UK debt collection agencies and how to handle them

[linkyandphil]

if you lent a friend £1000, im sure no one would chase it up in a manna that these wankers do, and im positive you wouldnt add an extra £40.00 to the original £1000 for being late. if you would, then you are not a friend to anyone, you are a greedy cunt who wants £40.00 more, which i must stress you never lost in the first place, so how can you add money to a debt which with the money you have added you never had nor lost? fucking idiots

[TheStudents2011]

UK Debt Collection Industry

We are a group marketing students that are in our final year of university and we are carrying out research on the UK debt collection industry; the way in which it operates and how it affects consumers such as you. Before we carry out this research we must state that anything that you do put down is 100% anonymous. If you would rather email us the finished questionnaire, instead of posting your responses online then this would be fine.

[TheStudents2011]

our email is students2011@hotmail.co.uk

[TheStudents2011]

We are trying to help consumers by finding out what the industry can do to improve its ethics and stop harming people who have fallen into difficulties. if you would kindly like to fill in our survey can you email us on students2011@hotmail.co.uk and we will email you the survey back. We would kindly appreciate your help and hopefully the results will be of assistance to you.

thank you

students2011

[Tzimnewman3]

Its 12 working days and then after no Court in the UK can enforce the debt.

[dcamaggots]

@Tzimnewman3

12 working days + 2 for postage.

But such requests should be sent recorded delivery, since DCAs have a habit of not acknowledging receiving such a request, and so it's best to have proof that they did get it.

And, of course, no signature should EVER be provided to a DCA - because some DCAs have been known to 'photoshop' signatures onto paperwork.

[kingwaldo100]

Dont trust the FOS, they are opinion makers and are living on another world.

If you are in debt, go bankrupt. These debt companies are like vultures, if your partner is pregnant leave the country, because there is a very good chance she will not have the baby due to treats,excessive phone calls and harrassment. A corrupt system, banks lie, codes and acts are breached, FSA just watch and dont do anything. A failed system and banks are fully protected.

Ex IFA,Director 20 yrs service FSA

[sail1948]

If you recieve a demand fron a debt collection company the chances are that whoever it is you owe money to has sold them that debt. Your original contract was with whoever you actually owe the money too and that means you entered into no contract with the debt collection agency. Dont pay them, you've absolutely no obligation to give them a penny. Dont respond to any correspondance, totally ignore them and eventually they'll give up. I've done this lots of times.

[fireicer]

Pleasing justification to your pleasant kind and accurate information

oft gov uk/news-and-updates/press/toda­y?prid=749388

[vincewrght]

pay the debt???!!! why the fuck should we!! these multi national corperations have been screwing us for years!! the bosses are millions and just in bonus, fuck em!! take the power back!!!! cant believe these dick eds!!

[Libline]

Thanks for the advice.

[dcamaggots]

@Libline

No problem.

[brawler031]

To all the people slating debt collectors or bailiffs, if it wasn't for these collectors the country would be in a worse state than it is. If you owe money to creditors then pay for it or come to some arrangement and stop hiding behind your doors and not answering like pussies. Why should the debtor have more rights than the creditor its ridiculous. If you let a friend borrow £1000 and he/her did one with your money im pretty sure you would be chasing him/her for it.

[dcamaggots]

@brawler031

"if it wasn't for these collectors the country would be in a worse state than it is" - Would it? How so?

"pay for it or come to some arrangement" - If they provide substantive proof that it's owed, nobody's saying otherwise. But if they can't prove, don't pay - and why should you?

"and stop hiding behind your doors and not answering like pussies" - Debt collecting doesn't just entail door to door, though if a 'doorstep collector' does turn up, he can be told to fuck off.

[dcamaggots]

@brawler031

"Why should the debtor have more rights than the creditor its ridiculous." - If the creditor hasn't done his job right, then why should allowances be made for that? If the creditor fumbles the ball in some way, then that's his fault.

