Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

dont be stupid like me - make sure bills in joint names

44 replies

MrsMiggins · 22/11/2005 20:25

H has left
every single utility is in his name & so none of them will speak to me
my mobile is in his name and again, they wont speak to me

all very well having everything joint (I dont even have a credit card even though I earn money)

look where its got me....in a right mess

OP posts:
jinglinggoblin · 22/11/2005 20:27

but that means they will be chasing him for payment mrsm, you are not legally responsible for the bills

carlychristmas · 22/11/2005 20:28

mrsmiggins am very to hear of your situation i was in the same this time last year xdp left me and two young children three weeks b4 xmas but i called up the companies ie electric/gas/phone and they cancelled them in his name and setthem back up in mine and lo and behold there is a god they sent him the final bills hth xx

jinglinggoblin · 22/11/2005 20:28

although if you want them in your name you can get them changed over, they just have to write to him at the address to make sure you are telling the truth....at least thats how it worked when i worked for bt a few years ago

carlychristmas · 22/11/2005 20:29

jinglingoblin you beat me too it lol

jinglinggoblin · 22/11/2005 20:29

is the phone in his name?

carlychristmas · 22/11/2005 20:31

i might sound like a right bitch but when he left i made sure i made the most of it had heating on 30 degrees all day (well it was december) bought lots of films off sky and used the phone as much as i could result over £400 pounds for him to pay out ha ha!

expatinscotland · 22/11/2005 20:34

I did this to an ex-bf, carly. I needed support and didn't have any here, so I made a few international phone calls during the day .

MrsMiggins · 22/11/2005 20:35

my phone is in his name but the direct debit comes out of a bank account that as from Friday will not be joint - it will be mine
I am seeing my solicitor on Thursday to clear things like this up

do you think I should cancel all the direct debits then & let him sort it out?

carlychristmas
how can they leave so near to xmas
33 days left & I just dont feel christmasy at all

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 22/11/2005 20:36

Yes. I think you should immediately cancel all direct debits.

MrsMiggins · 22/11/2005 20:37

I guess I could cancel them on Friday AFTER transferred account to me
but I know what will happen - he will jsut not give me any money for the kids

OP posts:
carlychristmas · 22/11/2005 20:42

my xp still doesnt give me anything cos of csa not chasing him up but i went to see my solicitor who said he has till january this year or all contact (when he bothers to turn up) will be ceased! he left me cos he was a violent abusive pig and i had enough of his cheating ways for the past four years the final straw was when he tried to abuse me in front of my then 2 yr old and three month old i told him to leave which he did but before he did told me of all his sordid little affairs

expatinscotland · 22/11/2005 20:44

Talk to the solicitor about getting money for the kids, MrsM. He/she can file for maintainance pending suit.

expatinscotland · 22/11/2005 20:44

Oh, and remind him of how good it's going to look when it comes to setting up access to his kids that he didn't provide for them b/c of his own petty need to control a spouse he cheated on.

uwila · 22/11/2005 20:54

Cancel the direct debits (but run up the bills first).

LIZS · 22/11/2005 20:55

hmmm I managed to get a British Gas account transferred from our letting agent to my name with no verification.

jinglinggoblin · 22/11/2005 21:26

bt used to write to the person at their addess and give them 7 days to reply. if they didnt it was assumed they no longer lived there, you dont have to prove they dont, they have to prove they do. cancel direct debits now!

MrsMiggins · 22/11/2005 22:39

mortgage provider ringing me monday to see if I can afford to take mortgage on

what a mare.....

OP posts:
SackAche · 22/11/2005 22:46

Mrsmiggins - Something that worry's me at the moment is that everything is in my name. Absolutely nothing has DH's name on it due to his terrible credit rating when I met him 6yrs ago.

Mortgage
Car loan
Personal loan
Credit card
ALL direct debits

....I mean everything. DH doesn't exist except on the electoral role.

And considering we're not getting on that well it rrrrrreally worries me.

I'm so sorry about your situation and what your H is putting you through. Its just awful. and on your behalf!

Hope it gets sorted soon.

MrsMiggins · 22/11/2005 22:57

hmmm difficult Sackache

all I know from my point of view is that as from Friday all the DD will come out of my account and yet none of the providers will speak to me

not sure whwt to do with mobile phone
m,ay just cancel DD and let him gfet on with it

OP posts:
charlietherednosedpussy · 22/11/2005 22:58

Today it dawned on me that everythings in my name.

Its good that its not in your name though Mrs M

MrsMiggins · 22/11/2005 23:01

it doesnt feel good as I think H is just trying to walk away from everything
I would prefer to take control

will tell him tomorrow he has to tell all utilities and if he doesnt bother, thats his loss

serves him right for trying to be controlling

OP posts:
Freckle · 23/11/2005 00:06

Why are you concerned that the bills are in his name? Why do you need to speak to the various utilities?

Cancel any direct debits that you cannot pay if he is stopping money going into the account. That way, you don't pay, but the bills are still in his name and his responsibility - at least until such time as finances are sorted legally.

MrsMiggins · 23/11/2005 00:17

is it that simple though?
if I dont pay the bills, he will only stop paying me any money

am glad I ahve solicitor's app b4 friday

applied on line for childrens tax credit today and it will only cover half my nursery costs

H just doesn get this maintenance thing- just keeps going on about things being fair - like him on his own & me with 2 kids is fair

OP posts:
Freckle · 23/11/2005 01:01

Keep a note of everything that he gives you, moneywise. Keep a note of everything which he refuses to pay. If he stops paying money into the joint account, then stop the direct debits. If the account is going to be in your sole name and he isn't paying money into it, then obviously you cannot pay the utility bills. Get them to send the bills to him wherever he is living.

If you start divorce proceedings, your solicitor can apply for maintenance pending suit. This cannot be done if you haven't issued proceedings though.

bobbybob · 23/11/2005 08:07

Surely if Mrs Miggins doesn't pay then she will get cut off?