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AIBU?

Bloody bastarding EE!! Help... Where do I go from here?!

43 replies

Doobiedoobedoobie · 11/12/2013 16:07

I will try to keep this as short as I can!

I have lived at this address (rented) for over 2 years and since this Jan started getting bills from T mobile and EE for a previous tenant. At first I didn't open them and just sent them back with return to sender/ not known at this address on the envelope but in the summer we got one from a debt collector so I opened it and saw that they owed almost £1000. I rang them immediately and explained they no longer lived here, and the next bills we got from T mobile/ EE I rang them too.

So starts a long loooong history of phone calls (0845 ones!) to both companies in which I have given my details over numerous times, spoken to the fraud department, I've even given them the forwarding address for the previous tenant! But nothing has happened. I've had so many debt collector letters, I've even had debt collector agencies at my doors which frankly is quite scary when you're alone in a house with 2 young children.

I last phoned them about 5/6 weeks ago and I was promised it would get sorted, gave them all my details etc and heard nothing back but again recieved more debt agency letters and bills this week. I rang EE today and spend an hour on the phone with a spectacularly unhelpful person who refused outright to put me through to anyone more senior and who just simply said I had to put the letters to one side and ignore the knocks at the door from collection agencies Hmm

It's getting so so stressful! I know bad credit follows houses so that's partially it but most of all I'm worried about people turning up at my door demanding money and Im so SO angry that they can't seem to sort this out despite me offering evidence that I've lived here for 2 years/ have given forwarding addresses etc. they keep saying its an ongoing investigation but I first made them aware of this in June ish and frankly it's the most open shut case they must see, all it takes is a phone call to the estate agents to clarify they don't live here!

I'm honestly at my wits end with it and have spent, genuinely, over £100 on phone calls trying to sort it out. What do I do from here? I'm so angry and upset I'm even considering a sad face DM piece Shock Grin

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WaffilyVersatile · 11/12/2013 16:10

STOP PHONING THEM! Seriously. Stop that!

You need to write them a formal letter and send it recorded delivery. There are better instructions on the money saving expert forums but this is solvable so please don't worry x

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WaffilyVersatile · 11/12/2013 16:12

I wouldn't put my name on the letter to them though!

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Binkyridesagain · 11/12/2013 16:14

Stop phoning them.

Write letters to every single customer services department that EE and T mobile have. Addressing it to the CEO.

In the letter explain you have attempted to deal with this on numerous occasions by phoning, explain everything that you have had to deal with in relation to this. Then ask them to deal with this matter within a time frame (make sure that is reasonable) if they fail to deal with it then you will be seeking legal advice.

Also I would throw in a copy of your phone bills and ask for reimbursement.

My DH had similar to deal with with SKY this was the only thing that worked.

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Doobiedoobedoobie · 11/12/2013 16:20

I've asked for an address before to send evidence/ letters through and they just refused to give me one!

Do you think I should just send them to a generic customer service address or something that I can find online? I really do need to stop phoning them, it's costing me a fortune and just upsetting me more. I was on the phone for 50 mins today and got precisely nowhere. Plus they hung up on me in the end. Bastards.

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Binkyridesagain · 11/12/2013 16:33

Complaint Investigations
T-Mobile
6 Camberwell Way
Sunderland
Tyne and Wear
SR3 3XN

Make sure you send your letter via recorded delivery so you can prove they have received it.

Mr Olaf Swantee Chief Executive

Email [email protected]
Telephone 0800 079 0032
Website www.ee.co.uk
Social Media T

Address Mosquito Way, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9BW, UKM

Write to Mr Swantee as well.

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Pancakeflipper · 11/12/2013 16:40

Also copy your local MP (contact them and inform them of this) (and put CC on the letter).
Can speed things along.

And The Guardian have a Money section with a column to resolve consumer issues and they love a mobile phone company one.

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Mumoftwoyoungkids · 11/12/2013 17:17

Social media usually works quite well with this type of thing. Make sure you link it to them.

Ie Susan Smith is really pissed off with [T Mobile]. 27 phone calls costing me £22 and they still don't seem to understand that the previous owners moved out 2 whole years ago! I wonder if there is a FB button for "Susan Smith hates T mobile and thinks they are completely incompetent"???

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ADishBestEatenCold · 11/12/2013 17:37

This is probably not what you want to hear at this stage, Doobiedoobedoobie, but I suspect you had no legal right to open any of the letters in the first place, even/especially that first one you opened from a debt collector.
"but in the summer we got one from a debt collector so I opened it and saw that they owed almost £1000".

Presumably, at that stage none of the letters were being addressed to 'Doobiedoobedoobie, at YourAddress', or even to 'TheOccupier, at YourAddress'.
Presumably, at that stage the letters were being addressed to 'NameOfPreviousTenant, at Your Address'.
If so, I think the 'strongest' action you could have taken was to return each one to the Post Office and asked for a receipt for it's return, stating the intended recipient was not at this address.

More frighteningly, assuming you have now answered some of the letters using your own name (even if just by phone), I would worry that (given the mess these companies seem to make of these things)your own name becomes associated with this debt.

