Arrrrgghhhh i know a lot of people have money issues at the moment! But now i have a debt company calling me for something i dont even owe!!

Sorry this is gunna be a long one, but i could really do with some help if anyone knows what i can/should do!

I lived in a flat in my last year of uni from last september until june this year, and the landlords also owned a electric company called the utility warehouse (is anyone else with them??) anyways basically they told us if we went with their company they would do us a deal on the internet, and they had cheap electric rates, which fair enough to them, they did. They sent us the modem and all the equipment we needed, and we knew we had to give it back at the end of the agreement.

When we left the flat, we told them that the equipment was left behind in the tv stand (you could see it in there as it was in the glass part) ready for them to collect. Well the stupid twats went ahead and threw the tv stand out and charged us for the pleasure of chucking it out as they said it was ours. We called them up and said "if you look in the fixtures/fittings list, you will see it was in the flat when we moved in, and youve basically just chucked your own things away" so they refunded us our money.

But they also threw out their modem, and are now trying to charge me £64.00 for a new one. I reminded them that they knew it was in the stand, but it seems they are having none of it, and have now got a debt company involved. I called the debt company but they said that its nothing to do with them, and i had to take it up with the utilty warehouse people.

But it seems pointless to call them again and say im not going to pay as they just wont have it.

Am i in the wrong?? I didnt think i was, but now im not too sure.

They also kept some of our deposit back, saying the flat was left dirty, but we left the flat in a cleaner state then when they gave it to us, and when we said this, they sent us photos in which they had clearly added a mess, amd said it was us who left it behind

Sorry this is soooo long! But im just so worried about money now, i need to pay for my pram next week when it comes into the shop, i need to pay for the last of my driving lessons before my test in three weeks, and i owe my mum money, which luckily shes not pushing me for as she knows the situation, id just rather be able to pay her money back then give it to a company who dont deserve it.

What shall i say to them when i call them tomorrow? Just that im not paying end of? Has anyone else been in a similar situation?? I just need some advice!!

Arrrghhhhh

Also just to add, that ive seen the same modem in the shops for £30, so why are they asking for so much if they just want a replacement?? It just feels like their trying to con money out of me

i have been in a similar situation sort of and after 5 years it is still on going!! i lived in a council flat and went with an electric company (cant remember the name ) lol i paid my bills every month and informed them when i moved out as i actually used them at my new address but after a while the company was bought out by n-power i think, i then changed my supplier to a cheaper company but started getting calls and letters from a debt company from a debt run up at the flat after i had moved!!!
i sent them proof of when i moved out and thought that would be it, WRONG n-power got another debt company to pester me!! i told them i wasn't paying nor would i have my proof copied and sent to them as i had done it with the previous company......we are still arguing about it!
sorry i can't be any more help hun just thought i would share my story, hope you get it sorted xx

Right, if the flat was in the England then they were legally obliged to put your deposit into a third party protection scheme. If they fail to do so and if they fail to notify you of this within a few weeks, they are liable to pay you back TRIPLE your deposit.

It's the law in England now, so that landlords can't do things like this. So, I'd ignore your landlord about his poxy £64 and go straight to the top with this one... you're a pregnant woman and that money would be handy.

"The Tenancy Deposit Scheme came into force on the 6th April 2007. If you are not protecting a tenant’s deposit you will be ordered to repay three times the amount to the tenant so find out how you can protect deposits and resolve disputes."

Taken from: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TenancyDeposit/DG_066380

To take this further, visit: http://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/ and ask for advice about what to do next.

Let us know how you get on too, I love it when crap landlords get screwed over.

Thanks everyone!

These landlords are such w****rs!!! They just seem to try and screw you out of as much money as they possibly can! GRRRRRRR

Yeah don't pay them, seriously...

Oh dear...

I think that you have to be VERY careful with landlords (I know, easy to say in retrospect):
- really one of you (preferably the one who signed for the modem etc) should have been at the flat for an official "check out" (i.e. handed the modem back, esnured that any inventory was gone through and ensured that the flat was inspected and in satisfactory condition). You really MUST do that next time...

I am afraid that even genuine lettings companies can easily try to get extra money out of you. The last place we rented I left in SPOTLESS condition and still got charged "£10 for cleaning" - what on earth did they clean???

I think that you need to get some advice on this "debt" (Citizens Advice Bureau). There may be no actual fair basis for the "debt", BUT that will not stop the debt company pursuing you and MAY even effect your credit rating (may not be important to you now, could be very important in future...).

These debt companies are RELENTLESS in their pursuit of debt (even stupid small amounts): it is all a big scam, but they seem to work within the law... it is very hard - and VERY costly - to prove the debt wrong: so you have the choice of paying it (£100 maybe?) or spending THOUSANDS tackling it through a solicitor and possibly court. So most people are wise (although unfairly wronged) to settle a small debt. Frustrating, but the best approach is to rigidly avoid similar situations in future...

Get some advice.

(Edited to add, FemmeEnceinte has EXCELLENT advice... get some advice from the various organisations, follow it up and sort this out... you need to get it resolved rather than ignoring it...)

QT

A good point, QTPie. The debt company does need to be dealt with.

It's tricky though, since you don't want to flag the landlord to what you're doing about the deposit... you want to take him by surprise so he has no time to prepare any kind of defence even though it will make precious little difference.

CAB is probably your best bet, but you might actually be liable to pay if you weren't there for an inspection and cannot prove that you didn't throw it out yourself. Either way, you'll definitely be getting triple your deposit back so it's nothing much by comparison if it comes to it.

It's a shame that you only really learn how to handle landlords once you've already made a mistake or two.

It's a little off topic but years ago I found an entry on my credit report for a debt of £3 (that's not a typo - £3) but from a debt recovery place and no indication of what it was from. So I phoned the company, they said yes, it's a real debt and would I send them the money? I said sure, as soon as they told me what it was for. So she said she'd phone me back. A week later she phoned and aid she couldn't find the paperwork that went with the computer record so couldn't tell me the origins of it but if I sent the money it would be marked as paid on my credit record!
I said no - you tell me what it's for and the original debt holder and I'll send you the money but not before! That was 7 years ago, still not heard back!
Landlords are slippery little buggers, pin them down, unfortunatley the debt colectors don't really care about the rights and wrongs - they bought the debt and they want a return on their money!

Oh you poor thing *hugs* let us know how you get on! I have something similar at the moment where i have been sent a letter from a debt company saying i owe O2 money for a phone i cancelled 6 months ago? I've been with Orange all my life and can prove it, never been anywhere near O2 for anything, so no idea where this has come from! But Debt company doesn't give a damn, they just want the money, so it's going to be difficult!