How to deal with a disputed bill How to complain

If a company contacts you about a false debt

1Make a request

Ask the company to carry out an investigation to show how much you owe and what the debt is for. Request that all correspondence about the debt stops until this is completed. If necessary, point out that a failure to disclose will be brought to any judge’s attention if the matter goes to court. See Sample letters.

2Respond to all parties

Be aware that sometimes a company passes on debts to an independent debt agency. If a debt agency is hired, address correspondence to the original company and copy in the debt agency, and ask it to check again with the company. The Office of Fair Trading has issued guidance for debt collectors on how to deal fairly with debtors and you can download a complaint form from its website.

3Give a deadline

If your correspondence with a company is getting nowhere, tell it that if the matter isn't resolved within 28 days you will consider it deadlocked and will then go straight to the company's formal complaint procedure.

4Consider other options

If you continue to receive final demand letters, consider alternative dispute resolution. 

Complaints can be addressed to the Financial Ombudsman Service, The Ombudsman Services or Cisas for phone operators and internet providers or the Energy Supply Ombudsman for energy companies.

5Follow it up

If the dispute isn't resolved, your credit rating will probably be affected, so check your credit reference report for inaccuracies. These reports are held by companies such as Callcredit, Equifax or Experian. If it’s incorrect, get the company that claimed it was owed money to amend the report, and also write to the reference agency yourself.