UPC and Debt Collection Agency

padma

I had a small issue with upc and they think I owe them 60 euro. I have no intention of dealing with them anymore and have moved apartment recently.

I got a call from a private number Friday morning from a person asking me to confirm my home address...I refused then she told me she was from a debt collection agency...i said i have no debts and who am I supposed to owe money to...she said if I could confirm my address she would tell me...I told her ive no intention of giving such details to people I have never met before and to f off out of it....she hung up the phone...

I guess the idea here is some fear tactic to frighten you in to giving them money... They may come across my address in the future and will be promptly ignored...

So..if I ignore them will they eventually back off...?

dudara

Post split out and moved to own thread

dudara

garhjw

Do you owe them €60? If you think you don't send them a letter outlining why and see what their response

padma

I dont owe them anything, i've no intention of spending anymore money ringing them or for that matter spending time and money on a stamped addressed envelope, just thought i'd share my experience.

Cabaal

How are you just sharing your experience if your opening post is very clearly a question?

You either owe it or don't , if you don't then it's no big deal to resolve the issue, you could even deal with them for free through boards. So your excuses don't hold up.

Clearly you want to know can you just stick your head in the sand to avoid dealing with it,

PeteK*

padma wrote: »

I dont owe them anything,

You just said in your first post you think you owe them €60.
What has changed?

Data protection is why they need to confirm who you are.
It doesn't make sense in a way, because it means UPC gave your details to them. Surely that's a breach of data protection in some way or another.

padma

PeteK* wrote: »

You just said in your first post you think you owe them €60.
What has changed?

Data protection is why they need to confirm who you are.
It doesn't make sense in a way, because it means UPC gave your details to them. Surely that's a breach of data protection in some way or another.

No, I said THEY think I owe them, big difference. The story is this. for clarification. I was with UPC for two years I cancelled my connection, paid up for the last month with 30 days notice. All is good.

They sent out a few letters to my old house asking for 60 euro as an outstanding bill. I have already cleared all bills with them. They are now on my ignore list, should they wish to bring me to court i'd be happy to take a day off work and arrive on to the scene.

For further clarification the person who rang me from whatever debt collection agency on a private number did not Confirm who she was collecting on behalf of, so I did not confirm my new address to a stranger. Very simple really. My FEELING is it is from UPC and if so my question is if I ignore them will they go away.

PeteK*

It's odd they think you owe them money.. and likely they're charging you for a period after you left them or something. I don't know if you pay in advance of a month or pay after the month.
I think you're better off to get it sorted. Going to court after ignoring them won't go down too well.

padma

yes, i understand that, but i have no more need of their services and they should have no more need of my money. They and the debt collection agency if it is on their behalf can spend as much money as they want looking for an imaginary few quid. I've no more intention of dealing with them after their price hikes over the past year and wish for them to respect my privacy. I'm gone, they just need to update their system and I'm sure they will within time, but i've no intention of talking with a company i am no longer with.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

PeteK*

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

:pac:

The OP mentioned court, but I'm not sure if debt collectors add on fees for non payments.

Ken.

1908-Free to ring UPC.

Menas

Best get it sorted OP...if you are wrong and the debt is genuine then the fees can add up.
Also your credit rating could take a hit which could have future consequences.

Mountjoy Mugger

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Best get it sorted OP...if you are wrong and the debt is genuine then the fees can add up.
Also your credit rating could take a hit which could have future consequences.

Credit rating being hit is a red herring - UPC aren't members of the ICB.

Beano

Mountjoy Mugger wrote: »

Credit rating being hit is a red herring - UPC aren't members of the ICB.

Its a total red herring. They would have to get a court judgement for the amount owed before it could affect your credit rating.

STB

So you dont know who they were representing ?

@OP. If they ring back, ask them

1) how they got your phone number and your name.
2) If they registered with the Data Protection Commissioner in Ireland.

Also I see no mention of using a Debt Collection Agency in the terms & conditions[/upc] of UPC. I do see it in their privacy policy "Where allowed by applicable law, we may also share Personal Information with credit check agencies or debt collection agencies."

Give no personal details to a blank number ever.

Maireben

I had terrible trouble with UPC. Although I wrote to them telling them that I did not owe them money they never replied but forwarded my 'debt' to a collection agency. I then wrote to them with a photocopy of my letter to UPC .
I should say here that you should PhOTOCOPY everything you send to them
I then received a solicitors letter. At this point my friend told me to go to Citizens Advice Bureau. They advised me on how to word a letter to this solicitor and enclose a copy of ALL letters sent. If he did not take notice I threatened to go to Consumer Advice Services. Never heard from them again!
I miss their good internet but I would never recommend UPC to anyone ever again. It's only when something goes wrong that you realise what a horrible company they are!

Shakespeare's Sister

Why not contact UPC to find out what this debt is? It didn't spring from nowhere.

hfallada

If you Google most debt collection agencies in Ireland. You can order a 100 debt collection letter for a couple of hundred. You just mail shot people who owe you money. Likewise most "solicitors" are often generic letters sent from one form too. Most debt isn't worth pursuing through the courts here. It's too slow and expensive.

Most debt collection letters are to fear people into paying. Most company's never follow through on the threats

Maireben

@Magaggie. I asked UPC to let me know where they came up with their figures. They NEVER replied! pointless waste of a registered letter!

I agree with hFallada. Both the debt collection agency and solicitors address were the same!

If you don't owe it, don't pay it!

SSD2014

Just check online statements to see whats not paid. No need to ring them or write to them.