Unexpected Cancellation Bill

Question

I have recently received a Formal Demand from Past Due Credit Solutions which seems to be a Cancellation Fee.
This is how it all panned out, back in 2009 around November myself and my partner had to leave our (then) current home, it was simply uninhabitable, we contacted BT and spoke to them to arrange Cancellation, they agreed to Waiver the Cancellation Fee as it wasn't our choice to leave the home.
We then moved back in with my Parents for a few months, we have been in our current home for around a year or so now, and as mentioned i have just recieved a Formal Demand for the Cancellation Fee, unfortunately i didn't get anything in writing with regards to the Agreement of Wavering the Cancellation Fee, we paid our last months bill on the BT Broadband/Phone Package and went on our not so merry way.
Like i said this was around November 2009, is there anything i can do about this, there is simply no way i can come up with the Funds by the mentioned date, Letter was received on 09/08 and the amount is due 11/08, bear in mind pay day has been and gone.
The odds are no one will have replied by the time i have contacted BT later this afternoon, but any thoughts on this one?

Answer 1

Hi,
Similar problem with me (hope it's the right way to post it here). Received a letter from past due credit solutions on the evening 15th August (dated 11th August) with a FORMAL DEMAND for £117, creditor: BT Group plc, Product: BT Product. Payment due 18th August. This is the first letter i've received from this company and the first time i've even thought of BT since moving out of my student accommodation  two years ago! (i was head of house for the two years we spent at the property).
I rang BT the same night i received the letter and asked them to check my account (i only had account no. for my phone account, not broadband) and explained about the abrupt letter. I was assured my phone account was poperly cancelled when i left the property (i have a dated copy of my final bill to prove this). I was then 'forwarded' onto billing department where I languished on hold for 20mins until I hung up. I rang again, got through to a different operator and I asked him to check my broadband account (which he did by tracking phone no. for the property as I didnt have the reference no. for this separate account). He informed me I had an oustanding balance of £96 on this account! I asked why it had taken two years to inform me of this and to what exactly did this balance refer to? (the credit soulutions letter made no refernce to the specifics). Hadn't I properly cancelled broadband same as the phone on leaving the property? He puts me throuhgh to another department where, after another 20 Debussy-filled minutes on hold, I habg up.
I rang again today to try to clarify the fees (I have not contacted PDCS as of yet) and the operator could not fiind my broadband account details to deal with the request. I gave the Client Ref no. on the PDCS letter and was informed that this was only taking her back to the phone account page, not the broadband. I queiried this saying that last night I was given details very easily about this account and the operator hung up saying she couldn't help me!
I'm forwarding this to the MODS for further assistance. I have, curiously, noticed across several forums, the same problems with the same credit company and BT, British Gas variously. all with this same problem. Coincendence?
Lee