"If you let a friend borrow £1000 and he/her did one with your money im pretty sure you would be chasing him/her for it." - Most people don't have £1000 to lend to anyone, and I wouldn't recommend lending or borrowing in this day and age.

[sidge428]

@brawler031 well seeing as though the monetary system is a complete farce, and the vast majority of "money" is created from nothing ... so if they are losing this money, they are losing nothing.

[StSimonMartyr]

Collectors dont Own the debt. Let alone are owed any money

They are 3rd party bottom feeders, making their living extracting ill gotten proceeds from those duped into a system that is fraudulent.

They have no legal standing and are not a holder in due course. They can and should be challenged at all costs and be sued and /or countersued. They are part of the problem, not the solution, you moron.

If one doesnt know his rights, he has none.

[rodjames98]

@StSimonMartyr This is very true, and its refreshing to see so many people now waking up to these toothless parasites, and taking them on.

[rodjames98]

@brawler031 Yeah I can really imagine that the country would be in a worse state, especially since these lowlifes are third party interlopers who purchase old debts for a fraction of their original sum, and then load interest charges. My advice is eveyone pay up on time (even if you are skint) and then that will help the country with its phoney war efforts in afghanastan and iraq ! why didn't I think of that ?

[maxpullara1]

bank overdraft, loan company account... thanks for getting back to me

[dcamaggots]

Overdraft's aren't covered by the CCA, but there is a procedure in place for chasing this up.

Loans are covered however, and it's worth checking that website out to seek best course of action on both.

Use an anonymous hotmail account to sign up, then post your story there - keeping any personally identifying marks out of the story.

You'll get decent advice on how to proceed from there.

[maxpullara1]

I owe to so many companies would it be better for me to go bankrupt? About ten grand to around 6 companies.. 15 hundred being cuntcil tax? ANy suggestions

[dcamaggots]

What is each debt for? Loan, overdraft, credit card, catalogue, company account? There's a good chance that most if not all are covered by the CCA 1974.

Council Tax isn't covered by that act, however - that's a different scenario altogether.

Consumer Action Group website has a different section allocated to Council Tax problems.

[maxpullara1]

Your the man!!! Thanks for sharing!

[minesapint123]

What if a company sends a debt collector after you who give up and they then send another one after you instead?

[dcamaggots]

If you've sent a CCA request to the first company, and they never fulfilled it, the second company has to be reminded that the debt is in dispute.

But do not send them a copy of the same request - the first company should have passed it to their client, and that's what the payment for a CCA request is for.

Consumer Action Group website has template letters for such instances.

[minesapint123]

Im bookmarking this page. Thanks alot!

[dcamaggots]

No problem at all. I would recommend my other clips also, as well as those of ScabhunterCAG, LocutusCAG, LloydsTSBLiars, and btonbadger.

[nethy02]

the request for the signed copy of agreement only gives them 12 working days after that has passed then if you havent a copy from the, the debt is then unenforceable

[dcamaggots]

Quite right. It's unenforceable until (or IF) the agreement turns up.

But the older the agreement, the less chance it will turn up.

A lot of companies don't bother to ask the original client for it, depending on age/reliability of the debts.

MacKenzie Hall (who've just had an OFT warning) I know for a fact is one that doesn't.

MH and Ruthbridge are two well known companies notorious for trying it on with Statute Barred debts.

[flyscreen99]

folks be wary of agressive debt collectors, you will often find those that are polite and reasonable, can help you get back on track

[dcamaggots]

flyscreen99 - Agree with you in the way of aggressive collection methods.

But ANY collector - reasonable or not - should still be obligated to fulfil a CCA request (if the debt is covered by that legislation)/provide evidence of debt.

Plus, the client/agent may have acted improperly or there may be errors made on the part of the client that renders the debt unenforceable (faulty default notice issued prior to termination, for example).

