Legal Harrassment From Freeserver

Q: . I sent the cheque by Special Delivery on 5th October and it was debited from my bank account on 11th October. At the time it was good riddance to an appalling internet service and I didn't see why I should hear from them again. I received an email today from the Freeserve debt collection department threating all kinds of legal action if I didn't pay the £14.18 that I "owed" them. After waiting about 20 minutes for their so-called customer service to answer, I was told that they had lost any record of the cheque. The onus is on me to prove that I'd be interested to hear from anyone who can pass on links to websites where you can rate ISPs for customer service etc. If they are stupid enough to take this any further, does anyone know if I can threaten them with legal sanctions in return?

A: Normal practice in the ISP and mobile telephone industry. 1) The computer record is always right! 2) Customers letters are always ignored. 3) Most people will pay an unjustified £20 bill if threatened with court action to avoid the hassle of fighting it. 4) They might research the case before going to court but even that is unlikely as most who fight up to that stage are frightened of courts and will hand over the money then. I

am currently awaiting the summons for a £100 bill (The final account from Telnet,which gave me free off-peak access through Greatxscape), I actually owe them £0 as I recalculated the correct final bill and sent my cheque of £2.97 in full and final settlement. Strange thing is that the cheque was cashed but no- one has taken any notice of the proof of previous payments and explanation of the account sent with the cheque, or that they have accepted full and final settlement by cashing it. I am still being pursued and threatened with court action. I am waiting now to see the judge sort them out and award me my reasonable costs for attending the hearing as they have a hopeless case.