I see someone up-thread has given you EE's complaints department address and you intend to write one last letter disassociating yourself with any debts previous tenants may have incurred, but may I suggest that you now also check your own credit ratings to make sure the debt hasn't been 'attached' to you in any way.

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HungryHorace · 11/12/2013 18:54

ADish, I'm pretty sure all of that is nonsense!

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JohnnyUtah · 11/12/2013 18:57

Adish that won't happen

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HairyBeaver · 11/12/2013 19:01

I would ignore them. When bailiffs turn up you can prove to them (using tenancy agreement) that you are the new occupier.

I have done this with the warrant officers at my previous address. They came to arrest "me" and even accused me of being their sister Shock

I simply thrust my tenancy agreement and utility bills at them and I heard no more after that Grin

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Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 11/12/2013 19:04

Tell them if they can prove you are the previous tenant they're welcome to have the money!

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GiveItYourBestStockings · 11/12/2013 19:33

I had a very similar problem caused by Halifax deciding someone who wasn't me lived at my address. He owed about 60k to various bodies. Write to the Chief Exec, write to the debt collectors HQs, and I think there is a trade body for bailiffs. Try asking them for help. Also try Equifax of the other credit agencies and ask if they can update their databases. Equifax were very helpful to me and explained that one bank kept changing back the amended record.

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confuzzed01 · 11/12/2013 19:38

Twitter and facebook. Works wonders. Well it did for me when I was having problems with Virgin Media!

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ADishBestEatenCold · 11/12/2013 19:51

I'm not a lawyer HungryHorace so you may well be correct, I may indeed have written nonsense (which is why I am thankful I said "I suspect it may be illegal" rather than 'I know Smile).

A friend, who does some work for the CAB said she thought that the CAB advice would be that it was illegal to open mail addressed to someone else (she did add that beyond obvious theft and fraud cases, she had never heard of anyone being convicted of it). She also thought that someone else's debt being associated with you, could affect your credit rating.

I do have to admit though, I didn't check that with the CAB office, though just this moment I came across this article www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2013/jul/13/bailiffs-demands-someone-elses-name which suggested that Experian did think it may be illegal to open mail addressed to someone else, although conversely they didn't think that this could affect a credit rating.

Sorry if I have misled (although, in OP's position I would still check my credit report).

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PrimalLass · 11/12/2013 20:07

Credit doesn't follow houses, it follows names. However, best do a credit check and write to agencies to financially disassociate yourself from the previous tenant.

www.experian.co.uk/contactforms/consumer_onlinedisassociation.html

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Doobiedoobedoobie · 11/12/2013 20:28

Social media would be my next point of call in theory, except I don't have a twitter/ fb account. Maybe I should set one up Hmm

I don't know about letter opening. Obviously you're not supposed to but equally if I get one from a debt collection place to my address I'm obviously going to open it as it affects me iyswim. I've heard about bad credit following addresses too so I am worried about my credit score as mine I'd pretty good and I was hoping to get a mortgage in a few years.

I would love to just ignore them but it stresses me out too much tbh.

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Doobiedoobedoobie · 11/12/2013 20:29

Sorry primal I x posted with you (a very long one.., had a phone call!)! Glad to hear it follows names, will probably check at some point in the future but maybe not urgent.

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HungryHorace · 11/12/2013 20:35

It used to follow houses but now it is just names.

I went through something similar with a county council over the previous owners' unpaid parking fines. At no point after opening the letters and contacting the bailiffs / council did they link me financially to them, therefore affecting my credit.

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StatisticallyChallenged · 11/12/2013 20:35

It will have no effect on your credit file. The old thing of addresses being blacklisted doesn't happen now - credit files are specific to the person

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CrohnicallySick · 11/12/2013 21:16

As far as I know, it is only an offence to open mail that has been delivered to your house but addressed to someone else if you have dishonest intentions or have no good reason to. So opening mail in order to sort things out with a debt agency is OK.

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AnnabelleLee · 11/12/2013 21:19

Talk about making problems for yourself! Just do nothing, its has nothing to do with you at all. The bills are not yours, you should not be ringing anyone. You have no standing to complain to anyone because it is not your issue.

Stop opening other peoples mail and ringing companies about other peoples bills!

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Sexykitten2005 · 11/12/2013 21:24

Adish I've don't the same thing with debt collection letters and you can open them as they are considered unsolicited mail if you have returned them as doozie did originally. Also include a bill for your time after the first return/ phone call and proof of the costs incurred by you. As soon as my OH tells people he charges clients £48/hr so that's what he will be charging them the soon back down...

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ivykaty44 · 11/12/2013 21:26

writ to both companies and withdraw rights of access - they have had two years and numerous have been given a forwarding address for the debt they are trying to collect.

By withdrawing rights of access they can't write to the address

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Caitlin17 · 11/12/2013 21:37

I don't understand why you engaged in any correspondence. If the letters were addressed to "Ms Utterly Feckless at your address", tiresome as it is you should have just put them back in the mail as "gone away" or dropped them off at the letting agent

I've not had this problem myself but it's clear when my one of my rental flats is between tenants that the Student Loan people and the Council Tax people are after a couple of them. I just stick them back and tell new tenants it is not their or my responsibility to deal with other people's mail. None of has so far been sent to The Marshallsea.
.

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