[73north]

Thanks for the TrueCall - advice

must admit I had never heard of it

folks who say - just pay up

should realise how horrible DCA people speak to you the first time you get contacted - it ain't nice and it fact is counter-productive - you learn to fight back

I ain't paying for a debt I don't think I owe

go figure

the FEAR Factor , with your ' Credit Rating ' being affected , is not a big deal

as no-one has any money to throw around , with the credit crunch

[dcamaggots]

It is getting more difficult for the DCAs now, when people are more inclined to fight their corner and won't be bullied or condescended by some Mickey Mouse call jockey.

I daresay nobody apart from DCAs really gives a shit about credit ratings now. Mine's trashed (thanks LTSB!), but it hasn't stopped me from being approved for stuff when needed.

Besides, we're all borrowing less because the lenders can't be trusted, and in my case, fair vendors will be/are getting paid back - unlike LTSB.

[73north]

The next Agency which took over from NCO is Intrum Justitia - they say over the phone they are " a company called Intrum " - I recommed all you on-line listen carefully to the superb advice -

it is the real deal , and I can confirm it is correct and very useful - above all DON'T GIVE IN - I used ' Choose to Refuse ' from BT to Block the calls , it is free to use and easy to set up .

anyway thank you , sir

* * * * *

[dcamaggots]

May I recommend the Truecall system. This really is an amazing piece of kit and will more or less rid the unwanted call problem for good, and will also record calls.

Much more info about it can be found on Consumer Action Group (I notice you got a thread on there now). Being a CAG member now, you'll be able to get a free memory card as well that can store recorded calls (emailing CAG will get you more info on this).

It's expensive at 100 notes, but really is the best 100 you'll ever spend.

[dcamaggots]

73north - Thank you for the kind compliment.

Once again, I have other clips regarding the traits of certain companies. Not NCO, of whom I've not had the pleasure.

Especially, Consumer Action Group is excellent material for fending off unwanted DCA bullshit and some NCO threads can be found quite easily there.

Better still, the credit industry is really taking a hammering this year. I predict we'll see at least one well known agency forced out of business by the end of this year. Yippee!

[73north]

From the Bottom of my heart

- thank you

I had hassle from NCO Europe , for a year over £ 10 ( chargeback from Paypal )

I ignored them successfully -

[spencerjohn2k]

This video has opened my eyes massively! Thanks!

[dcamaggots]

Thank you for your kind words. May I suggest my other clips and Consumer Action Group also (free to join - if you haven't already).

You'll find more information about the bullshit and general dishonesty that these companies practice as normal course of business.

[rod563]

Thankyou for this video, the tide is turning against these cocksuckers.

[dcamaggots]

Indeed the tide is turning. It's becoming more apparent how arrogant, ignorant and irrelevant these companies are.

I think we'll be seeing at least one of the bigger agencies out of business by the end of the year. First Credit and MacKenzie Hall have already had sanctions imposed against them, and from what online comments have to say, these sanctions are being blatantly ignored.

[MondoBeno]

In the USA, if you say "don't call again", they can't (no legally anyway).

If they contact you after you say "stop" then you can sue for damages.

If they call your friends/family, you can sue them and win.

[colopity]

Brilliant, matey! Just one question, how are we supposed to pay when all we have are promises to pay a bearer on demand, what the hell's that? A promise to pay, so do we pay or do we promise to pay, he he he

[dcamaggots]

colopity - Well, promises can be broken, I suppose.

After all, bankers and DCAs break them often enough, so why not the other way around?

[colopity]

Yeah, let them pay then, seeing as they do so much for society, let them be the ones to pay with their funny money, they're as bad as the govt who advocate the DCA's

[dcamaggots]

colopity - Don't get me started on this government. I've said enough on previous threads about them.

I got real negatives from America's GOP hacks about that, but what do they know - they don't have to live here!

I agree with you. This government IS as useless, inconsequential and irrelevant as the DCAs, and just as disingenuous.

