Ex owes me money, where do I stand on this?

MG42Maniac

MG42Maniac

MG42Maniac

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Afternoon,

Looking for a bit of advice on what I can do in this situation.

Firstly, a bit of background information. I was out on the town in Nov 2010 and lost my phone ending number '2098' and was only half way through a contract so was lumbered with paying £35 a month but with no phone. I got a second contract with a new phone and a new number and left the old contract running and just accepted the £35 a month would keep coming out till the contract ends (Dec 2011). Now fast forward to February 2011 and my girlfriend has just come off a skiing holiday an racked up a huge phone bill and cannot pay it all so o2 cut her off. I say to her why don't you port your number over and take over my old contract for say £15 a month. That way she saves money (her line rental was £35) and I save £20 a month. She agree and my number ending '2098' becomes her number ending '1134' but it is still under my account, she just pays me £20 a month.

Anyway end of July comes up and she has decided we are over after nearly a year and she's quitting her job, selling all her stuff and getting a WHV visa and heading to Perth Aus. I'm devastated but soon realise there is no talking her out of it so leave her to it.

I had a phone call from Vodafone a little while back to let me know that I have been texting Australia loads and did I want some sort of international package. I checked the online statement and there was £110 ex vat of unbilled (extra) charges. I checked the number and they are all pretty much to this one number. I quiz her and find out it's the guy who she is staying with when she gets to Aus. He's a guy she knows through friends who is also on a WHV. I dig deeper and find out she may have feelings for him but is 'confused'. She says she might go over there and nothing will happen but I don't believe her for one second.

Roid Rage kicks in as she's basically ran up a huge phonebill flirting and arranging to do stuff with this guy and I am left to pick up the tab. I have asked her to pay for it and she says she cannot afford to as she needs all her money for the move. I have asked if she can pay in two lots of £100 and she says she cannot afford to and at this point got angry with me. The final amount for that line rental is £200 instead of £35 and this is due on 7th Sept. She goes on Monday the 29th August for a year. I am under to illusions that money will be tight when she is out there and she will have no intention of paying it back.

Obviously I cannot foot a £200 bill so she could flirt and make plans with her potential new man as that's just plain insulting. Is there anyway I can get her to pay or is it a case of my line rental and therefore she can just laugh her way onto the plane.

If it relations between us sour even further I could talk to her parents but my ex is 29 so it seems a bit odd. Her Dad is a Uni Lecturer but is too soft and gets walked over by his Daughter and her Mum is also too soft. If I explained the situation they would see why I am angry but I don't think they would really do much. I don't want them to pay, I just thought they might put pressure on their Daughter.

Can anyone offer any advice? My Dad thinks I won't see a penny of that money, I determined to prove him wrong!

Thanks :)
 
There really isn't anything you can do, just cut off all her access to that account and carry on as you are.

I'm not sure why you opened another contract when you lost your phone though, you could have just replaced the handset on your original contract, I know the nicer ones are pretty expensive bit if you could not afford or did not want to replace like with like then you could have just bought a cheap one, or some sort of cheap pay as you go job and used that until your contract ended anyway.
 
No advice for you I'm afraid friend, but as a guy on my course continuously says in regard to women:

"Snakes with ****"

And I bet she doesn't see that she's done anything wrong at all.
 
NEVER take on a phone or other services contract for someone else in your name. I had a similar thing with an ex who ran up a £400 Vodafone bill before splitting with me. :mad:
 
Frustratingly I think you won't see any of that dosh, all you can do is try and make other things as difficult as possible for her in order to get value for money. A lesson for next time maybe but don't blame you at the time.
 
Okay, you guys have pretty much confirmed what I thought was the case! If I end up forking out the whole £200 for this bill it will have been the biggest **** take ever.

Do you think it would be worth speaking to her parents? I fear that even if I did and they put pressure on her she would ignore it and just swanny off to Aus on Monday.
 
I'm confused, did she rack up all these texts while she was still with you or did you leave the phone connected in your name when you broke up?
Also is there any reason you couldn't open a small claims case against her? Do you have any evidence she was giving you the £20 a month towards it? If she's going on a WHV she's still a resident here.
 
MG42Maniac said:
Okay, you guys have pretty much confirmed what I thought was the case! If I end up forking out the whole £200 for this bill it will have been the biggest **** take ever.

Do you think it would be worth speaking to her parents? I fear that even if I did and they put pressure on her she would ignore it and just swanny off to Aus on Monday.
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Like I say, you may as well give her as hard time as possible in what ever way you can!
 
Your not going to see that cash. The moment that plane takes off, she will have completly forgotten about it.

Speaking to their parents isnt going to achieve anything either I reckon. They may mention something, but again she wont care as she's leaving the country anyway.

Just take it as a learning experience, be very careful of having any sort of agreement for your partner in your own name.
 
Abraham said:
I'm confused, did she rack up all these texts while she was still with you or did you leave the phone connected in your name when you broke up?
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When she was with me and after she left me. I cannot cancel the contract so just blocked all international texts/calls. The phone is still connected but she does not have an active SIM as I told vodafone to disable hers and send out a new one to me.
 
Personally I'd write off the £200 and tell her never to contact me ever again. Then I would go smash as many pasties as I can for the next couple of weeks
 
MG42Maniac said:
When she was with me and after she left me. I cannot cancel the contract so just blocked all international texts/calls. The phone is still connected but she does not have an active SIM as I told vodafone to disable hers and send out a new one to me.
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I know hindsight is brilliant but you should have done all of that when she broke up with you.
 
wnb said:
£200 thats value for money to get rid of her.
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That's true tbh. That £200 is basically your reason to never allow yourself to fall for her crap again. She'll come back from Aus once she realises it's not all sunshine and rainbows and she'll look for old dependable mug you to prop her up again. That £200 will remind you of why not to.
 
mattx2 said:
Not much use if the person is in oz for the next couple of years
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So would you not do it if someone was going on holiday? She's still legally a resident of the UK, and if anything the papers landing on her parents doormat might scare her into coughing up.
 
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