Received invoice for goods dated over 2 years ago. How to proceed?

[jayc001]

Hi,

 

I had a similar problem to this earlier this year however touch wood that is sorted now but this morning I get a new totally unrelated invoice come through.

 

In May 2009 I purchased some goods over the phone from a supplier (retail sale for my own use, not trade). I paid on my credit card and they shipped them out.

Today I get an invoice saying payment is outstanding and if I have already settled the payment please supply payment date and method.

 

Now here's the problem. I use numerous credit cards usually for the interest free period then close the account. To go back 2 years and find which card it was and supply details is going to take considerable time and effort.

 

Seeing as this seems to be an administrative error on their behalf and I'm certain I have paid it (why else would they send goods out to a new customer without any kind of credit account being set up?) then am I entitled to charge for my time in finding the payment record?

 

Also not sure if this makes a difference although it might explain why they have no record of payment the company changed name and premises in Jan 2010 and I am being billed by the new company.

 

Any advice?

[perplexity]

Given that

 

To go back 2 years and find which card it was and supply details is going to take considerable time and effort.

because of what are you so certain that you paid?

 

Seeing as this seems to be an administrative error on your behalf, to have failed to keep a record, the chance to charge for the time in finding the payment record is about as good as the supplier's chance to charge you for the time they spent to find their own, which may well be that much more accurate, for all I know.

 

As a general rule, the person with a proof is that much more likely to win the day, so to speak.

 

If you want to know why they send goods to a new customer without any kind of credit account being set up, enquire. I could think of all sorts of reasons, but it is foolish to speculate when you could just as well ask, what this is all about.

[Cyberprog]

Have you checked that the company is the same company you formed a contract with? I.e. same Limited company?

[jayc001]

The company has changed names within companies house. Same directors, same reg number, differnet name and address.

[Cyberprog]

Then the contractual relationship would stay the same. You really need to do the legwork here I'm afraid and prove that you paid at the time - can you narrow it down to the cards you were using at the time?

[jayc001]

Well I suspect it's a card I've closed the account on. I guess I need to look at any current cards around that date and then work backwards from there.

 

Was hoping there would be some legal loophole or something I could quote to make them decide it's not worth chasing. It's not a very large amount so I need to work out if the hassle of proving I paid is worth less to me than the money.

 

What I can't work out is how this has come to light 27 months later. If they couldn't reference the payment why didn't they contact me sooner?

[Cyberprog]

No legal loophole, assuming the product/service was as described and there were no problems, they have upto 6 years to come after you for the money. Of course, as it's an error on their part, they're presumably not charging you any interest or fees for this, so it's entirely reasonable that assuming you check and have proven you've not paid it, that you do so.

Of course, if you have paid it, then you simply need to provide this proof to them, and ask them to check their records to reconcile the transaction. They will probably at this point apologise and if they're any good at customer service, offer some sort of discount on future services also.