The day when this government ends up out on its arse will be the day I will laugh heartily - depresses me though that the alternatives seem no better.

[debtsquad]

dont worry about bailiffs, get free debt advise now call 0800 118 5091 all advise is free

[mancpaul01]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!

[dcamaggots]

Sorry about the late response Dan - 6 months? How did I miss it?

This is probably information you already know now, but consumeractiongroup are the best source for template letters. Not just CCA requests either, post your story on there, and I can guarantee you'll get lots of good sound advice, regardless of where you might be in the collections process.

Once again, apologies for not responding sooner.

[kevbrav]

Do you know anything about using your birth certificate number,to clear the debt.Theres a guy named Robert menard who have some info thanks...

[Ginalondonuk]

Very helpful - thank you.

[dcamaggots]

No problem. Thank you for the compliment and enjoy your Christmas.

[Hammie0141]

i have a very large debt, im not going to state the exact amount for obvious reasons, i recieved a letter from Allied, i made the mistake of calling them, i read into it a little more and sent them a CCA and harrassment letter, the sent me the CCA. what do i do now to get out of paying?

[dcamaggots]

Scan the CCA - is it an exact copy of one you were given originally? Make sure you blank out all personal details, account numbers or barcodes before scanning, then post it on CAG asking the question 'is my agreement enforceable'. If you've not already done that, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Many CCAs issued trip up for one reason or another. And, if it turns out to be unenforceable, Allied can bluster and threaten all they want - but they're fucked all the same.

[TheAbstraction]

Whoops gave this 3 stars, it deserves 5.

When so much credit has been made from so much debt, should we take solvency to be amongst the virtues?

[dcamaggots]

TheAbstraction - Many thanks for the compliment.

With everybody feeling the pinch with the current financial crisis, it seems more and more of us are realising how worthless and pointless DCAs are.

We'll be seeing a few of them going out of business in the next few months, I reckon, and the drones that work for them will just have to find other work. I don't know if sex lines will be taking staff on towards Christmas though.

[jshek00]

Thank you very much, you have been very helpful to me.

[dcamaggots]

jshek00 - Thank you. Glad to be of service. Shame that far too many people still get easily taken in by the crap that these companies spout.

It's pretty easy to get them off your case, and to tell the truth, these days I wind them up just for the fun of it. And the best part? There's sod all they can do about it.

[chebalger]

5 star from me, dont take notice of any negative comments your star for saying thought

[dcamaggots]

chebalger - Your kind comments come much appreciated and if you're currently running the DCA gauntlet, then best of luck that it all works out in your favour.

There's another clip I whacked on yesterday, a follow-on from a previous recording. It covers more on DCAs letters, the flaws in them, and is a little more personally felt.

To tell the truth, I expected the negatives, and like to give as good as I get (just to wind them up more). Notice how none of them have been back since.

[dcamaggots]

FATBEGONE - A DCA has to prove, when called to do so, that they even have a right to collect, and past payments are irrelevant as far as this is concerned.

Refer to 'Getting them off your case' and the clip description for further details on all three of your sentences.

If you work for a DCA, and your last sentence certainly does suggest that, then expect no cordiality here.

[FATBEGONE]

This is poor information - yes ask for a copy of the signed agreement if there is a dispute with the balance outstanding. How can you state its down to the creditor to prove the debt exist if the debtor/consumer has made previous payments and defaulted. People who get in debt SHOULD PAY IT BACK, not look at ineffective ways of getting out of paying !

[tickertyboo43]

mdddpd...heres another tip,dont think you will never be in the situation people who are in debt are in,you never know what lies around the corner,heres another tip,if this video does not relate to your situation then why bother giving out sutpid advice.

[muffin123man]

You say to ask for a copy of the complaints procedure, then if the DCA actually send it to you report them to the financial ombudsman?

[dcamaggots]

muffin123man - Exactly my point! Many DCAs don't have a complaints procedure in place, and that's why many will try to find excuses not to send one. But they are supposed to have one (especially in light of the new CPUTR 2008 legislation).

