O2 broadband router "debt" - to pay or not to pay

[ThirtyFootSmurf]

Hi all, First of all congratulations on your fantastic forum and thank you for all the friendly and knowledgable advice I've already read on here. I wonder if I could get your input on this rather strange case...

 

About two years ago I opened a broadband account with O2, but then I moved house in January of last year, and as the new flat came with broadband preinstalled, I cancelled my account with O2. When I called them up to cancel the account I agreed with their customer service agent that they would send me a pre-paid return envelope to my new address so I could send them back the broadband router that came with the account. As I hadn't received the envelope a couple of weeks later I gave them another call around March time, to again request the return envelope and again confirm my new address. Again I did not get anything from them and I eventually forgot all about it because, frankly, I've got better things to do with my time than chasing them to do their job.

 

Fast forward to November this year when I received a letter from Fredrickson asking to get in touch with them. I ignored that one (after reading on here that this would be the best way forward - best advice ever). So far so good, but then I received another letter yesterday, naming O2 as their client, for a debt of £50. It does have the phone number of my old flat on it, so I suppose it really relates to me in some way (although for all I know it could be the people who lived there before or after me, as I did not take the phone number with me). They threaten they will add £70 to the debt if I don't pay in 7 days (can they do that, actually?)

 

Anyway, ok, it's "only" 50 quid (although that's frankly a lot of money for me at the moment). But it really annoys me that O2 would have decided to go down that route. They had ample opportunity to contact me at my new address, my email address, or even on my mobile number, and they even had an open direct debit from me until recently, they could have just taken the money out of my account.

 

Now my question is, do you think it would make sense to call O2 and see what they have say? Would they actually be able to still get Freds off my case? I still have that sodding router gathering dust sitting in my wardrobe, so they can have that back if they want.

 

Would it make sense to start a fight with Freds? I don't want them to add those £70, so there's that. But at the same time I'd rather they didn't get anything from me, because it really isn't my fault those £50 were still outstanding.

 

Or is it really not worth the hassle, and should I just pay up to make them go away? What say you, team?

 

Thank you all very much in advance for your help.

[cab1ne]

Hi all, First of all congratulations on your fantastic forum and thank you for all the friendly and knowledgable advice I've already read on here. I wonder if I could get your input on this rather strange case...

 

About two years ago I opened a broadband account with O2, but then I moved house in January of last year, and as the new flat came with broadband preinstalled, I cancelled my account with O2. When I called them up to cancel the account I agreed with their customer service agent that they would send me a pre-paid return envelope to my new address so I could send them back the broadband router that came with the account. As I hadn't received the envelope a couple of weeks later I gave them another call around March time, to again request the return envelope and again confirm my new address. Again I did not get anything from them and I eventually forgot all about it because, frankly, I've got better things to do with my time than chasing them to do their job.

 

Fast forward to November this year when I received a letter from Fredrickson asking to get in touch with them. I ignored that one (after reading on here that this would be the best way forward - best advice ever). So far so good, but then I received another letter yesterday, naming O2 as their client, for a debt of £50. It does have the phone number of my old flat on it, so I suppose it really relates to me in some way (although for all I know it could be the people who lived there before or after me, as I did not take the phone number with me). They threaten they will add £70 to the debt if I don't pay in 7 days (can they do that, actually?)

 

Anyway, ok, it's "only" 50 quid (although that's frankly a lot of money for me at the moment). But it really annoys me that O2 would have decided to go down that route. They had ample opportunity to contact me at my new address, my email address, or even on my mobile number, and they even had an open direct debit from me until recently, they could have just taken the money out of my account.

 

Now my question is, do you think it would make sense to call O2 and see what they have say? Would they actually be able to still get Freds off my case? I still have that sodding router gathering dust sitting in my wardrobe, so they can have that back if they want.

 

Would it make sense to start a fight with Freds? I don't want them to add those £70, so there's that. But at the same time I'd rather they didn't get anything from me, because it really isn't my fault those £50 were still outstanding.

 

Or is it really not worth the hassle, and should I just pay up to make them go away? What say you, team?

 

Thank you all very much in advance for your help.

 

take all the cr*p back to your nearest o2 shop, get a reciept "DONE"

 

dave.

[cab1ne]

Oh, and make sure you give them the old account number / adress the cr*p belongs to.

 

dave.

[ThirtyFootSmurf]

Okay, well, thanks. Although as far as I see the situation O2 might not even want the cr*p back anymore if they have sold the debt on. Happy to get rid of the router but I don't see how that action would somehow filter through to Fredricksons? Really my question is in how far O2 still have any influence on Fredrickson's actions from here on out?

[Stigman]

Have O2 sold the debt or Fred's collecting on O2's behalf?

 

Ignore, telecommunication debts are not recorded onto your credit reference file like mobile phones.

 

I cannot see Fred's taking you to Court for a debt of £50, in fact Fred's gave me 7 days and then they start court action 8 months ago on a much larger debt which is still in-dispute and am still waiting (I did not respond to any of Fred's threatograms).

 

Stigman