Moved House. Kept Eir, now a debt collection agency is chasing me

Tails142

I moved house in February and switched my Eir service (phone and broadband) to the new house. This involved having my old account closed and being issued with a new account number. When the agent in the Home Move section was setting up the new account and telling me a new modem was going to be sent out, I asked him what to do with my old modem and I was specifically told that a courier would contact me to arrange collection.

A technician came out to do the install at my new house and I thought no more about the old modem and nobody ever got in contact with me to collect it. The old modem has been sitting in a press for the last three months out of sight and out of mind.

Last week I noticed a direct debit from Eir came out of my account for €59.79 which didn't match the bill that was due, so I thought it was strange and got in touch with your customer service. The agent explained the charge was for not returning the modem and that I was supposed to go to the Nightline website to arrange collection.

Now that's fine, I can understand mistakes happen, your agent in the moving section gave me the wrong information but it's not a big deal, I can make the necessary arrangements to return the modem and I presume you will return the fee.

The problem really begins with a call I received yesterday from Cabot Financial Ltd., a company I knew nothing about. They rang me at work and immediately asked for my address for 'data protection purposes'. I assumed this was some sort of scam as I didn't recognise the company name and I told him I wouldn't give my address as I didn't know who they were and that it was an unsolicited call. The agent got aggressive with me and then ended the call.

Later on in the day the people now living at my previous address contacted me to let me know they had received a letter addressed to me. I collected the letter and was surprised to see it was a letter from Cabot Financial Ltd. demanding payment of €59.79 on behalf or 'Eircom Ltd'.

As a customer of Eir I'm very annoyed with how this situation has arisen. Firstly I was given the wrong information by your agent regarding the return of the modem. Then without contacting me to advise that the modem needed to be returned and that Eir had not yet received it, a charge was issued and taken directly from my account. I have been given no bill in advance, or receipt for this charge deducted from my account and when I log into myEir for the account number there is no information or paperless bills available to me.

Then through what I can only assume is some sort of systems error, even though the fee was taken out of my account by direct debit on May 15th, I receive a letter also dated May 15th from the debt collection agency Cabot Financial Ltd. demanding payment direct to them - and this is having never received any form of notification from Eir that there is an issue with my account and that the modem needs to be returned.

Is it normal practice for Eir to charge for non-return of the modem without first attempting to contact their customer to advise there is an issue and explain how to return the modem? You have my mobile phone number and my previous and current postal address as a continuing customer.

Is it normal practice for Eir to pass a charge onto a debt collection agency without first advising the customer that a fee is due? And in my instance, why is the debt collection agency demanding payment when Eir took the fee directly from my account by direct debit and is therefore paid??

I am truly taken aback by how this has been handled by Eir and how a current customer is being treated with the embarrassment of being phoned in work by a debt collection agency and receiving letters demanding payment at a previous address (when the fee was already taken by Eir via direct debit). Today I have also received text messages from Cabot Financial Ltd requesting me to urgently contact them.

I hope that you will be able to swiftly resolve this matter and direct Cabot Financial Ltd to cease contacting me.

eir: Leanne

Tails142 wrote: »

I moved house in February and switched my Eir service (phone and broadband) to the new house. This involved having my old account closed and being issued with a new account number. When the agent in the Home Move section was setting up the new account and telling me a new modem was going to be sent out, I asked him what to do with my old modem and I was specifically told that a courier would contact me to arrange collection.

A technician came out to do the install at my new house and I thought no more about the old modem and nobody ever got in contact with me to collect it. The old modem has been sitting in a press for the last three months out of sight and out of mind.

Last week I noticed a direct debit from Eir came out of my account for €59.79 which didn't match the bill that was due, so I thought it was strange and got in touch with your customer service. The agent explained the charge was for not returning the modem and that I was supposed to go to the Nightline website to arrange collection.

Now that's fine, I can understand mistakes happen, your agent in the moving section gave me the wrong information but it's not a big deal, I can make the necessary arrangements to return the modem and I presume you will return the fee.

The problem really begins with a call I received yesterday from Cabot Financial Ltd., a company I knew nothing about. They rang me at work and immediately asked for my address for 'data protection purposes'. I assumed this was some sort of scam as I didn't recognise the company name and I told him I wouldn't give my address as I didn't know who they were and that it was an unsolicited call. The agent got aggressive with me and then ended the call.

Later on in the day the people now living at my previous address contacted me to let me know they had received a letter addressed to me. I collected the letter and was surprised to see it was a letter from Cabot Financial Ltd. demanding payment of €59.79 on behalf or 'Eircom Ltd'.

As a customer of Eir I'm very annoyed with how this situation has arisen. Firstly I was given the wrong information by your agent regarding the return of the modem. Then without contacting me to advise that the modem needed to be returned and that Eir had not yet received it, a charge was issued and taken directly from my account. I have been given no bill in advance, or receipt for this charge deducted from my account and when I log into myEir for the account number there is no information or paperless bills available to me.

Then through what I can only assume is some sort of systems error, even though the fee was taken out of my account by direct debit on May 15th, I receive a letter also dated May 15th from the debt collection agency Cabot Financial Ltd. demanding payment direct to them - and this is having never received any form of notification from Eir that there is an issue with my account and that the modem needs to be returned.

Is it normal practice for Eir to charge for non-return of the modem without first attempting to contact their customer to advise there is an issue and explain how to return the modem? You have my mobile phone number and my previous and current postal address as a continuing customer.

Is it normal practice for Eir to pass a charge onto a debt collection agency without first advising the customer that a fee is due? And in my instance, why is the debt collection agency demanding payment when Eir took the fee directly from my account by direct debit and is therefore paid??

I am truly taken aback by how this has been handled by Eir and how a current customer is being treated with the embarrassment of being phoned in work by a debt collection agency and receiving letters demanding payment at a previous address (when the fee was already taken by Eir via direct debit). Today I have also received text messages from Cabot Financial Ltd requesting me to urgently contact them.

I hope that you will be able to swiftly resolve this matter and direct Cabot Financial Ltd to cease contacting me.

Hi, Tails142.

Thank you for getting in touch. 

I understand your frustration and I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused here.

Please feel free to PM me your account details and I will have a further look into this for you and will be in contact with an update.

Thanks, 
Leanne 

Tails142

Thanks Leanne, I sent you a PM with my account details.

eir: Leanne

Hi Tails142,

I will check my PM's now and I reply shortly.

Thanks, 
Leanne.