not paying phone bills consequences

[k1w1]

Not suggesting that anyone runs away on their responsibilities, but seriously - come on, Singtel cannot have you arrested for not paying your mobile bill. I also highly doubt they are going to engage international lawyers over it. (A company account owing thousands, maybe, but a person's handphone?)

Again, I'm not saying anyone should do this, but the idea of being arrested at the airport because you ran off on your phone contract is just a weeeee bit blown out of proportion. How much do you really think those passport stampers can see? I know people who hadn't paid their final maid levy and left Singapore. When they returned a couple of years later and wanted to hire a new maid, they were presented with a bill, which they paid immediately (no doubt with penalties, which is fair enough) and then nothing more was said - and that was owing money directly to a government department.

Having said all that: OP, grow up and pay your phone bill. Yes, it's a killer paying those damn contract breaking fees, but you signed it...

[JR8]

@ Strong Eagle:
I wonder how can you release the information about my location ? Aren't you abusing your power here by doing so ? Are you allowed to do so by reading at the T&C of this forum rules ? If i want i can easily use the proxy ip to hide my location but i didn't and i won't.
@Strong Eagle, i would appreciate if you do not disclose some private information publicly..
I guess this forum is meant for questions/answers/suggestion, it turns out to be bashing/fighting here... Every big shot of this forum is showing superiority/power to show other members humiliated... I guess this forum is no good for its objective. Anyway thanks all ....

[JR8]

Not suggesting that anyone runs away on their responsibilities, but seriously - come on, Singtel cannot have you arrested for not paying your mobile bill. I also highly doubt they are going to engage international lawyers over it. (A company account owing thousands, maybe, but a person's handphone?)

Again, I'm not saying anyone should do this, but the idea of being arrested at the airport because you ran off on your phone contract is just a weeeee bit blown out of proportion. How much do you really think those passport stampers can see? I know people who hadn't paid their final maid levy and left Singapore. When they returned a couple of years later and wanted to hire a new maid, they were presented with a bill, which they paid immediately (no doubt with penalties, which is fair enough) and then nothing more was said - and that was owing money directly to a government department.

Having said all that: OP, grow up and pay your phone bill. Yes, it's a killer paying those damn contract breaking fees, but you signed it...

I just don't think having outstanding fines and warrants on your arse is worth it. I remember one time sitting in County with about 10 crack-heads and dealers, then this stunned posh guy got thrown in for unpaid parking tickets. Well.... Mortimer... welcome to Puerto Rico mi amigo. Sleep well!

[sundaymorningstaple]

Same thing has happened quite often to Singaporeans going to Malaysia and having their car compounded and them arrested for unpaid parking fines. You would be surprised what flags show up on Immigration Files if you get in trouble before leaving Singapore. They are now well enough equipped there with the linked major gubmint databases to find and have flagged almost anything. And, the new photo recognition software has been shown pretty adept at picking up some of our neighbours through photo recognition software even after they changed passports.

[Plavt]

Fines and warrants are a different issue to an unpaid phone bill. Phone companies know that some people will disappear which might be part of the reason for the credit limit assuming they have credit limits on mobile phones in Singapore.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Yeah, but you wouldn't believe the types of data the Singapore government collects on Foreigners it allows to work in the country. With all of the major databases in the country links together, it not hard to conceive that those databases are also linked to the law society and other legal bodies where debtors information is kept when companies decide to engage legal help to get payment. Far fetched? Maybe. Plausible? Definitely. Would I want to test the system? NO.

Do you have any idea what's in the rock caverns below Kent Ridge?

http://www.asiabuilders.com/asiabuilder ... code=conSG

As the article is dated 2008, do we know what has transpired? Is it being kept under wraps? They have already said it's to house a data centre.

So, screw around here at your own peril.

[JR8]

Fines and warrants are a different issue to an unpaid phone bill. Phone companies know that some people will disappear which might be part of the reason for the credit limit assuming they have credit limits on mobile phones in Singapore.

I never tested it in Singapore, but I know for a fact that an unpaid council tax bill in London (City of Westminster) is though court and at a 'fine stage' within 3 months.

p.s. They were already monitoring all phone calls in SG 15 years ago. Lord knows how that technology has moved on to the current day.

[revhappy]

I will give you some 1st hand experience.

