To think they should let the debt go?

[falulahthecat]

I had a job at a uni in the finance dept. which started off as me coming in for 20 hours a week as an intern/dogsbody - then when a lady left on the purchase eldger because I was finding it all so easy they let her train me up for a couple of days and gave me her job. 5 months later my contract was due to end, I had a weeks holiday, then 10 days then my contract was to be renewed.
Being my first 'proper' job I'd stupidly not insisted on written confirmation, however everyone was so confident I'd be staying I'd even paid my £5 for the Christmas meal (2 months later!).

I come back off holiday and get "Oh, er we didn't clear it with HR and as it's the recession (it was 2010) we're not renewing any contracts that expire. You might be able to reapply but we're changing it to a position for someone with payroll experience blah blah".

So I had 10 days to find a job, which didn't happen. (In fact 2 years of unemployment and depression/anxiety followed, hurrah).

THEN they paid me the next months pay - and I went to the job centre next day to sign on and said the last time I was paid was yesterday and so my job seekers was delayed.

By the time I found out it wasn't mine (had stupidly assumed they wouldn't have made a mistake like that and it was either my months 'notice' or I'd been paid in arrears as my payment method changed after the first month) some was gone and I needed the rest for rent etc. until my jobseekers kicked in for rent.

2 years later they start chasing it up, using debt collectors etc. There's nothing in my contract saying it would become civil debt, and so the use of debt collectors is I believe, illegal. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I got it from the CAB website I think).

I agreed to pay £5/£10 a month from my jobseekers allowance (I'm pretty sure even banks aren't supposed to use that for interest!) but after 7 months decided it was too much as unlike a lot of people we were getting only £400 between 2 of us and no housing benefit etc. - basically my family was having to pay our rent, it was a horrible time!

2 years later and a debt collection turns up at my parents address AGAIN.

I could just ignore it, but if they ring my Mum or turn up she won't deal well and I'll feel so very guilty.

AIBU to think that, in these partcular circumstances, they were dicks and should just let it go? :/ Just to say I've only just been able to find another permanent job (instead of temp/seasonal) after all this time, and have overdrafts etc. that need paying off, and we're meant to be saving anyways... ARGH!

I really sympathise, I was a similar situation but with student loans. First I knew of the overpayment was when they sent a court summons to my parents address 6 months later. However I stayed paying out back, a few quid a month (was on apprentice wages) and upped that amount when I earnt more, etc. It's been 6 years and I should pay it off by then end of the year. Which is what you should have done. Even if you only pay a quid, they still see it as you paying them off. Though so many people on here have said it and you still think that you shouldn't have to pay it off :/

I was going to sympathize with you. I know far to well how the constant stream of rejection can get to you. I too have previously sent well over 3000 job applications out.

however after reading all of your posts i have come to the conclusion that you feel sorry for yourself and think everyone else should feel sorry for you too. And those who dare not to feel sorry for you have had rude insulting replies from you.

I was actually homeless and jobless aged 16-19 Not NEARLY homeless i was! I was 16 years old and living on the street and occasionally on a friends sofa. nobody wanted to employ me and i felt very hard done by. But you know what? the world doesn't owe me anything. It's not anyone elses fault i've been dealt a shitty hand. I too have debt from an overpayment of HB when i was 19. should they squash that debt because i have had a tough upbringing? of course not. I spent money that wasn't mine so i need to pay it back.

You spent the money knowing it wasn't yours. you agreed to pay it back once you have an income. You now have a job so they are chasing you for the money. They are not being unfair here OP stop taking it as a personal attack and pay back the money you are legally obliged to. Otherwise you are screwing up any chance of getting on the property ladder.

Turtley that sounds really tough. I hope you don't think I'm overstepping, but can I ask how you turned it around?

It's like a perfect storm when things get that bad, no home, no job, no money, almost impossible to claw your way out. You must be pretty damn determined and resourceful. Sorry for minor thread diversion.

Tbh it wasn't really me that turned it around it was my partner. we was just 19 years old when we got together. he put a roof over my head and food in my stomach. he supported me financially and emotionally. helped me enroll at college and introduced genuine happiness into my life. for the first time in years i felt strong enough to take on the world was determined to get my shit together.

