In the first week of February 2005, I was packing up the contents of a studio apartment in High Street, North Sydney, which I had leased for thirteen months.
My good friend James Davidson had previously lived there for some ten years or so and we had several fantastic NYE celebrations watching the fireworks from the balcony.
The view from this 8th storey apartment is of the harbour bridge and Milsons Point train station in centre view facing south, with North Sydney off to the right (west) and looking across Kirribilli to the left (south-east), with a glimpse of Fort Denison to the far left (east).
I vividly recall standing there with my headset on as I made my final telephone call from the phone service there, which for many years had been James’ phone number before I took it over.
This call was to Telstra, to cancel the phone account effective immediately. I remarked to the CSR who took the call that this was the end of an era, and I mentioned that my friend had had this phone number for many years prior, as I was present to a strong experience of nostalgia and my various memories of some great times we had shared in this apartment I was now vacating. And now we were letting this number go.
Having given my forwarding address and confirming that the service would be cancelled and any final account, possibly with a credit balance from line rental refund, would be forwarded to me, I hung up and unplugged the telephone and packed it into one of the many cardboard moving boxes.
It was a moment of nostalgia and poignancy, when I dialled Telstra to cancel the phone service. So I remember the conversation well.
That was that. Or so I thought…
On July 20, 2006 I received a phone call from a woman who asked me my name, which I gave. She then asked
“What is your date of birth please?”
I said
“Who’s asking?”
She said her name quickly (I didn’t understand it) then repeated her question.
I said
“Why are you asking? Who are you?”
She said
“I work for Alliance and I am calling about an account you have with us.”
I said “I have never heard of Alliance and I certainly don’t have an account with you, so why would I give you my date of birth?”
She said something like…
“You have an outstanding account with us and I need you to confirm your date of birth so I can tell you what it is”
I said “How about you tell me what it is then I will decide if I am going to give you any of my private details or not.”
This was the beginning of a very challenging process, which is still underway. So far, I have spent more than a full day defending myself from this company’s lies and threats.
Alliance Factoring are part of the same corporate group Baycorp Advantage, that controls and reports on all of our credit ratings for loan approvals.
It bothers me very much that the same company that controls all of our credit ratings has a division dedicated to harassing people unfairly to attempt to extract money on behalf of Australia’s majority government owned Telstra Corporation, which sold them my details and a false claim of debt.
In a subsequent call, an Alliance Factoring representative told me that I had been listed for a credit default and they would only remove it if I paid up the $129.68 that I owed to Telstra.
I duly requested a copy of my credit report from Baycorp Advantage. No default listed.
A BIG FAT LIE. Presumably to pressure me into paying the debt I owe Telstra.
The same company attempting to collect a false debt has the power to wreck my credit rating and potentially cost me thousands of dollars in extra interest charges at such time as I seek to obtain a home loan.
The big problem here is, I don’t even owe this false debt.
I rang and cancelled the service at the beginning of February 2005. I gave my forwarding address and telephone number in case there was any further follow-up required. Nothing further from Telstra came to me so I figured that my final payment had covered the
account.
When I called Telstra they were unable to acknowledge or confirm the nature of the bills.
Telstra Corporation says that once they sell your debt to Alliance Factoring, you no longer have the right to deal with Telstra Corporation.
When I contacted Telstra and attempted to point out that there was a Telstra billing error, three different Telstra staff members repeatedly refused to discuss it.
I don’t appear to have any rights to talk with Telstra Corporation about this!
When Alliance Factoring continued to call me saying I owed them $129.68 I had to ask them to ask Telstra to send me the accounts. Once I got the bills, I went through item by item, date by date.
When I reviewed the bills, I was angered and dismayed to find that the amount they are asking for is mostly for several months of phone line rental service AFTER I had cancelled the service and vacated the premises.
The only charges applicable to the period prior to my cancellation of the service are a few calls and a number of days of line rental. I calculated a total, adding one week in Telstra’s favour after the cancellation date (making it the date I finally vacated the premises) of $20.23 inc. GST that I agree applies to the period I had access to the premises.
So I wrote a fourteen page letter to Alliance Factoring explaining everything and asserting that I have no contract with them and no obligation to them.
I also made an offer of $20.23 inc. GST, being the amount I agree I am responsible for.
Alliance Factoring refused to accept this offer.
After several follow-up phone calls they still have not acknowledged any of the points in this letter in writing.
Before this sorry affair concludes, if Alliance Factoring refuses to accept the legitimate amount I owe instead of their false claim, I will be invoicing them for all of my time spent dealing with this matter, to compensate for lost business income when I could be working instead. So far this amounts to 6.25 hours @ $99.00 inc. GST per hour, totalling $618.75 inc. GST.
After another twenty minute phone conversation where I reiterated all the facts of this matter, Florence, the Alliance Factoring representative (not the woman who lied to me and threatened me by saying I already had a credit default) agreed to forward my fourteen page letter on to Telstra Corporation. Now I await a response.
I asked Florence to have Alliance Factoring acknowledge the points in my letter in writing. I thought she agreed to this. But this was not done.
The only response I have in writing from Alliance Factoring, is a form letter saying I am disputing the charges, and I notice the amount listed has increased to $130.65.
To be continued.