AOL - demanding payment

[fuzzybrain]

We had AOL until July/August 2008 and always paid by direct debit. We cancelled with AOL and got our MAC code and subscribed with Sky.

Out of the blue I have received a final demand from AOL demanding £160 for missed subscriptions!! They say I have 10 days to pay this or they will transfer the debt to a debt collector. This is the first and only letter i have had regarding this matter

I am obviously despiting that I owe this money and the fact they have given me a MAC code surely would show as evidence that I had cancelled my subscription? I cancelled everything by phone and email (I have the email about the MAC code)

Does any one have any ideas of what i should put in a letter - obviously they need to prove i owe this debt and the fact they supplied a MAC code and I have changed suppliers should be mentioned to prove my claim?

[Curlyben]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

So your talking 6 months after moving service they are demanding payment ?!
Honestly I would ignore them and see if they continue with this or if it's simply a glitch in their system.

[fuzzybrain]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I did think it was strange. I think they might have been emailing me as when we closed the account I made arrangements to keep 2 of our email addresses, but i put it down as SPAM as we closed the account.

I never openned the emails, so I'm not sure. I would have thought tho they would have written if there were that concerned about payment.

I'll wait and see a debt collector writes - if they do i'll send a prove it letter.

Thank CB for your help

[Curlyben]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

So this is an e-mail demanding payment, well in that case completely ignore it as it could well be a scam

[Munchkin]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I too have just been served a final demand without any prior communication. I did the same as you got the MAC code and cancelled by email and telephone and went to tiscali over six months ago. Now they are demanding £104.
I think AOL are trying it on

[Mochamoo]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

My uncle gets this once a year from AOL they send out threatening emails and then a month later he gets a letter then he hears nothing till next year.

[fuzzybrain]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

No it was a ltter i got from AOL, not an email. I think they may have tried emailing but I thought it was spam, so ignored it - I didn't even bother opening the email.

Seems as if AOL are trying it on - i'll see what happens next then.

[memominx]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I too have received a final demand notice from AOL on 6/3/09 after cancelling with them in May 2008. They have been attempting to take money from my credit card company every month since I cancelled with them. Although they were successful until I finally managed to obtain a cancellation reference from them and forwarded it to my credit card company. I have just sent a recorded delivery letter to the complaints department manager detailing this, and informed IPSA on the 9/3/09 - confirmed by e-mail, to be on the safe side as I had 10 days to respond before it was referred to the collection agency.
I will keep you updated if anything else happens. I would be grateful if you all could do the same. Thanks

[Munchkin]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I have now recieved a letter from a debt collection agency called Roxburghe. It seems AOL are not letting the matter lie so I am going to contact both them and AOL and ask them what they think they are playing at. The next thing I will end up witha bad credit rating over this and a poor credit rating.

[Curlyben]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I'd be inclined to send the DCA a simple prove it and make them show their legal rights in this.

Dear Sir/Madam

You have contacted me/us regarding the account with the above reference number, which you claim is owed by myself/ourselves.

I/we would point out that I/we have no knowledge of any such debt being owed to (insert company name).

I am/we are familiar with the Office of Fair Trading Debt Collection Guidance which states that it unfair to send demands for payment to an individual when it is uncertain that they are the debtor in question.

I/we would also point out that the OFT say under the Guidance that it is unfair to pursue third parties for payment when they are not liable. In not ceasing collection activity whilst investigating a reasonably queried or disputed debt you are using deceptive/and or unfair methods.

Furthermore ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment amounts to physical/psychological harassment.

I/we would ask that no further contact be made concerning the above account unless you can provide evidence as to my/our liability for the debt in question.

I/we await your written confirmation that this matter is now closed. Otherwise I will have no option but to make a complaint to the trading standards department and consider informing the OFT of your actions.

I/we look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully

[consumerwarrior]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

write to AOL and copy in to Roxburghe. Give details of your expired contract and state clearly that the balance is their error, and that you have no liability for this. In your letter to Roxburghe ask them to return to their client for further information, and that no balance will be paid. Inform them that any attempt to pursue you for the balance is illegal (since it is disputed), and that you have no liability for this balance. Also ask them to refer to case law on this matter (once they hear this, they generally know the game is up).

this worked for me. balance cleared.

[missmarie]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

THANKYOU Curlyben!!
I have been chased by AOL for a payment which I am not due them..I was then passed to Roxburghe Debt Collectors, I disputed the debt with them but received yet more letters, eventually they put me on a 72hr notice.... I found this forum after a quick Google search, drafted an e-mail today with the above letter to Roxburghe and within an hour received a reply saying all action on my account had been stopped!!!
Very Happy ;-)
Marie

[Curlyben]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

Missmarie, only to glad to be of assistance.

See DCA's aren't all that they are cracked up to be.
The threaten everything, yet when challenged the run off like scolded school bullies.

[cicero]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I've had similar letters from Roxburghe debt collection. I was out of contract with AOL and switched to BT. I called AOL to inform them of the switch, they said it was fine. After Roxburghe sent the first letter I phoned AOL and they confirmed that I owed them nothing. Roxburghe still kept writing, so I phoned them and told them that I didnt owe AOL a cent. It should have ended there but I'm now recieving telephone calls and letters from another dodgy debt collection agency, SRJ Recoveries, who say that I have to pay AOL £77.49. This is a different sum from that claimed by Roxburghe.
Is it a coincidence but this all sounds rather like the behaviour of Tiscali, recently publicised on BBC Watchdog; Tiscali and AOL are both part of the Carphone Wharehouse group.

[KevinRS]

Re: AOL - demanding payment

I was with AOL until early December of last year. I cancelled the AOL account completely, I didn't ask for the MAC as I'd tried that before and they claimed they couldn't provide it. I went with another provider so AOL had cancelled the broadband supply on that line. I hear nothing at all until 8th June this year (about 6 months later) when a letter from Roxburgh arrives claiming I owe AOL £47.20 which I deny in an email I send them. I then hear absolutely nothing until this morning when a letter arrives from SRJ claiming I owe AOL £29.04 (a completely different amount) they claim that AOL have made repeated attempts to contact me, they haven't, the only contact I've had has been the 2 letters from Roxburgh and SRJ. SRJ are now threatening me court proceedings.

I don't believe I owe AOL anything and why the differing amounts they claim I owe? Does anyone here have any advice on what I should do?

I did receive an email from AOL on the 6h December last year confirming my cancellation.