual figures we could see).

    I think the trader is wrong that the OP owes £450 still.  The OP owed £4038 and has paid £3679.20, therefore they owe £358.80.

    The trader has - I think - confused matters again by subtracting £3588 from £4038 = £450.  The trader has erroneously arrived at £3588 because they think the OP has only paid 10 instalments each of £358.8.  But - according to the figures given us by the OP - he has paid more than that

    He's made a total of 6 instalment payments of £358.8 and a larger payment of £1526.40.  That larger payment should have been £358.80 x 4 = £1435.20, but it was obviously calculated wrongly - again - and the OP paid £91.20 more on that larger payment than he should have done.

    So whether the OP owes another £358.80 or another £450 depends on how much he actually paid when he paid the larger supposed 40% payment at the outset.  The trader obviously thinks he only paid £1435.20, the OP thinks he paid £91.20 more than that.

    Neither the trader nor the OP seem mathmatically inclined... 

    [Edit:  I think the trader is wrong about the OP owing £450 becuase I'm looking at what the OP has said he's paid.  But on reflection I'm not sure how reliable the OP is in knowing how much he's paid...]
    The OP does indeed know that exact amounts that SHE paid!
    Well in that case SHE must know exactly what has gone wrong here.

    Although her comment seems to be contradicted somewhat by her post made at 8:24pm today correcting erroneous information she had previously posted.

    And if she knew the exact amounts paid she should have realised straightaway that £1526.40 was not 4 x £358.80
  • Okell said:
    Okell said:
    I think the correct posiition is that the OP still owes £358.80 and not £450.  The trader's maths is at fault again.  [Edit:  But see edit at foot of this comment]

    This all seems to have happened because the trader miscalculated what 10% of the total price was in the first place.

    The total price was £4038.  For some reason the trader seems to have done some back-calculation to arrive at the first 10% payment.  (I'm not quite sure how they've done it but...)

    Instead of correctly calculating 10% as £403.80 the trader seems to have wrongly deducted the first payment of £358.80 from the total of £4038, and has then proceeded to calculate 10% based on the reduced total after the first payment has been taken off

    So each time the OP thought they had been making a payment of 10% (or multiples thereof) they had actually only been paying 8.9% of the correct total £4038

    The trader has caused this by subtracting the first payment from the correct total before wrongly calculating the 10% (or 40%) on the remaining balance.  This was wrong.  They should have calculated the 10% (or 40%) amounts before deducting the first payment from the correct total.

    The OP really should have noticed this straightaway - as should the trader.  It's obvious that £358.80 is not 10% of £4038.  (It's only become obvious here once the OP gave actual figures we could see).

    I think the trader is wrong that the OP owes £450 still.  The OP owed £4038 and has paid £3679.20, therefore they owe £358.80.

    The trader has - I think - confused matters again by subtracting £3588 from £4038 = £450.  The trader has erroneously arrived at £3588 because they think the OP has only paid 10 instalments each of £358.8.  But - according to the figures given us by the OP - he has paid more than that

    He's made a total of 6 instalment payments of £358.8 and a larger payment of £1526.40.  That larger payment should have been £358.80 x 4 = £1435.20, but it was obviously calculated wrongly - again - and the OP paid £91.20 more on that larger payment than he should have done.

    So whether the OP owes another £358.80 or another £450 depends on how much he actually paid when he paid the larger supposed 40% payment at the outset.  The trader obviously thinks he only paid £1435.20, the OP thinks he paid £91.20 more than that.

    Neither the trader nor the OP seem mathmatically inclined... 

    [Edit:  I think the trader is wrong about the OP owing £450 becuase I'm looking at what the OP has said he's paid.  But on reflection I'm not sure how reliable the OP is in knowing how much he's paid...]
    The OP does indeed know that exact amounts that SHE paid!
    Well in that case SHE must know exactly what has gone wrong here.

    Although her comment seems to be contradicted somewhat by her post made at 8:24pm today correcting erroneous information she had previously posted.

    And if she knew the exact amounts paid she should have realised straightaway that £1526.40 was not 4 x £358.80
    I am a very busy business owner and do not have the time to add up amounts of money that a reputable UK company has asked me to pay.
    It would have all been scrutinised by my accountant at the end of the financial year.

    I trusted a company to know how much they were charging me and I dutifully paid the amounts that were clearly stated on the VAT invoices.

    I rather wish I had not even asked my question on this forum as I feel berated.

    I was looking for friendly advice and I do not feel that I have gained anything from this experience.

    Next time I won't bother!
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 15,982 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Hi, I'm new here.

    I'm just wondering what my rights are.

    I bought an appliance from a UK company. I paid 50% up front and signed an agreement to pay the remaining 50% over 5 months, interest free by DD. The VAT was included.

    I paid the remaining 5 installments in full. 

    After 2 months of thinking that I had fulfilled my obligations, I received a phone call saying that I still owed one month's payment.

    I checked my bank statements and I confirmed that I had indeed paid all of the payments.

    They are now threatening me with  debt collection. 

    I can prove that it was their inability to do basic maths that has left me in this position.

    Where do I stand?
    It sounds like there may be more to this than you're letting on.  That's a strange turn of phrase to use, when I would have said "I can prove I've paid for the item in full".  Some of your other wording seems very carefully put, too.  I may be overly sceptical, but it just reads a little...oddly.

