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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this letter looks dodgy?

31 replies

milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 19:54

We'd never heard of iD Mobile until tonight... But they wrote to DH telling him he owes them £290! They're apparently a division of Carphone Warehouse, who DH has insurance with for his phone.

He has never taken out a contract with these people (we are PAYG anyway) and the letter looks a bit dodgy too; the number of the phone he apparently owes money on isn't listed, and there's no VAT number for the company at the bottom or anything.

Even if it is real, what can we do about it? Are we going to have to pay?

Sorry about the terrible photo!

To think this letter looks dodgy?
OP posts:
MaidOfStars · 23/01/2016 19:57

ID Mobile is a network run by Carphone Warehouse. If you are not on their network, you cannot owe this money!

dementedpixie · 23/01/2016 19:59

Can't read the letter but this page gives contact details:

www.idmobile.co.uk/help-and-advice/contact-us

SomewhereInbetween · 23/01/2016 20:00

Not to cause problems but are you sure he doesn't have a phone you don't know about? Other than that it could be an error on their systems? Call them up and find out?

Looseleaf · 23/01/2016 20:00

I've tried to join them as such competitive rates for pay as you go £7.50 / month - I would ring them by looking up their number rather than any listed on the letter and asking direct what the letter is about as you're not aware of using their network?

Looseleaf · 23/01/2016 20:00

somewhere said what I wondered too by the way

dementedpixie · 23/01/2016 20:01

It gives the same telephone number as the letter

SomewhereInbetween · 23/01/2016 20:02

Also the bottom contact number on the letter is the same as the number listed in dementedpixie's link

Original poster
milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 20:05

No sorry, no drama here, no secret phone Wink if I'm in relationships next week then I'll let you know!

Definitely not on carphone warehouse, we didn't even know they existed before this! How can we contest it though? He's already tried to ring and it's shut... Surely they should have written before now to tell him of the services he's supposedly receiving?

OP posts:
KC225 · 23/01/2016 20:13

A couple of years ago, I had a letter from a catalogue company saying I owed them a couple of hundred pounds. Knowing I did not, I ignored it. The letters kept coming and eventually I phoned them. I told them I had never had a catalogue ever. They told me someone with my name had an outstanding debt and basically wrote to everyone within a large area with that name and crossed them off when they got in contact. I said that was outrageous and was told it was quite common. Just to add, I do have a very common name. Wondering if a similar thing could have happened to your husband.

Original poster
milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 20:17

Well DH does have a very common first name but the spelling of his surname is correct. Common surname, unusual spelling.

Wondering if someone could have set something up fraudulently? It's just bizarre this is the first we have heard of it!

OP posts:
SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 23/01/2016 20:35

I would phone them as soon as you are able to. It might be a case of fraud - someone may have used your DH's details to run up this debt.

Or it might be something like KC suggests.

Or it might be a mistake.

But if it is fraud, your DH needs to know sooner rather than later.

Nigglenaggle · 23/01/2016 20:36

Why not have Citizens Advice look at it? They might be more likely to know that t'internet :)

Original poster
milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 20:38

niggle I wondered if anyone had anything similar, as Carphone Warehouse had a massive hack last year and apparently lots of people were involved.

OP posts:
CheradenineZakalwe · 23/01/2016 20:40

I got a debt letter from a catalogue I'd not ordered from for years; turns out someone else at my previous address had been using the account.

They used it to by tracksuits

cdtaylornats · 23/01/2016 20:40

I would be suspicious, for one thing it doesn't say £290 it says 290.5 which looks odd, no currency and surely it should be 290.50.

Robert Smith is real though
www.linkedin.com/in/robert-smith-a9791818

It says Carphone Warehouse and some subsidiaries in his profile but not iD Mobile.

Perhaps you might contact him via linkedin.

CheradenineZakalwe · 23/01/2016 20:40

^buy, obviously.

jay55 · 23/01/2016 20:44

Check your credit reports just incase there is fraud going on.

Original poster
milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 20:46

cd yes I thought that... And also on the bottom of every letter I've ever had; there's been the VAT details etc listed. Especially when they're asking for money! Plus as its a mobile company; wouldn't they have listed the mobile number? Thank you for the details!

OP posts:
PerspicaciaTick · 23/01/2016 20:55

If you have a look at the visitor posts on their FB page, they have a lot of very unhappy customers. There are also more unhappy people who aren't customers but who are being chased for payment.

They do seem to respond on FB - it might be worth posting there too?
www.facebook.com/idmobileuk/

BlueSmarties76 · 23/01/2016 21:00

Ooh, you can have fun with this!

Well, obviously it isn't genuine if you don't have an account. I would have some suspicions abut DH though!

Ask them to produce a copy of the the contract you signed as it could be fraud.

Once you've established it isn't fraud then just let them take you to court, where you can metaphorically assassinate them and claim costs too!

Original poster
milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 21:03

I've posted... Ask you're right, there are a new people with this specific problem today!

OP posts:
Original poster
milkmilklemonade12 · 23/01/2016 21:04

Suspicions about DH... Really? Hmm that's not a kind thing to say.

OP posts:
Pipbin · 23/01/2016 21:08

I hate the way that some people here just cannot believe that some of us have DHs that we actually trust.

Anyway. I'd call them and ask them to explain it.

19lottie82 · 23/01/2016 21:20

YY to checking his credit report to see if there's anything dodgy on there.
And call iD mobile too, obviously.

Hippee · 23/01/2016 21:22

I've had an e-mail from Walker and Charbonnel saying that I owed them money. As I am not in the habit of buying expensive chocolate, I looked it up online, it said that a lot of scammers are choosing real people at real companies and sending letters from them (but presumably with different contact details). I would just ignore - if this is a similar case, poor Robert Smith is probably going to have a nightmare of wasted time sorting this out.