legal company harassing me

Gizmoisgiddy

Hey guys,
A few months ago I moved house and lost my three wifi dongle, rang up and tried to cancel it and they convinced me to stay.
I kept saying to myself I'd find the bloody thing, and I'd pay the bill when I found it. Finally found it, and found out that they cut off my dongle permanently and I decided,
feck it, they've cut me off, why should I pay it?

So for the last 5/6 months I've gotten a rediculous amount of calls from three, and now I'm getting letters and calls from wells and bucannon which I've been ignoring for ages.
I've so little money, I only work part-time And I think I owe them €80

Is there anything I can do?

Paulw

Gizmoisgiddy wrote: »

I think I owe them €80

Is there anything I can do?

Yes, pay the €80 you owe.

UDP

Gizmoisgiddy wrote: »

Hey guys,
A few months ago I moved house and lost my three wifi dongle, rang up and tried to cancel it and they convinced me to stay.
I kept saying to myself I'd find the bloody thing, and I'd pay the bill when I found it. Finally found it, and found out that they cut off my dongle permanently and I decided,
feck it, they've cut me off, why should I pay it?

So for the last 5/6 months I've gotten a rediculous amount of calls from three, and now I'm getting letters and calls from wells and bucannon which I've been ignoring for ages.
I've so little money, I only work part-time And I think I owe them €80

Is there anything I can do?

when did they cut off the dongle? You owe them up until that point. Agree to a payment plan of maybe €5-10 a week.

Cabaal

Three provided the service but you just didn't use it, the fact that you lost it for awhile is not three's fault and is not their problem. You decided to stay and by the time you found the dongle they had disconnected the service for non-payment, which made sense for them to do that.

The error is yours op, Three have done nothing wrong and the debt is valid. Want them to stop annoying you, then pay it.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Just ignore them op.
Put all correspondence in the bin.
They are hardly going to bring you to court over €80.

Edit it seems the company now harassing you are a debt collection agency which have no standing in this country so definitely bin all the crap they send.

Gizmoisgiddy

thanks Cuchulainn1

Cabaal

Always find it amusing that people come on here asking for "help",

All they want is atleast one other poster to agree with them that although they are an adult they don't have to behave like one and instead can put their fingers in their ears and sing la la la.

Suppose its easier for these people to get through life all the time not accepting fault for their own actions,

Gizmoisgiddy

I love how I go on boards asking for a way out of my situation, and I get sarcasm and asshole comments.
"I know so much better than you cause I'm a keyboard warrior"
kiss my ass, this is why I left boards and regretting coming back now

The reason for asking a qeustion, is for getting an answer, it is my choice what decision I make in the end, I didn't agree with your opinion, deal with it

dudara

Ignore the debt collection agency and deal only with Three. Ask if you can repay the monies owed in installments. You do owe them the money.

lala88

Gizmoisgiddy wrote: »

I love how I go on boards asking for a way out of my situation, and I get sarcasm and asshole comments.
"I know so much better than you cause I'm a keyboard warrior"
kiss my ass, this is why I left boards and regretting coming back now

The reason for asking a qeustion, is for getting an answer, it is my choice what decision I make in the end, I didn't agree with your opinion, deal with it

The fact your ''looking for a way out'' says it all really

lala88

Cabaal wrote: »

Always find it amusing that people come on here asking for "help",

All they want is atleast one other poster to agree with them that although they are an adult they don't have to behave like one and instead can put their fingers in their ears and sing la la la.

Suppose its easier for these people to get through life all the time not accepting fault for their own actions,

Im surprised foggy_lad has yet to cast his view on the matter

Gizmoisgiddy

there is nothing wrong with trying to find a way out and I was a great customer for over 5 years and previous employee to three
I know it doesnt mean I can get away with paying my bill.
I'm a good person, I am just really stuck for money as most people are, and theres many people out there now asking themselves, is there anything else I can do?

28064212

dudara wrote: »

Ignore the debt collection agency and deal only with Three. Ask if you can repay the monies owed in installments. You do owe them the money.

^ This is by far the best advice you'll get. Three don't need to take you to court for €80 to have a negative effect on you, non-payment can affect your credit rating

dudara

@lala88 - Please stay on topic and post constructive/helpful comments only

dudara

Cabaal

Gizmoisgiddy wrote: »

The reason for asking a qeustion, is for getting an answer, it is my choice what decision I make in the end, I didn't agree with your opinion, deal with it

I made a simple observation about the types of posts seen on this forum like yours, I'm afraid you're the one getting all upset and throwing your toys out of the pram saying you've leaving boards.ie etc.

Frankly I'm surprised you needed to post anything, you mention you were previously employed by Three,

If this was the case then surely you'd know their policys and you'd know what the deal was regarding a debt run up for a service you didn't cancel and that instead was terminated due to nonpayment. This is pretty basic stuff for any telecoms company.

Your asking for is there is anything else you can do and valid advice such as dealing with Three directly and agreeing to a payment plan has been suggested but its clear from your first post that you don't even want to pay to begin with...which begs the question again why bother asking for any other suggestions?

Anyway, yes the best option would be to deal with Three directly as this would remove any debt fee's, you could agree to a low amount repayment plan...this would clearly take into account your current situation money wise.

sdanseo

UDP wrote: »

when did they cut off the dongle? You owe them up until that point.

