3. BT phone bill quandry
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BT phone bill quandry
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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?
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.

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Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #1 on: »
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?
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Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #2 on: »
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.
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #3 on: »
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?
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I am not qualified to give legal advice in the UK. While I will do my best to help you, you should not rely on my advice as if it was given by a lawyer qualified in the UK.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #4 on: »
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.
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #5 on: »
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.
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I am not qualified to give legal advice in the UK. While I will do my best to help you, you should not rely on my advice as if it was given by a lawyer qualified in the UK.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #6 on: »
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.
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #7 on: »
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.
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Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #8 on: »
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.
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #9 on: »
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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Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #10 on: »
I don't know if the line is still I've, I've had no contact with the ex since 2012. I sold the company in whose name the line was registered about 4 years ago. Anything signed by a director is usually for and on behalf of "the company", I doubt there is any personal liability from an ex-director. I'd already been through that scenario many years ago when a company I ran closed down and a forme employee tried taking me personally to court for issuing a cheque that he presented after the company closed down. The judge said that cheques were marked as being signed for and on behalf of "the company". The directors are not liable personally.
In the present case had it been me as a sole trader or partnership, it would make a difference.
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #11 on: »
Quote from: roythebus on October 14, 2025, 06:41:30 pm
I don't know if the line is still I've,
Have you tried calling it?
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Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #12 on: »
If the company was sold by share purchase any debts are carried over but the questions I have are:

Did the purchaser check the accounts thoroughly and would have seen invoices for a phone line
Did you flag it up
What date is the last transaction on bills
Who is chasing debt - debt collector or BT
Is the debt payable against a reference as you say the account number isn't recognised

Morally I'd say the debt lies with you as the buyer may reasonably have assumed you shut your side of liabilities down but legally due diligence lies with them.

I had long experience with BT's account/billing systems - they were a mess and this may just go away if it was shut down a while ago.
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Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #13 on: »
Did the purchaser check the accounts thoroughly and would have seen invoices for a phone line
Did you flag it up.  No, only the P/L and balance sheet, no outstanding bills.
What date is the last transaction on bills No idea, I've only seen a rough copy of it.
Who is chasing debt - debt collector or BT. BT
Is the debt payable against a reference as you say the account number isn't recognised Yes, against the VP number

Morally I'd say the debt lies with you as the buyer may reasonably have assumed you shut your side of liabilities down but legally due diligence lies with them. But a director is not personally liable for the company's debts

I had long experience with BT's account/billing systems - they were a mess and this may just go away if it was shut down a while ago. Yes, I expect that will be the case. I've not had any contact with BT for years. they tried ringing me and wanted my phone number (of that account) which I can't remember so they refused to disclose further information I'm exoecting them to go away.
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Bus driving since 1973. My advice, if you have a PSV licence, destroy it when you get to 65 or you'll be forever in demand.
Re: BT phone bill quandry
« Reply #14 on: »
'But a director is not personally liable for the company's debts'

Yes but do you want the buyer on your back if BT try and force their company to pay. If I were them I may be a tad cross with you.
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  3. BT phone bill quandry