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#Post#: 93062--------------------------------------------------
BT phone bill quandry
By: roythebus Date: October 6, 2025, 9:52 am
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A new one on me, when I was married I ran a limited company
jointly with the mrs. The limited company had the phone line in
the house as we worked from home. We separated and later
divorced, part of that deal was that the x mrs could keep the
company phone number as she continued trading under the company
name without the "ltd" bit as it was a known name for the local
private hire car company. She was to pa the hone bills and keep
the sue of the number. That was in about 2012. Fast forward to
2019, I sold the limited company along with goodwill etc. By
then the mrs had transferred her small share holding to me. All
these share were bought by the new owner.
Just recently I've been getting nuisance phone calls from BT
about my phone account about which I knew nothing. It wasn't
until the new owner of the company said he too had been pestered
by BT about the unpaid hone bill for the last 18 months and
threatening legal action He sent me copied of bills for that
amount. It is only since then that the penny dropped. The xex
had carried on using the phone number and had not paid the bills
which sounds about right due to past experience. This is the
first I've heard of this matter as I assumed the ex had taken
over the number.
The question now is who is responsible? The limited company that
I sold, myself as the former director of said limited company,
the new owner of the company or the ex mrs?
I can't even remember the phone number of the old firm; there is
a VP account number on the BT statement. I phoned BT business
accounts and explained all this and the gent there siad there is
no such account number on their system. Any ideas anyone?
#Post#: 93092--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: stamfordman Date: October 6, 2025, 12:23 pm
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What name and address are on the bills and what account number -
you say that doesn't exist?
I think the buyer of your company is responsible for accounts
payable but you had a duty to inform them of liabilities such as
a live phone line!
Is the bill for line rental + calls etc?
#Post#: 93157--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: roythebus Date: October 7, 2025, 2:02 am
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On the bill, which has the VP number that BT says doesn't exist,
ex-Mrs roythebus
Company Limited name
ex-mrs address and postcode.
Amount outstanding is about £1496. I'm a bit surprised BT
allowed the service to continue so long without being
disconnected. I can't even rememebr the old phone number or her
email address. She has always paid the bills since our
separation over 10 years ago. maybe she's no longer with us,
nobody knows.
#Post#: 93171--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: Southpaw82 Date: October 7, 2025, 3:51 am
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Is BT’s contract with the limited company or someone else?
If with the limited company, did the sale agreement deal with
outstanding debts and if so how?
#Post#: 93299--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: roythebus Date: October 7, 2025, 4:50 pm
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The contract is with BT and the limited company. At the time of
the sale of the business all outstanding debts were settled,
this was just before the covid episode, so quite a while. The ex
mrs had been paying the bills ever since as it's also her name
on the bills I've just been sent copies of. TBH I'd completely
forgotten about the phone issue.
#Post#: 93304--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: Southpaw82 Date: October 7, 2025, 5:25 pm
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Sounds like it’s the company’s problem. But if the sale
agreement was for all debts to be settled, and this wasn’t then
it might be the seller’s (your?) problem - but only as between
seller and buyer. BT only have a contract with the company.
#Post#: 93654--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: roythebus Date: October 10, 2025, 4:52 pm
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I tend to agree it's the company's problem. Anything signed by a
director is usually for and on behalf of "the company" ( learnt
that one years ago with a different matter) so the director is
not liable personally. It had become custom and practice that
the ex received the bills at her new address and that as far as
I'm aware she paid them until recently. She took over the
payments over 10 years ago. The phone bill was not in arrears
when I sold the company about 4 years ago. Best wait and see
what happens.
#Post#: 93684--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: RT601-303 Date: October 11, 2025, 8:23 am
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Wouldn't it be statute barred if it was over 6 years old?
For example, Abbey National, or the company that bought the
so-called debt from them (given that Abbey National no longer
even exist, been Santander since around 2010) are still chasing
me for the alleged debt from who knows when, but legally there's
nothing they can do. Even if I did owe the money as it's stature
barred.
Apart from that, if you haven't been involved with the business
from that time then it's not your problem.
#Post#: 93848--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: roythebus Date: October 12, 2025, 10:10 pm
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Thanks. This is apparently a new debt dating from about a year
ago. When I sold the company it was AFAIK debt-free, the ex-mrs
agreed to continue paying the phoen bill as she kept the number
to run her established business. There ought to be an audit
trail of regular payments via her bank account. Custom and
practice springs to mind.
#Post#: 94038--------------------------------------------------
Re: BT phone bill quandry
By: stamfordman Date: October 14, 2025, 9:30 am
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Is the line still live? Seems to me you just overlooked the line
that was in the company name and you are on the hook for the
debt if BT looks to enforce it.
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