Nope, he owes them the total monthly rental for the number of months in his minimum term. If that's €20 a month for 2 years, then he owes €480, for example.

Payment plan is a good idea. Be reasonable with them and you can expect them to reciprocate.

UDP

sdeire wrote: »

Nope, he owes them the total monthly rental for the number of months in his minimum term. If that's €20 a month for 2 years, then he owes €480, for example.

If they disable the dongle then they are in breach of his contract as they are blocking access to the service thus the OP only owes until the date the dongle was disabled. If they re-enabled it again or provided a new dongle then they could possibly start charging again but that would depend on the contract.

keithclancy

UDP wrote: »

If they disable the dongle then they are in breach of his contract as they are blocking access to the service thus the OP only owes until the date the dongle was disabled. If they re-enabled it again or provided a new dongle then they could possibly start charging again but that would depend on the contract.

No, If you sign up to a contract and stop paying they will simply cut off service, however you are still liable for the amount stipulated in the contract (e.g. 2 years)

Otherwise, if people wanted to get out of contract they would simply stop paying and then just pay up until they got cut off.

Cabaal

UDP wrote: »

If they disable the dongle then they are in breach of his contract as they are blocking access to the service thus the OP only owes until the date the dongle was disabled. .

errr no they are not.

If the customer has a subscription with three and doesn't pay the monthly bills then Three are well within their rights to suspend service to the dongle.

This is exactly what would Eircom would do if you didn't pay your phonebill/line rental and its 100% legal and inline with T&C's.

Three are then entitled to charge the customer up until the account was canceled/terminated due to nonpayment and this is also perfectly legal and within the T&C's.

If the customer had a contract with Three and was still within the minimum term of that contract they can also charge a contract buyout fee for the cancellation/termination of the account before the min term ended, again all very legal and within the Terms & Conditions the customer agreed to.

UDP

Cabaal wrote: »

errr no they are not.

If the customer has a subscription with three and doesn't pay the monthly bills then Three are well within their rights to suspend service to the dongle.

This is exactly what would Eircom would do if you didn't pay your phonebill/line rental and its 100% legal and inline with T&C's.

Three are then entitled to charge the customer up until the account was canceled/terminated due to nonpayment and this is also perfectly legal and within the T&C's.

If the customer had a contract with Three and was still within the minimum term of that contract they can also charge a contract buyout fee for the cancellation/termination of the account before the min term ended, again all very legal and within the Terms & Conditions the customer agreed to.

I didn't bring up anything about being within a minimum contract someone else did. I am merely saying it is a breech of contract to disable the dongle thus monies are only owed up until that point. The op has not indicated whether he or she is still under a minimum contract term.

Cabaal

UDP wrote: »

I am merely saying it is a breech of contract to disable the dongle thus monies are only owed up until that point. The op has not indicated whether he or she is still under a minimum contract term.

No its not and if you believe it is show me where in Three's T&C's that their suspension of services for nonpayment means they've breached the contract.

OP didn't pay for the service so Three like any telecoms provider suspended the service in order to prompt the customer to call and resolve the payment problem, if the service comes with a monthly recurring charge then Three are still entitled to seek this.

UDP

Cabaal wrote: »

No its not and if you believe it is show me where in Three's T&C's that their suspension of services for nonpayment means they've breached the contract.

Apologies it is the customer that has breached the contract but the telecoms provider that has terminated the contract by terminating the service. If the contract is subject to a minimum term then the telecoms provider can sue for damages relating to the remainder of the contract. If it is not subject to a minimum term length or that length of time has passed then the customer owes up to the point at which the telecoms provider terminated the contract they cannot continue to charge for a service not being provided.

Paulw

UDP wrote: »

Apologies it is the customer that has breached the contract but the telecoms provider that has terminated the contract by terminating the service.

Nope, they have not terminated the contract, they have suspended service, pending payment, so the contract is still in place.

UDP

Paulw wrote: »

Nope, they have not terminated the contract, they have suspended service, pending payment, so the contract is still in place.

Suspending service is terminating the contract. This is clear as they include a term regarding a re-connection fee.

sdanseo

UDP wrote: »

Suspending service is terminating the contract. This is clear as they include a term regarding a re-connection fee.

Disconnection = Suspension of Service =/= Termination of Contract.

I'm not saying that forcing a person to pay for 1/2 years of service if they lose a modem is morally correct, however it is legally correct.

If I had my way - and I work in this industry - there would be no subsidies for handsets and no minimum terms except where perhaps reduced prices apply or something like that. This would be legislated, of course, because companies will never see sense and roll with this model. There'd be none of this "sign up for two years, get a free iPhone" lark. It's hassle, and it affect us at the coalface who have to deal with agitated customers - some of whom end up very hard done by, and others who, through this ridiculous practice of constant subsidy, somehow feel they are entitled to free replacement handsets or upgrades in the event of loss, and so on. Much better to keep things simple in my book.

UDP

sdeire wrote: »

Disconnection = Suspension of Service =/= Termination of Contract.

I think you are referring to minimum contract period. I am talking about when there is either no minimum contract period or when that period has passed. I cannot see any judge ruling that a contract is not terminated when service is terminated when the customer is not bound by a minimum contract period. You might call it suspended but it is not suspended when there is a re-connection fee charged.

charlemont

Just ignore it and don't answer to any unknown callers. Its actually that simple.

juan.kerr

Pay the outstanding amount and you'll be grand, OP.