Even if they do have one, don't expect them to admit any liability for wrongdoing. When the complaint is 'dealt with' - always to the debtor's dis-satisfaction, for some strange reason - then it's time for the formal complaint to the FOS.

[noodiethetiger]

What a wonderful Video!!. Great to know these things :-)

[honeycrack69]

I'm a debt collector and this guy is clearly just an angry twat that himself is getting chased for debt, most of what he said is bollocks, it is not down to the debt collection agency to provide proof or indeed the signed COA (if not the original creditor). He tries to sound professional but slips and shows his lack of knowledge when he begins swearing, if you listen to this tit, you will only end up in more trouble

[dcamaggots]

Er, if the agency is handling the debt, then yes it is down to them to get the client to provide proof if asked to do so. Know your job before posting comments.

You criticise me for swearing, then you start doing it in your comment - you fucking hypocrite.

What's the matter? Commission beginning to hit a downer? Good. If it puts one more of you off the streets, then great. There's plenty of dirty toilets in my neck of the woods that need cleaning. Twat.

[tickertyboo43]

you should get a decent job instead making people who are struggling lives hell,people do not want to be in debt circumstance change and all the dca muppets do is try to bully people struggling to pay into paying,i would not come here bragging if i were in your job,i think dca are scum

[ShawnChalanT]

When is Chase bank going to collect their debt i owe them.Damn!It's been 6 years now!I'll take a little bad credit rather than pay that $5000 credit card.Besides once my personal information is bought by the collection agency it's all downhill from there.Thanks to hjr-192 in 1933.

[dcamaggots]

If you;re in America, then 6 years would be way past statute of limitations, wouldn't it?

I know it varies from state to state, but I don't think any state has anything as long as a 6 year deadline.

[dcamaggots]

I know there's quite a few such agencies in the US, but I'm unsure which companies there are. I'm not sure where the law stands in America on these companies and rules they have to follow.

[oldbagpuss]

Excellent, thanks

[OmegaPinguin]

Yes i hear spam you with letters and threat until you surrender to them.

Thank you, i didn't know that there in UK as well.

There work for Dialer Company for example.

[dcamaggots]

I don't know if you work for such a company (frankly, I'm not interested enough to want to know), but here's a tip for you - buy a dictionary.

And here's an extra tip thrown in - don't try to be clever if you have nothing to be clever about.

[mdddpd]

heres a tip for u all!dont get credit u cant pay back!

[angrysmurf3]

How would I go about finding out if my CCA is enforceable? I refer to the midlands couple who got their debts cancelled by challenging their CCAs in the courts.

[dcamaggots]

Also, DCAs will usually search your files by name and postcode. If you're unfortunate enough to have your personal details bear even the slightest resemblance to whoever it is they're trying to trace, then they'll go for you and the whole joyous threatening letters/stern phone calls process begins.

And if you think that such mistakes couldn't happen today, just remember which country you're living in.

[dcamaggots]

Good point and I agree. This is why credit reference agencies - Experian, Equifax and Callcredit - make it awkward when you try to log a Notice of Correction on your credit file. DCAs pay these agencies money (usually a monthly fee) to access their information as a means of tracing debtors (I believe this to be intrusion and should come under the Data Protection Act).

[gozgore]

That's all when and good but people should be aware that while this is going on the debt collection companies will carry out 'Trace' searches on your Credit File and these will seriouly damage your Credit File.

[electricsilver]

Great informative video. Well done for taking on these scumbags. They are a scouge of this country; collecting "debts" from innocent joe public, while the fat cats and politicians get away with untold riches at our exspense.

[j4mcg]

Excellent advice. Most people are either frightened into doing nothing or dive straight into paying what they ask. Follow the advice here and you will feel in control again. Brilliant! - I would add though, once debt is proved, ultimately the best practice would be to take action and plan your way out of the situation...