4 years on and we have a beautiful son, live in a lovely home and have a great income and its all down to him. if it wasnt for him i wouldn't be were i am today, in fact i doubt i would here at all. He basically saved my life.

It was their mistake, I believe you genuinely didn't know you had been overpaid until it was too late. I think you will have to pay it back though, but don't panic. These kind of debts tend to get handed over to debt collection companies who are generally not heavy handed, if you call the debt collection agency you can probably negotiate to pay it back at a very small monthly amount. I am not very clued up on benefit issues but is there anyway you could get back payment for the Month you weren't paid due to this error (as you were actually entitled)?

Thanks for the patronising, hectoring, insulting, obvious and intelligence insulting posts everyone

Given your attitude, you're more than welcome.

Just finished reading the thread and can only say:

It's not their fault that it was a horrible time for you. Being an adult comes with its disappointments and let downs - jobs falling through is part of this.

Pay back what you owe and learn from it.

And as for being in your overdraft - welcome to the club, you are not special because you are struggling with money. Everyone else has to pay back their debts, so should you.

In fact OP, read TurtleyAmazing's comment, and then get your act together.

I know what its like to send out endless cvs and never hear a word back.
I still think yabu. You owe the money. It wasnt your money to spend so you need to pay it back.

Yabu and you have a very poor attitude so I'm not surprised you have struggled to find work. You know you owe them money, how they treated you is completely irrelevant so why would you feel they should write it off? You acknowledged the debt so there is no getting out of it.

OP, they actually backed off when you didn't have a job. Now you do and so you could afford to reinstate the monthly payments. They want you to do that.

I can see that you'd rather not pay it back but that isn't a reason not to.

Good luck with your new job.

Would have LOVED to have seen what you lot would have done in the situation, just 19 years old, first full time job, first time away from home as you didn't move from uni and, ashamed you've failed and faced with eviction and no money for bills, rent and food through November to December.
I'm sure you would have ALL given the money straight back like sensible pious grown ups and just starved.
Or perhaps, if, shock horror you'd kept it, you'd have GLADLY and HAPPILY paid it back, when actually, that leaves you £1,000 out of pocket, as the initial payment delayed any time of help from local government.
I'm sure you wouldn't have let it even CROSS YOU MIND that you'd rather the Uni had never made the mistake at all.
And I'm sure after years of serious mental illness you'd all have been PERFECTLY ABLE TO COPE with all and any situations life throws at you, never feeling sorry for yourself not once.

Well, well done you guys! I've only cried twice since reading the more caustic replies, and am currently waiting for this thread and my account to be deleted, so you won't have to worry about sullying your eyes with my self pity anymore.

Sorry for attempting to DEFEND MYSELF against the LIES that people were throwing at me, I guess I just should have rolled over and fucking taken it, just like I rolled over and accepted every single bit of shitty treatment from everyone in my fucking life.

You're clearly the only person in the world who has ever lost their job, faced homelessness and got into debt.

Oh wait...

Stop feeling so fucking sorry for yourself! The only person that can help you is YOU! I suffered mental illness for 9 years. And I was homeless, as in sleeping rough on the streets homeless for six months. So don't think you're the only one that's ever had it rough. I dragged myself out of the gutter, and that included paying a lot of debts, and now I have a lovely home, a beautiful daughter, qualifications and an extremely exciting career path to follow.

Save your breath Fix, the Op wants a pity party.

Oh, you can throw your toys out of the pram, ask MNHQ to delete the thread and delete your account. Unfortunately life doesn't allow you to delete stupid behaviour and an unwillingness to reflect on it. You've had plenty of sound advice but if you want to screw your credit rating that's your decision of course.

Actually, I feel for you op.
I think you are going to have to pay it back but I can see why you are upset.
I was overpaid 200 pounds years ago when I left a job [well made redundant]. I honestly did not realise as odds and sods of holiday money etc being paid in dribs and drabs. Over a year later I get a letter saying they had overpaid me holiday. I wrote a polite but upset letter back [I had worked for them for nearly 20 years]. They wrote it off.
I was not working at time when 'you owe' letter came and was upset and cross. The fact it took them a year to sort out seemed off too.
Anyway- pound a week op to get them off your back.
Good luck.

