UMVA has learned that a shocking incident involving a mistaken death notification and a demand for payment has left a family reeling. Ginette Bye received a letter stating she was deceased and owed £60.87 to Southern Water, a claim that has caused her immense distress.
The issue allegedly stemmed from her account being previously jointly registered with her late husband, Paul Bye, who passed away in August 2020. However, Mrs Bye claims that Southern Water had been informed of this over five years ago, and she has been left bewildered by the utility company's lack of communication.
Mrs Bye expressed her outrage, stating that Southern Water had been taking direct debits from her bank account for the last five years, and the letters they sent were addressed to her. "If Southern Water had spoken to me and said, 'Oh, Mrs Bye, you owe £60', then fine, I'd pay it. That's what's annoyed me," she said.
The family received a letter from debt collector Phillips and Cohen Associates, which 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." The letter demanded payment of the outstanding balance, adding to the distress caused.
Mrs Bye's family has been left worried about the incident's impact on her and others who may have been affected. Her son, Mark Bye, 57, said: "If mum had no family around, how would she deal with it? The older generation aren't 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."
The issue 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. However, the family feels that an apology is still owed for the distress caused.
Daughter-in-law Cherylin Bye, 44, said: "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. There was no actual apology for the upset."
Southern Water has promised to investigate the incident and ensure it does not happen again. A spokesperson stated: "We're sorry for this error, which has caused unnecessary distress to Mrs Bye. 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."
