What to do if a satellite TV company is billing me now for movies they claim I rented back years ago but never billed me for?
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What to do if a satellite TV company is billing me now for movies they claim I rented back years ago but never billed me for?
They detected these movies on a returned cable box card that I returned to them upon cancellation. I do not recognize these movies nor did I ever rent pay-per-view movies the fifteen years I was with them. Does the statue of limitations apply? Bills were for rentals from 5-10 years ago.
Asked on February 22, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
From what you write, it may be too late for the TV company to bill you for these rentals. The statute of limitations applies to all debts; the relevant statute of limitations for this debt is most likely the statute of limitations for written contracts, which is four years. (The statute of limitions for open accounts is also four years, so it would yield the same answer.) Any debt over four years old would therefore be too old for the company to take legal action to enforce. It may *ask* for the money, but seem to have no mechanism to make you pay.
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