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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Neighbour made a mistake and now wants money

422 replies

DomingoFlamingo · 20/09/2016 02:55

Neighbor moved in about 10 months ago - its a house converted into flats with a communal hallway, front door and letterbox (I live upstairs, she lives downstairs) since she moved in we've had several issues including persistent loud music and her "borrowing" my things that then take several weeks to be returned (if at all)

Then today she knocks on my door with a letter address to me and dated July. She then proceeds to tell me that the letter (a bill) was picked up by her son and she didn't bother to read the name on the front until today when she went to pay again.. hence she's (somehow) been paying my bill since July and I now owe her a 3 figure sum for doing so......

I'd have normally payed this bill in installments throughout the year, but she payed the whole amount in two payments. Because of this I don't have that amount of money available to pay her back immediately (I work part time and its nearly 4 weeks wages for me)

She's asked for the money by the end of the week, I've offered to pay her in installments but she refused the offer and said she wants it in one go or she'll call the police. :( is she BU or am I? I will/would pay her back but I simply can't afford the whole amount in one go......

OP posts:

ElBandito · 20/09/2016 10:52

She needs to contact the company and get her money back. Explain to her that then she will get the money back more quickly.
Then you need to pay the company yourself.
Otherwise you could pay her and then she could contact the company and get her money back from them as well. Youd be left paying the bill twice and she'd be quids in.

x2boys · 20/09/2016 10:53

mrszc

Butteredparsn1ps · 20/09/2016 10:55

MPFDM

blueturtle6 · 20/09/2016 10:56

Do not pay any money directly to her, she could get the money from.you and then also claim from.company. Contact company advise what has happened and ask they refund from your account if anything has been paid. Also raise as an incident for their.data protection if you feel anything has gone wrong.

Tryingtosaveup · 20/09/2016 11:00

Tell her it is illegal to open someone else's post. If anyone should go to the police it is you.

ChocolateWombat · 20/09/2016 11:02

The Op has not returned. I think we should all give up speculating until if and when she returns and says if she has checked it has actually been paid.
Re the aggressive neighbour......I would be very calm and just say, what a shame it was that she had made this mistake and I would look into it with the utility company and then get back to her in writing and that it would be my decision about exactly how it was sorted out. I might say that if necessary I would get a lawyer involved......basically making the point that she would not be calling the shots about this.

SapphireStrange · 20/09/2016 11:03

Very dubious. As others have said, how CAN you even pay a bill in someone else's name?

Check with the company what the balance is before you do anything else.

Ignore the shite about the police.

doradoo · 20/09/2016 11:11

Assuming it is a true story....... You need to think about what other post she might have accidentally picked up and opened.......

Dontyoulovecalpol · 20/09/2016 11:18

You can easily pay a bill in someone else's name. Take off the pre printed slip with account details, take yo post office and give them the slip and money. Money is credited against someone else's account. I don't understand the confusion?

And as for the illegal to open
Post advice when a lawyer said pages ago- innaccuate and irrelevant?!

TreeBird16 · 20/09/2016 11:22

Multiple people have explained how easy it is to pay a bill once you have the account number. Honestly the posts casting doubt on that are beyond irritating

NerrSnerr · 20/09/2016 11:23

Sapphire if you bother to read the thread there are many people saying how you can pay a bill in someone else's name.

LadyConstanceDeCoverlet · 20/09/2016 11:24

Very dubious. As others have said, how CAN you even pay a bill in someone else's name?

As others have said, very easily. Why are people still raising this?

Memoires · 20/09/2016 11:31

I had a neighbour who used to steal my mail from the communal letter box; she did it because she wanted me to be evicted and her dd to have my flat!

Anyway, you need to ring the company and deal with them. It's also their cock-up as they should have checked the name of the person paying and they clearly didn't. Then you can organise to pay in a way that is more convenient for you.

I would tell the neighbour to get a refund directly from them.

If she's pissing about with your mail in order to get money out of you, then refusing to deal with her, insisting that you deal with the company direct, may scotch any nefarious plans she has in the bud.

SapphireStrange · 20/09/2016 11:31

Thanks everyone, particularly Snerr for being so high-handed about it.

Solo · 20/09/2016 11:34

Not read full thread, but if/when you do pay her back, get a book/receipt book and get her to sign for each payment so that she can't say she didn't get it. Give her a receipt too.

GDarling · 20/09/2016 11:37

Ok, check it has been paid, ask for a detailed letter from the company, so your bill has been paid for twice? Can you get the over paid money back?
Her fault, so pay her back in instalments, into her bank.
I think that as long as you pay it back that's ok!
Have a tougher friend with you, for back up, if you intend to speak to her about it, final decision.

DoofusMcfoofus · 20/09/2016 11:37

Well that's 20 minutes of my life I'm never going to get back.

Shiningexample · 20/09/2016 11:42

I don't think the company would refund the neighbour, how could she prove that the payment was made in error, she could plausibly have made the payment on behalf of the op

MarchEliza2 · 20/09/2016 11:50

We're never going to find out are we?

OP will never come back and supply any missing detail...

SoupDragon · 20/09/2016 11:50

Anyway, you need to ring the company and deal with them. It's also their cock-up as they should have checked the name of the person paying and they clearly didn't.

It is not the company's cock up. They have no need to check the name of the person paying, none at all.

confuugled1 · 20/09/2016 11:59

I'd be going through my other post and accounts with banks, utilities etc with a fine tooth comb to see if it's possible that she has snaffled anything else in your name - if she had the bill in her possession then that can be used as ID for all sorts of things, not least setting up a bank account or a loan or credit card - which would be in your name and she would be there to intercept them when they arrived, so she could then merrily run up credit in your name. Given the type of person she seems to be from your description, it doesn't sound a big leap to think this...

Or she could be pulling other info together - figuring out what your parent's name or grandparent's names were for id purposes, for example. I know it sounds fanciful and far fetched but unfortunately it does happen all too often (thinking of a friend who discovered that she had a bank account - overdrawn - that she knew nothing about. When she went to the bank to query it, the woman she spoke to realised straight away that she was a victim of id fraud - not least because the friend is welsh with strong welsh accent and amazing long ginger curly hair. The banker had opened up the account - the lady had short black hair and a very strong London accent...)

I'd be doing an experian or similar credit check and keeping a really close eye on it for a while, just to check nothing untoward has gone on.

MissusRob · 20/09/2016 12:04

Where is the OP? It seems to me that so many potentially interesting threads are started and left to roller-coast to nowhere. Like lighting the blue touch paper and standing back to watch the fireworks.

SoupDragon · 20/09/2016 12:07

Maybe the OP has a job.

BadToTheBone · 20/09/2016 12:07

Phone the company, explain the circumstances and work out a payment plan, she can then phone them and arrange a refund, they can trace funds to do this. Police won't be interested.

GingerbreadCake · 20/09/2016 12:08

If she has even paid it (sounds dodgy) the company owe her money not you. She sounds awful.

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