Huge problem with BT - now have baliffs visit threats!

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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9,414
Location
Pembrokeshire
Sorry this is long but please read - really worried about this

I can't believe how utterly utterly badly BT have handled such a simple job as changing over a business telephone line.

We moved into the business premises in May and contacted BT on the same day. My partner arranged a 24 month contract and completed all the details over the phone.

I called the following day to change the contract to 12 months because I didn't want to be locked to BT for so long.

On both occassions they were given bank details, new name on the account and I received call reference numbers.

In July I called again because we still hadn't received a bill. Nothing had been done at all!!! Even the lad on the phone apologised because he could see nothing had been done and said he would re-arrange the bills accordingly.

In the meantime we received a bill for the previous owners which included April which we are not responsible for. I attempted to get this altered with BT and I was told to expect 2 bills - the correct one and the outstanding balance owed by the previous owners.

September comes and still no bills from BT. However we receive a letter from a debt collection agency demanding £133 from the previous owners. I called the debt collection agency and told them the we had taken over and are not responsible - they said fine you won't here from us again.

I checked back through the bills received by the previous owners and BT have not made any changes and part of this £133 is actually our responsibility. I call BT and ask them to sort this out and the person I spoke to kept saying its not our bill to pay as its not in our name. I told them we called right at the start and subsequently to get this sorted out and she tells me that on each occasion WE ended the call so nothing was done - WE being us not BT. Even though the last thing the BT person does is give the call ref number.

At every stage I've been trying to pay this bill and get the debt sorted out properly - the girl on the phone was really snotted with me because I was trying to pay a bill that wasn't mine - well partly it is but I couldn't get the message across.

We then get a call from the shoe shop round the corner to say that our BT bill had gone there. We then ring BT and ask for the address to be corrected - we are told that BT wouldn't have made the mistake and it must have been us.

Today guess what - the line has been flippin cut off and we get another letter from the debt collectors telling us the baliffs are on their way.

I've called BT and once again given them our bank details and I've been told the line will be re-activated within 24 hours. I've also waited 20 minutes to speak to the debt collectors but no one answers. I've written them a letter telling them the previous owners left in May.

I've never been so badly treated by any other company in my life. The way BT have handled this is utterly appalling. My wife is scared witless now that some big bugger baliffs are going to turn up and start taking things - can they do this?
 
I sympathise with you matey, it's horrible when this sort of thing happens. Hope you get it all sorted out soon, shame you can't charge them for the time wasting and stress.
 
Have the postcodes round there changed or something? Could be some sort of admin cockup that has left your calls in some black hole somewhere.
 
Thanks for the link but what I need to know is whether If a baliff turns up on the premises will they take our goods even though the debt is in the name of the previous owner.

Can they get in without a warrant? I'm not sure. Can they get in to premises to which you hold the title, where the debt is in someone else's name?

If your business has a solicitor, now is the time to call them.

On your mobile.
 
Thanks for the link but what I need to know is whether If a baliff turns up on the premises will they take our goods even though the debt is in the name of the previous owner.

snip not getting involved.

As far as I know only Courts can issue a Bailiff.

Nor can they collect a debt in someone elses name. Its the equivalent of the government seizing rented property, just doesn't happen.
 
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Have ID ready by the door, remember they will try to gain entry. You need to prove its not you, as much evidence as you can.

TBH until you get it sorted its better to no open the door to anyone you do not know, and keep all windows shut and locked so they cannot be opened from outside (not so hard this time of year).

I used to know a bailif, he was paid by results as a bonus. He would get his foot into the gap a door created so freakin fast it wasnt funny. Then you had a 6'6" guy who weights about 20 stone with part of his body in your door way. He was the only person I have ever known who could lift a 3 seater settee on one shoulder and an armchair on the other. In was in fact his party trick.

Hastle BT big time, literally keep calling, and ask to escalated.
Start compiling evidence asap, your calls to them etc, dates times.
 
No. One of the many times I rang to pay the bill they asked to confirm the address and they got it wrong - I told them to correct it. There are 2 number 13s in the same postcode. They had the wrong one - the shoe shop - hence the call from the shoe shop (who had been receiving BT mailing but didn't bother to say until recently)

BT claim we gave them the address which isn't true.

We have tried to get this sorted for nearly 6 months and BT seem hell bent on messing it up. The line is now working.

I think BT is finally sorted - I have no idea what tariff we are on.

My concern now is these baliffs. The debt isn't in our name - in fairness some of it is ours but I just could not get BT to correct it.
 
Thanks for the link but what I need to know is whether If a baliff turns up on the premises will they take our goods even though the debt is in the name of the previous owner.

Only time you should get a visit from a Baliff is when you have had a warrant of execution issued against you from the court, debt collection agencies have no power whatsoever. The warrant of execution is the final step in the court to force you to pay a debt that has been through the court system, Baliff's do not have any power over you until the court issues a warrant.

If the warrant is not in your name then they can not seize any of your property, they can only seize the property of the name on the warrant.
 
A suggestion.

Try someone else, there are loads of companies that you can use for a landline, try one of those. You do not need to touch BT anymore, my suggestion would be to stay well clear of them.
 
TBH until you get it sorted its better to no open the door to anyone you do not know, and keep all windows shut and locked so they cannot be opened from outside (not so hard this time of year).

Its a business address (shop) so the door needs to be open :)

If the warrant is not in your name then they can not seize any of your property, they can only seize the property of the name on the warrant.

This is what I need to hear. Thankyou.

No court or anything like that so far. Just one letter asking for the money to which I rang and told them the date we took over. Now a letter saying we are sending someone round to collect the debt and I've waited 20 minutes with no one answering the phone.
 
Its a business address (shop) so the door needs to be open :)



This is what I need to hear. Thankyou.

No court or anything like that so far. Just one letter asking for the money to which I rang and told them the date we took over. Now a letter saying we are sending someone round to collect the debt and I've waited 20 minutes with no one answering the phone.

If anyone from the Debt Collection agency turns up, which is very unlikely, just tell them to leave. They are not Baliffs, and have no legal entitlement to take anything. If they refuse to leave then calll the Police.
 
If anyone from the Debt Collection agency turns up, which is very unlikely, just tell them to leave. They are not Baliffs, and have no legal entitlement to take anything. If they refuse to leave then calll the Police.

This and don't correspond with a debt collection agency in any way, always talk to the company you owe the money to. BT are really bad with their debts, as they are usually small they leave them to debt collection agencies that do not have the power to take you to court but do have the power to harass you. If it starts getting bad, weekly threats from multiple agencies, then have a letter template drawn up threatening any further correspondence will be viewed as harassment and will be passed onto your solicitors for legal action.
 
No. One of the many times I rang to pay the bill they asked to confirm the address and they got it wrong - I told them to correct it. There are 2 number 13s in the same postcode. They had the wrong one - the shoe shop - hence the call from the shoe shop (who had been receiving BT mailing but didn't bother to say until recently)

BT claim we gave them the address which isn't true.

That's probably it then. A lot of computer systems are set up to just look for an address based on a postcode and house number. Someone probably didn't bother to confirm the street name.
 
BT in poor customer services shocker. :rolleyes: Do they ever get anything right?
They should compensate you for the loss of business, loss of work hours trying to sort this out, stress caused and also their utter stupidity.

Good luck getting it sorted.
Have you taken simulatormans advice and got in touch with the ombudsman?
 
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