We are staying in a rented house. We kept getting reminder letters in our mail box addressed to the previous tenant from starhub asking to pay the dues. The previous tenant has already gone back to India. After several reminders and pink letter was sent and finally last week I saw a letter from the Lawyer's company addressed to the previous tenant. I called up my agent and notified her. She just told me to put the letter into the return mail box. Not sure what is going to happen in the future.

[ecureilx]

I will give you some 1st hand experience.

We are staying in a rented house. We kept getting reminder letters in our mail box addressed to the previous tenant from starhub asking to pay the dues. The previous tenant has already gone back to India. After several reminders and pink letter was sent and finally last week I saw a letter from the Lawyer's company addressed to the previous tenant. I called up my agent and notified her. She just told me to put the letter into the return mail box. Not sure what is going to happen in the future.

Depending on who the money was owed to, writ from a lawyer letter - which is just only a demand letter (each adding 50 $ to 150 $ to the money owed) and on to filing legal action until bankruptcy ..

for less than 10K, it will be small claims court, and if the debtor can't be found then they could proceed to bankruptcy

it is not a matter of amount - for lesser amounts companies have file seizure / bankruptcy orders

If you got lawyer letter for the previous tenant, call the lawyer company and tell them you are the new tenant. Good luck if the letters were addressed to the landlord himself/herself

[aster]

p.s. They were already monitoring all phone calls in SG 15 years ago. Lord knows how that technology has moved on to the current day.

Is that why internet access is so slow?

I read somewhere that all international (and strangely enough also domestic) internet traffic is set to be routed via Hong Kong. Doesn't that give a foreign country access to sift through all data coming not only in or out but also travelling within Sing?

[ecureilx]

Is that why internet access is so slow?

Your internet access is slow because you didn't pay enough .. maybe

No - all monitoring, if effected, is non-intrusive, unlike in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam .. and legally iDA has waived the requirement to monitor traffic ten years ago .. and you can challenge the ISP if you are being monitored, except where told so for offensive contents ..

I read somewhere that all international (and strangely enough also domestic) internet traffic is set to be routed via Hong Kong. Doesn't that give a foreign country access to sift through all data coming not only in or out but also travelling within Sing?

Such routing is due to cheap routes and cheaper fibre .. and compared to the days when we used Satellite, where anybody with a 2 cent brain can figure out a C Band transceiver - can listen - or atleast capture the traffic and try to decipher ..

Always, there is this option of "VPN" / "Encrypted traffic" to overcome intrusion ..

[Plavt]

With all of the major databases in the country links together, it not hard to conceive that those databases are also linked to the law society and other legal bodies where debtors information is kept when companies decide to engage legal help to get payment.

Some bodies are able to share information (e.g. in the UK councils, Inland Revenue, Job Centres who pay benefits) but I doubt very much if all are linked. Accessing databases can be costly and is not as simple as a great many people think.

[Plavt]

I never tested it in Singapore, but I know for a fact that an unpaid council tax bill in London (City of Westminster) is though court and at a 'fine stage' within 3 months.

That's standard anywhere in the UK and has nothing to do with sharing information unless you try to disappear then it would most likely be sould to a debt collection agency.

p.s. They were already monitoring all phone calls in SG 15 years ago. Lord knows how that technology has moved on to the current day.

Most developed countries have this capbility but the man hours and expense involved will mean they would be pretty select about who they would bother listening to.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Don't you just love how technology has reduced the man hours necessary to do those things. Women don't sit in front of a PBX board at the telephone company any more either. We don't even have to "dial" a phone number, in fact, we don't even have to press the buttons or pseudo buttons anymore. Technology marches on.........

You might want to do some personal investigation into what Singapore has done and is in the processes of doing before you make those rash statements. They have already linked up 5 of the major databases already. Of course Singapore has it a little be easier as it's total mass and population can be handled much easier. And when you consider that the PP, NRIC and Birth Certificates all carry the same number from birth to death, including death certificates, makes it all the more easier. A foreigner who has ever gotten a residency pass here (as opposed to a tourist) is issued a FIN number. The only time that FIN number is ever changed, regardless of how many times he comes here on different contracts, will be the day he is given PR. At that time his status changes and he is issued an NRIC number which will always be his, forever. If he becomes a citizen, the NRIC number still stays the same and just the colour of the NRIC changes from blue to pink. Therefore with a single number that will be a unique identifier in each and every database in Singapore, once the backbone links them all up it's easy.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Lots of countries are investing more and more into evesdropping equipment due to the proliferation of terrorists as well....