Debt collectors tell UK great-grandmother she is dead and owes $140 water bill, authority apologises

A great-grandmother in Britain is upset after receiving a letter from debt collectors telling her she was dead and owed £60.87 ($140) on her water bill. Ginette Bye, 78, received a letter from debt collectors Phillips and Cohen Associates, acting for Southern Water, asking to speak with the executor of her estate, Metro UK reports. The letter expressed condolences over her “death”, offered support during the difficult time, and then demanded payment of the £60.87 allegedly owed on her account – despite the fact she was paying her monthly bill by direct debit at the time. “They’ve taken a direct debit every month for the last five years out of my bank account, and the letters coming all say Mrs Ginette Bye, so it’s in my name,” Bye told Metro UK. “Yet this company [Phillips and Cohen Associates] say they were told I’d passed away on April 10, but a payment was still taken five days later. “If Southern Water had spoken to me and said, ‘Oh, Mrs Bye, you owe £60′, then fine, I’d pay it. That’s what’s annoyed me. “If it had been somebody who didn’t have anyone, who was on their own, how upsetting would it be to receive a letter like that?” Southern Water has since apologised for the error and is reviewing the situation to understand what went wrong, Metro UK reports. Bye claimed she was told the problem arose because her account was previously jointly registered with her late husband, Paul Bye, who died in 2020. The letter from the debt collectors was addressed to the executor of Ginette Bye’s estate, explaining Southern Water had received notification of her death. “On behalf of Southern Water and ourselves, please accept our sincere condolences. “We understand this is a very difficult period for you, and our intention is to support you at this time. “We would like to confirm that the amount of £60.87 is outstanding. Our client advises us that there is an ongoing supply, the liability for which may lie with the estate of the current occupier." Son Mark Bye told Metro UK his mother could have died from the incident. “I mean, nearly 80 years old, she could have a heart attack from the stress, it really could be that bad. “There could be other people that they’ve done the same to who have no family, and God forbid the stress might get to them, and they could be croaking.” A spokesperson for Southern Water told Metro UK an investigation was underway to make sure this did not happen again. “We’ve been in touch to apologise and have refunded her last bill as a goodwill gesture.”

Go to News Site