They overpaid you, it was a genuine mistake, you should have repaid it immediately.

This didn't happen for various reasons, don't want to go into all of that.

I do have one question though:
'what was the amount of pay they declared on your final P45?'

Did it include or exclude the overpayment?

but with 3+ months to find another job, whilst in employment. When you're employed people want to employ you. When you're unemployed - they don't. It's not so bad now but 4 years ago it was extremely difficult. And actually, you've clearly not read all posts, so take your nastiness elsewhere please. I quite clearly stated I was not better off with their mistake, I was worse off, and I quite clearly stated I WAS in contact with them at the time about it. I even applied to other jobs at the university so it could be taken from my paypacket! I sincerely hope that if you ever suffer with the depression of over THREE THOUSAND rejected job applications no one says you're being a bit 'woe is me'. Actually... maybe I do

You're a fucking charmer aren't you? I wasn't being nasty to you, just pointing out that crap things happening act doesn't absolve you from responsibility to pay the debt and your employers acted properly and don't have any responsibility for the misfortunes that befell you or to make it all better. They owe you nothing, certainly not writing off a debt.

Believe it or not you are not the only person to have been unemployed during the recession and on the bones of their arse (I have been more than once and so have a lot of other people on this thread) and suffered from depression (ditto) not once did I think I could use either as an excuse for wriggling out of debts. If I'd got into the situation I would have acted like an adult and offered to pay a token amount each month and then upped the payment when I was back in work rather than stamping my feet and putting my fingers in my ear.

If you won't listen to sensible advice, don't be surprised when you get dragged through court.

However that isn't want you want to hear is it? So I will indulge you:

'yes yanbu of course the nasty University should let you keep the money, in fact the gas and electric companies should do the same and the credit card company too and fancy Tesco's expecting you to pay for the food you bought when you were hard up.'

Happy now?

Iv had mental health problems for 12 years and had too pay back two debts over £1000 each. It wasnt fair as they werent all mine but i got on with it.
Youre lucky they didnt jyst demand the money in full without a repayment plan. My ex enployers overpaid my friend and then demanded it all back straight away in full.

Oh boohoo you FACED eviction cry me a fucking river

Try living on the streets aged 16! Not knowing Where your next meal is coming from! You've had an easily life compared to some! Many people on this thread have said they have been homeless and faced hardship what makes you the special one?

This woe be me shit is wearing really thin.

compos the OP told me I was nasty and wasn't reading her posts properly either

The reality is she doesn't want to listen to anything other than your second to last paragraph.

Someone told her there'd be a job for her but when it came to it the job didn't exist so she decided that they 'owed' her the overpayment in lieu of the job and is now pissed off as they want their money back now she's earning again.

None of it is her fault because the world owes her a living.

It will also be ridiculous if this thread does get deleted- why should it? Just because the OP hasn't been told she was right all along is no reason to delete it.

Did somebody say garnish your wages? Mmmmmmm, garrrrrniiiiiishhh.

OP, it's rough. The world is rough.

I heard somewhere that 25 is a tough age because it's when one finally grasps that the universe doesn't revolve around oneself - still not entirely sure I've grasped that.

I read in your last post that you said well, well done you guys, I've only cried twice since reading the more caustic replies - I mean this gently and kindly - this is exactly the problem, you must not expect anyone to care about your tears or pain, not posters on this board (particularly AIBU) and not former employers, not financial institutions. No one else really deeply gives a shit, the world is not set up that way , It is thinking they do which gets you into trouble.

People are giving you good advice here and to delude yourself that everyone is being mean is missing the point.

Sure in an ideal world someone wouldn't suggest you had a job and then not follow through but it happens all the time, this stuff is so, so normal.

Don't feel sorry for yourself, accept that however shit you've had it you are still a damn sight more lucky than the majority of the world's population and a significant part of this country's population and get the fuck up and carry on and pay back the debt.