For example, "Fred" (my name for him, and no relation to me) had no bank account. He did have a mobile phone but the contract was in the name of his girlfriend's mother. Fred was splitting up with g/f, so the phone also had to go. How could Fred get a new phone without a bank account?
Fred's friend "Charlie" (my name for GOOFY cck789) stepped into the breach.
"No problem," said Charlie to his friend Fred. "Don't put my name on the contract, but give them my bank details, and you can pay them through me."
Nothing could go wrong, could it? Sadly, it did. Instead of the agreed £45/month, Vodafone were charging £90/month. So Fred tried to cancel the contract.
"Not so fast", said Vodafone, and continued to charge. Of course, they weren't charging Fred, but Charlie. And Charlie didn't pay.
"They can't charge me," Charlie says. "I don't have a contract with them."
Can Charlie prove this, by waving around his copy of the contract between Fred and Vodafone? Umm, no, he doesn't have one. Does Fred? Unknown. He's now out of Charlie's reach, and the bill has hit £1000, and Vodafone have issued a claim.
Why the panic? Because the standard defence template refers to the previous correspondence the alleged debtor has sent the claimant.Charlie wrote:Hi again eeeeeek Help
"But I didn't write any letters," Charlie says. "I asked for a copy of the contract on the phone."
Even Saint Tiggy hasn't any comforting words, yet.