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Belgacom
I took modem on the Belgacom of my laptop and I applied for 19euro per month, when I received my first bill it cost 448, 55 EUR for 1 month. I went to the shop where I applied he told me to call on the costumer care so then I make complain and made call then someone answer on the line and I told the problem why I got that much bill I didn't even used to downloaded or used the simcard of the modem to make phone calls. He told me to wait I was waiting on the line for about 30mins so and still they can't give the details so I hung up, same again next morning and some other days so I fed up. I didn't used anymore the modem but after more than 2yrs I was shocked when I arrived at home last Friday a letter was at my table and it was noticed that they are taking all my appliances they get inn without any permission or notices. How horrible they was! Please I need your advice of what to do with this???
In Belgium, whenever you get to a dispute with a company for a payment, the best policy is to pay up and argue later. If you are right, you will get reimbursed in the end. But if you do not pay, eventually they will involve the bailiffs. This is what has happened to you. Whether the original bill was correct or not, it is impossible for us to know - it can well be Belgacom made a mistake; it can just as well be that you had misunderstood the plan you were on for 19 euro per month and indeed had run up a bill of that size. What I do know is that you made a massive mistake by simply refusing to pay and not trying to sort the matter out. Getting "fed up" and just leaving the bill was a lousy decision.
However, it's very strange that you have not received any further communication on this. During this two years you should have received several letters from Belgacom, requesting payment, and then finally informing you that they have transferred the matter to the bailiffs (Huissier de justice) . Then you should have received several letters from the bailiffs, first requesting payment and then a final letter informing you about their upcoming visit. As you have not reacted they have in the end come to your home. When you say "a letter was at my table and it was noticed that they are taking all my appliances" do you mean that they have already taken these appliances? As far as I know, the way it works is that during this first visit they have marked all the appliances they are consider to have any value and that can be sold to cover your debt. As these things have now been marked, you can no longer remove them from the apartment. Then, during a second visit, they will come and take the things they have marked. They do have a legal right to do this, including a right to enter your home without you being there.
However, as said, not without notifying you first. Have you really not received any such letters?
In any case, you can still at this stage pay the bill and avoid the second visit. Unfortunately the bill is now going to be considerably larger because it will have the fees of the bailiffs added.
The bailiffs only showed up now because the process from you originally neglecting to pay Belgacom to them being able to send bailiffs to your home is a long and complicated one. Belgacom have needed to obtain a court judgement against you in order to engage the services of a huissier de justice.
It's highly unusual that you have not been informed about this procedure while it has been ongoing. Have you moved during the last two years? Is it possible that the letters have gone to your old address? Do you live alone? Is it at all possible that someone else in the house could have taken the letters for whatever reason?
Errr...
1. So you English is fairly shite, but probably better than your choice of French or Dutch. One would therefore reasonably assume that you didn't have an effin clue what you thought you were signing up to.
2. So you got so pissed off at Belgacom (i did not understand why) that it looks like you've just binned every further letter you've had from them?
3. Yes, there are laws here so that eejits who ignore debts find their debts enforced anyway. With costs.
4 You claim you had no idea that the bailiffs would come, yet they come to the right address? That would suggest that you are lying.
To OP, contact a lawyer
To J, is it really necessary to insult and belittle ? If you can't provide a helpful answer, just stay quiet. I've seen a couple of your answers lately and I seriously wonder if you have selfesteem issues, it seems like you are building yourself up by putting others down
@RPPKN
Your apparent experience with bailiffs does not coincide with mine.
I moved to Belgium in September. In April of the following year I registered a car for the first time and received and paid the usual bills for tax and first registration. Some months later I got a further bill for tax for the car from the September when I arrived until April of the next year. Clearly a total error as the car was not registered in my name for that period of time.
I sent copies of various documents to prove my case and got a standard ‘thanks for your letter’ response.
I never heard another thing by any means whatever nor did I change my address. Many months later the bailiffs arrived whilst I was at home and gave me 48 hours to settle the bill or else. 48 hours later still I got a bill from the bailiffs for their ‘services’! I paid up.
Almost a year later, after endless contacts back and forth, all the money – including the bailiffs charges – was refunded in full.
I did not ignore any contact or any letter and I did not receive any advance warning of the arrival of the bailiffs. I assume that they came to the right address because – surprise, surprise J – I was still at the address on the original invoice.
As I said to ner: "It's highly unusual that you have not been informed about this procedure". I did not say that it was fully impossible. As your experience shows, it can indeed happen. The only thing I can comment on is how things should go, and how they go in 99 % of the cases. Whether ner is one of the unlucky 1 % or whether something else has happened (such as someone else intercepting the letters) none of us can know for sure.
TO OP
Contact the bailiff,
(try to) settle the bill with them , that stops the explosion of the costs, and then maybe contact a lawyer; maybe you can get some assistance from the CPAs in your commune.
Check this out:
-contact baliiff and settle debt ASAFP
-choose another service provider
-do not deal with Belgacom/proximus in future
-do not deal with Belgacom/proximus in future
- still do not deal with Belgacom/proximus in future
JDB is absolutely right.
Thank god when I first moved to Belgium I would browse this forum and somebody mentioned how Belgacom billed them for not returning their modem. This person had done so, but didn't keep the receipt. Because of that post, when I got rid of Belgacom, I kept my receipt, which usually, I don't keep, and also scanned it, just in case I lost it.
2 months later, got a bill from Belgacom saying they never received the bill. Tried to call them up and they told me in their system it didn't showed I ever returned the equipment. I had to go in person and show the receipt to clear my false bill. Seems belgacom runs this scam on everyone as my colleague had the same exact thing done to him and he also saved his receipt as I warned him about it. I'm just grateful I read that post here about keeping receipts because I'm the type that doesn't keep such things.
