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Woman gets water company letter telling her she's dead and owes them 60

Debt collectors sent their 'sincere condolences' and a demand for 60.87

[Ginnette with her demand letter]

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Ginnette with her demand letter

A great-grandmother received a letter from bailiffs asking who the executor of her will is as she had been declared dead and 'owed the water company 60.87'. Debt collection agency Phillips and Cohen Associates sent the letter on behalf of Southern Water to Ginnette Bye, from Folkestone,demanding demanded payment of 60.87 owed on Mrs Byes account following her death, despite her being alive and well and already paying her monthly bill by direct debit.

Southern Water said it is currently reviewing the process to understand what went wrong.

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 died in August 2020. However, 78-year-old Mrs Bye said Southern Water had been informed of this more than five years ago, and she has been deeply upset by the incident.

[The family say they are yet to receive an apology from Southern Water. From left to right: Paula Macvicar, Cherylin Bye, Mark Bye and, sitting down, Ginnette Bye]

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The family say they are yet to receive an apology from Southern Water. From left to right: Paula Macvicar, Cherylin Bye, Mark Bye and, sitting down, Ginnette Bye

Mrs Bye said: Theyve 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 its in my name.

Yet this company (Phillips and Cohen Associates) say they were told Id 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, Id pay it. Thats whats annoyed me.

If it had been somebody who didnt have anyone, who was on their own, how upsetting would it be to receive a letter like that?

The letter sent from the debt collector to Mrs Byes house, addressed to the executor of her estate, read: Southern Water has previously received notification that Mrs Ginnette Bye has sadly passed away. 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.

[Part of the letter sent to Ginnette Bye from the debt collection agency Phillips and Cohen Associates]

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Part of the letter sent to Ginnette Bye from the debt collection agency Phillips and Cohen Associates

Mrs Byes family say they are deeply worried by the incident and its impact on the grandmother of six and great-grandmother of three. Son, Mark Bye, 57, said: 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.

There could be other people that theyve done the same to who have no family, and God forbid the stress might get to them, and they could be croaking.

Daughter, Paula Macvicar, 55, added: Surely, they should write to you first and then when they dont get a response, send the letter they did. It shouldnt just start with this. I cant get my head around when we rang up, and they wouldnt speak to us, they needed the bill payer. Well, how can you speak to the bill payer when, according to you, shes dead?

There shouldve been some correspondence before the debt collection letter. Theyre still taking the direct debt, so the bank account was still open. Why would they send it straight to this agency?

The issue with the account has since been resolved with a new account set up solely under Mrs Byes 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 shes 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 thats what she wants. The gesture of goodwill, doesnt resolve anything for us. Yes, its fixed their end, but they havent been very sympathetic, apologetic or anything towards us.

A spokesperson for Southern Water confirmed an investigation is underway to ensure the issue does not happen again. Were sorry for this error, which has caused unnecessary distress to Mrs Bye, they said. Weve been in touch to apologise and have refunded her last bill as a goodwill gesture. Were now reviewing our processes to understand exactly what went wrong and ensure it doesnt happen again.

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