So I moved out of my previous flat last December and I had some unpaid bills that I didnt even know of. I tried to change my address everywhere but It was custom clearance cost from FedEx because I ordered smth from aboard so I wouldn't know there was even such a bill. Those arrived in December, Jan and Feb, and my name was written at the previous flat until end of Jan because I sublet the room to a person until then and the name card was only changed in Feb. Because it's a student flat and there live six people so no body really cared or thought about telling me that I still have letters arriving at my previous flat. Until yesterday one of them told me there were a few letters for me and I asked her to open it for me. One of them was already a bill from a debt collector Debitors claiming than I'll need to pay them more than 100 CHF while the original price was 30 CHF. I immediately paid the 30 just now because I read in this forum that we don't necessarily need to pay the cost from a third party. I wonder if there are more things I need to do? I didn't want to not pay the bill, it was only i didn't even know that FedEx would send me a bill after I have moved. I am more worried about whether next time when I move and if the next landlord would want me to show the whether-or-not-you-are-in-debt document will there be a record? Thank you!

If you get a bill for 100 chf, that's what you need to pay.

I would call them explaining the situation (although, it is your fault for not forwarding your mail. Always, always change your address and forward your mail @the Post when you move!) and see if there's a solution.

If you only pay part of the bill, you will most likely receive another bill with even more fees.

At some point, not paying bills will indeed result in a record in your debt collection register.

Thank you for your reply! I did change every address I could think of, but this one was really unexpected. It could have been a smart move to register at Post, but I also didn't know you could do that before Lesson learned

NOT from a debt collector!

You only pay the original debt, plus any interest, NEVER any fees!

And NEVER have any communication in any form with debt collectors!

Tom

ALWAYS get the post office to forward your post to your new address. I think it’s possible for up to a year.

Maybe I am being too Swiss, but I would still be careful:

The Debt Collection Process
The exact process of debt recovery will depend on the canton, the nature of the debt, whether it is contested and how it can be recovered. If the debt is contested, the process will include legal action. An outline of the procedure is below:

The creditor submits a Debt Collection Request form to the DCO in the debtor’s place of residence. The fee for this service depends on the size of the debt

The DCO issues the debtor with a Demand for Payment (Zahlungsbefehl / Commandement de Payer)

If the debtor wishes to contest the Demand for Payment, they can send an Objection Notice (Rechtsvorschlag / Opposition du Débiteur) to the DCO within ten days of receiving it. If the creditor obtain can a court order which states that the debtor owes the debt (a Rechtsöffnung / Mainlevée de l'Opposition), the Objection Notice will be dismissed

If the debtor does not contest the Demand for Payment within ten days, they have technically agreed to pay the debt along with the DCO’s administration fee. If they cannot pay the debt, the creditor may submit a Request for Continuation (Fortsetzungsbegehren / Réquisition de Continuation de la Poursuite) to the DCO, and the DCO will begin to collect the debt


https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/swi...administration.

On a side note; I see that many people fail to communicate their change of address at the Post, thus not having their mail forwarded.

I am curious: how does it work in other countries? People just move and leave their mail behind? I thought postal services worked pretty much the same way everywhere?

Every time I've changed address anywhere, I've set up mail forwarding. I guess some people just don't want to pay.

OP got a letter from a free-lance debt collecter, not the DCO, as that would come via registered mail.

Tom

As a rule, the tenant pays the rent for a given month for the next month, i.e. pays in advance. At the same time he also has to pay for utilities, i.e. heating, water, waste removal, electricity and maintenance of the building and its surroundings. This is the responsibility of the so-called "house master" (Hauswart / concierge). There are two stages of payment of the utility bills. Some of these costs are covered by the rent that has already been paid (akonto): this is usually a fixed amount. At the end of the year the estate agent or landlord will recalculate the rent and check the real costs. If you have used more gas or water than you have already paid, you get an extra bill. If it is less, you will be refunded the difference.

Below you can see an extract from the actual annual utility bill for a 4.5-bedroom flat in Bern. This includes: heating, "house master" services and general services of the landlord for the administration of the property, electricity, water and sewerage and rubbish collection. Cable network connection is charged separately. Landline phone and internet costs are an expense for the tenant. Renting a garage for one car space is usually an additional 5-7% of the monthly rent, but not less than 90 francs per month. Generally, an extra 120 francs is charged for the garage. This invoice below shows that the tenant owes 244 francs and 30 centimes for the year, which is the amount they will have to pay in addition to the total rent already paid.

Not sure how this is relevant to debt collection??

Maybe just posted in the wrong thread. It seems more likely to relate to this one, here: https://www.englishforum.ch/housing-...-payments.html

One time we payed 60 fr for a bill less than 20 fr if I remember correctly, that we completely forgot to pay, because it was pursued by Intrum Justitia or smth. like that (I might be wrong about this name?). OH wanted to contest and investigate who are they but I just payed and never heard from them again. It's just not worth being dragged to the debtors registry for these things.

For others wanting to avoid this issue, set up a mail redirect so that all post goes to your new address for a year.