ESAT BT - court notification - Intrum Justitia

Hi all, hoping someone can help me with this.
A few months ago I signed up for ESAT broadband, however I never accessed it as my password wasn't set up properly. I rang them a few times and kept getting bounced round various departments. They never returned my calls either and it seemed no-one could change a password so I could use the service. I mailed them and this also was ignored.

As such, I instructed my credit card not to pay any bills to ESAT which they did for me.

I've now recieved a letter from their debt collectors (intrum justitia) demanding payment or they'll issue court proceedings.

What I'd like to know is what should I do now ?

Do I ignore it, do I reply to the debt collectors saying that I never used the service, or do I contact comreg or some other group to complain ?

Thanks,
Twerg.

Get onto Comreg

They will sort that out fo ya and listen to those debt collectors squeal!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck!!

You should ideally have notified Esat BT in writing of your intentions to not pay and they should have been given a deadline by which you would carry out your threat if your service was not made operational. To fail to honour your side of the contract, without formally warning the other contracting party that you considered them to have breached their side of the contract, is never advisable but it is not necessarily fatal to your case.

It is not clear from your post whose fault it was that the password was not set up correctly but nevertheless I assume that you were properly relying on their customer support staff, as part of their contractual obligations to you, to put right any problems regardless of how the problem had occurred.

In my experience, your best bet is to write to the debt collectors and set out the history of the matter. Tell them that should proceedings be issued then they will be vigorously defended. This usually results in the debt collection agency selling the debt back to the party that instructed them, as they really don't wish to get involved in litigation that relates to a customer dispute rather than just a straightforward failure, refusal or neglect to pay a due debt. Esat BT will then likely attempt to deal properly with your grievance, which is what they should have done in the first place.

Let us know how you get on, and good luck.

Thanks

Thanks for the replies guys. Will let ya know how I get on.

Outcome

I initially phoned ESAT and despite the fact that they confirmed there was no usage at all on the account, they still tried to maintain that they had set it up correctly and that I owed them money.
I then contacted ComReg and well as sending a formal written complaint to ESAT and a copy to the debt collectors.

I'm now glad to say that ESAT have reviewed the matter and have agreed that no charges at all are due.
Thanks to ComReg for a happy ending.

Twerg.

Re: Outcome

Hi Twerg,

Glad to see that this has been resolved to your satisfaction.

I think a big learning has to be : when an invoice is in dispute inform the vendor in writing.

ajapale

Re: Outcome

Always nice to hear a happy ending.
Well done.

-Rd

Outcome

Twerg said

"Thanks to ComReg for a happy ending"

I think maybe...

"Thanks to AAM for a happy ending"!