    Did their mathematical inability mean there was a mistake in their original calculations and therefore that you've actually, despite paying the five instalments, knowingly underpaid for the item?
     It seems the answer to my question several pages ago is "yes".  It's a shame OP didn't answer it at the time.  Earlier transparency would have led to faster advice and fewer pages.
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 15,982 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Okell said:
    Okell said:
    I think the correct posiition is that the OP still owes £358.80 and not £450.  The trader's maths is at fault again.  [Edit:  But see edit at foot of this comment]

    This all seems to have happened because the trader miscalculated what 10% of the total price was in the first place.

    The total price was £4038.  For some reason the trader seems to have done some back-calculation to arrive at the first 10% payment.  (I'm not quite sure how they've done it but...)

    Instead of correctly calculating 10% as £403.80 the trader seems to have wrongly deducted the first payment of £358.80 from the total of £4038, and has then proceeded to calculate 10% based on the reduced total after the first payment has been taken off

    So each time the OP thought they had been making a payment of 10% (or multiples thereof) they had actually only been paying 8.9% of the correct total £4038

    The trader has caused this by subtracting the first payment from the correct total before wrongly calculating the 10% (or 40%) on the remaining balance.  This was wrong.  They should have calculated the 10% (or 40%) amounts before deducting the first payment from the correct total.

    The OP really should have noticed this straightaway - as should the trader.  It's obvious that £358.80 is not 10% of £4038.  (It's only become obvious here once the OP gave actual figures we could see).

    I think the trader is wrong that the OP owes £450 still.  The OP owed £4038 and has paid £3679.20, therefore they owe £358.80.

    The trader has - I think - confused matters again by subtracting £3588 from £4038 = £450.  The trader has erroneously arrived at £3588 because they think the OP has only paid 10 instalments each of £358.8.  But - according to the figures given us by the OP - he has paid more than that

    He's made a total of 6 instalment payments of £358.8 and a larger payment of £1526.40.  That larger payment should have been £358.80 x 4 = £1435.20, but it was obviously calculated wrongly - again - and the OP paid £91.20 more on that larger payment than he should have done.

    So whether the OP owes another £358.80 or another £450 depends on how much he actually paid when he paid the larger supposed 40% payment at the outset.  The trader obviously thinks he only paid £1435.20, the OP thinks he paid £91.20 more than that.

    Neither the trader nor the OP seem mathmatically inclined... 

    [Edit:  I think the trader is wrong about the OP owing £450 becuase I'm looking at what the OP has said he's paid.  But on reflection I'm not sure how reliable the OP is in knowing how much he's paid...]
    The OP does indeed know that exact amounts that SHE paid!
    Well in that case SHE must know exactly what has gone wrong here.

    Although her comment seems to be contradicted somewhat by her post made at 8:24pm today correcting erroneous information she had previously posted.

    And if she knew the exact amounts paid she should have realised straightaway that £1526.40 was not 4 x £358.80
    I am a very busy business owner and do not have the time to add up amounts of money that a reputable UK company has asked me to pay.
    It would have all been scrutinised by my accountant at the end of the financial year.

    I trusted a company to know how much they were charging me and I dutifully paid the amounts that were clearly stated on the VAT invoices.

    I rather wish I had not even asked my question on this forum as I feel berated.

    I was looking for friendly advice and I do not feel that I have gained anything from this experience.

    Next time I won't bother!
    The trouble is that it seems you knew all along they'd made an error and considered that since the error favoured you, it should be binding.  As you've discovered, that's not the case.  You didn't need friendly advice, you needed good advice, which would have been given much sooner had you been open about the situation rather than spinning it to get the answer you wanted to hear.  I'm afraid that as you are a very busy (and presumably successful) business owner, it's not plausible that you didn't realise you'd been undercharged.  As you've said, you expected to bind them to their mistake in your favour.  I suspect you would want the opportunity to correct a genuine mistake you make in your business if it led to you losing out.
  • Hi, I'm new here.

    I'm just wondering what my rights are.

    I bought an appliance from a UK company. I paid 50% up front and signed an agreement to pay the remaining 50% over 5 months, interest free by DD. The VAT was included.

    I paid the remaining 5 installments in full. 

    After 2 months of thinking that I had fulfilled my obligations, I received a phone call saying that I still owed one month's payment.

    I checked my bank statements and I confirmed that I had indeed paid all of the payments.

    They are now threatening me with  debt collection. 

    I can prove that it was their inability to do basic maths that has left me in this position.

    Where do I stand?
    It sounds like there may be more to this than you're letting on.  That's a strange turn of phrase to use, when I would have said "I can prove I've paid for the item in full".  Some of your other wording seems very carefully put, too.  I may be overly sceptical, but it just reads a little...oddly.

    Did their mathematical inability mean there was a mistake in their original calculations and therefore that you've actually, despite paying the five instalments, knowingly underpaid for the item?
     It seems the answer to my question several pages ago is "yes".  It's a shame OP didn't answer it at the time.  Earlier transparency would have led to faster advice and fewer pages.
    I have not and never would "knowingly" under pay anyone.

    I trusted that they had worked out the correct payment plan.

    I run a reputable business and I do not expect my customers to calculate how much they owe me!
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