A great-grandmother from Folkestone was sent a bailiff's letter demanding repayment of an outstanding water bill after she had been wrongly declared dead. Ginnette Bye, 78, received the letter from debt collection agency Phillips and Cohen Associates on behalf of Southern Water earlier this month, requesting to speak to the executor of her estate.
Letter Demanded Payment Despite Ongoing Direct Debit
The letter demanded payment of £60.87 owed on Mrs Bye's account following her 'death', despite her being alive and well and already paying her monthly bill by direct debit. Southern Water has since rectified the 'error' and is currently reviewing the process to 'understand what went wrong'.
Background of the Error
Mrs Bye and her family were told the issue stemmed from the fact her account was previously jointly registered with her late husband, Paul Bye, who passed away in August 2020. However, Mrs Bye said Southern Water had been informed of this more than five years ago, and she has been deeply upset by the incident and the utility company's lack of communication.
Mrs Bye stated: '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 Ginnette Bye, so it's in my name. 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.'
Family's Distress
Mrs Bye's family have been left deeply worried by the incident and its impact on the grandmother of six and great-grandmother of three. Son Mark Bye, 57, expressed concern: 'If mum had no family around, how would she deal with it, because the older generation are not really computer literate, are they. She thought it was a scam at first. I mean, nearly 80 years old, she could have a heart attack from the stress, it really could be that bad.'
Daughter Paula Macvicar, 55, added: 'Surely, they should write to you first and then when they don't get a response, send the letter they did. It shouldn't just start with this. I can't get my head around when we rang up, and they wouldn't speak to us, they needed the bill payer. Well, how can you speak to the bill payer when, according to you, she's dead?'
Resolution and Lack of Apology
The issue with the account has since been resolved with a new account set up solely under Mrs Bye's name, and the outstanding balance has been wiped as a gesture of goodwill. But daughter-in-law Cherylin Bye still feels the family are owed an apology for the incident.
'The new account has been sorted out on their end, but what about my mother-in-law. I said to Southern Water that she's found this whole thing really upsetting and quite traumatic,' the 44-year-old said. 'There was no actual apology for the upset, it was just a case of, well, we can send a letter of apology if that's what she wants. The gesture of goodwill doesn't resolve anything for us. Yes, it's fixed their end, but they haven't been very sympathetic, apologetic or anything towards us.'
Southern Water's Response
A spokesperson for Southern Water confirmed an investigation is underway to ensure the issue does not happen again. 'We're sorry for this error, which has caused unnecessary distress to Mrs Bye,' they said. 'We've been in touch to apologise and have refunded her last bill as a goodwill gesture. We're now reviewing our processes to understand exactly what went wrong and ensure it doesn't happen again.'
