Unable to pay for overdue bill

[claudiamauricio]

I have been trying to pay my overdue bill for a while now. When I login to my account in the site it says that I have no services with O2. My account has been passed on to a debit collector and my service has been disconnected. There’s no email address I can contact and I am unable to call O2, since they have discontinued my service line. My O2 app is not working since I am abroad at the moment so I have not been able to try through there. My experience with O2 has been appalling so this is my last resort to fix this issue. 

[MI5]

@claudiamauricio 

You can reach the Payment Management team on 0800 902 0217.
The opening times are:
Monday to Friday – 8am to 8pm
Saturday – 8am to 6pm
Sunday – 9am to 6pm

Use Skype to call Guide: A Guide to Skype 

[claudiamauricio]

Then I try to call from my number abroad it’s says the number I have called cannot receive the call.

[MI5]

@claudiamauricio 

You will need to dial 0044 800 902 0217 from abroad, but they are closed now until 9.00am tomorrow.

[Enlli]

You can try O2 but if I has been passed on to a debt recovery agency you may well have to deal with them, especially if O2 have sold the debt.

[Oxonian]

@Enlli 

Of course, there are many unanswered questions here regarding whether @claudiamauricio has assets in the UK and whether he intends returning to the UK. The debt collection agency might be on the back foot if the customer is overseas, has no assets in the UK and does not intend returning. 

Presumably O2 have a legal obligation to notify the customer if they sell the debt ?  

[Enlli]

@Oxonian Yes they have and I'm not saying they have in this case although I know of cases where customers claim they have not been informed However, it has been passed to debt recovery and there will now be their charges on top of the original debt, so payment may have to go through them.

[Oxonian]

@Enlli 

Agreed, debt collection is a bit like the wild west ! 

I'm just wondering if you are not properly notified of the sale or assignment of the debt whether you could use that as a defence in court.    

[Oxonian]

@claudiamauricio 

I would also be inclined to lodge a formal complaint with O2 :-

How to Complain | Help | O2

https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain

Customer+Complaints+code+250523.pdf (o2.co.uk)

https://www.o2.co.uk/documents/456036/4246828/Customer+Complaints+code+250523.pdf

You need to let O2 know that you have tried to pay and are not happy. Please see Resolver in the first link. They are known to facilitate satisfactory outcomes.  

[Bambino]

The OP's first post says that they're 'abroad at the moment', so there's no reason to think that they don't have assets in the UK or are out of the UK permanently. The OP never said they hadn't been notified that the debt was being passed to a collection agency, just that it had happened. I don't see why they would have any grounds to lodge a formal complaint.

If a Direct Debit had been in place from the outset they wouldn't be in this situation at all.