MacKenzie Hall - 3rd Parties Debt: Help!

Tiffer · 27 November 2006 at 11:30AM

Hi all.

New to the forums and been reading up on "Mackenzie Hall Limited" after today receiving red "postcard" from them requesting contact. Not sure if this is the correct forum for this post but it is concerning a debt.

I have read through the posts mentioning this company who would appear to be rather "shady" and the best policy seems to be not to contact this company, at least by phone!

The card in question was addressed to a friend who lodged with us for approximately six months before leaving to work abroad for a few months.

The person in question no longer resides here and has not done so for at least six months. I presume they are trying to collect an outstanding debt for this person on behalf of some company. The text of the card is as follows:

"Name of our friend,
Our home address.

Important:

Please call 01563 554 540 no later than 27th November 2006. This is not a circular or junk mail. We need to speak to you urgently. Quote Reference: Number given. Thank you."

The address on the "From" side of the card is Mackenzie Hall Limited at the Kilmarknock address listed in some other posts. The card was sent by Royal Mail 2nd Class post and only received today (27th).

I would like some advice from anyone in the know on how to proceed further in relation to this demand. We have very little contact with the person in question now, but I do know that he is due to return to the UK in February 2007, but I do not have an address for him. I know he is returning to live with is partner down South, but I have no idea where.

I received a similar demand in July 2005 from a "Direct Legal and Collections" of Brackley, Northants. I replied to them with a letter with the following text:

"Your reference: ******

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to you with reference to your letter of 4 July 2005 to a Mr **** ******, supposedly residing at this address. I would like to make you aware that Mr ***** no longer resides at this address and has been living abroad for at least the last 2 years. This address was used for a short period for forwarding his final mail to, before he left the UK.

As far as I was aware all outstanding commitments were settled before he left. I do not have any forwarding address for him and I would ask that you do not send any further letters to this address for this person.

Furthermore, should I find that my good credit rating has been damaged by any blacklisting by yourselves of this address I shall be taking the matter up with my solicitor.

I am the owner of this property along with my wife and we have no connection or relation to Mr **** other than as a friend.

Please can you confirm in writing that no further action will be taken on this matter via this address and that you will continue your investigations elsewhere.

Yours faithfully,
**********"

I received a reply from that company stating that the contents of my letter had been noted, apologising and stating that no further action would be taken. We have never had any similar mail until today.

Please can someone assure me that I cannot be held responsible and have my good credit rating tarnished by the actions of a former lodger. I believe these matters were debts that he had before he came to live here and our address has never been used, to the best of my knowledge, except by ourselves to gain credit.

I am desperate to get this matter resolved quickly before any further action is taken by this company.

Thank you in advance for any help.

rog2 · 27 November 2006 at 11:43AM

You can not be held responsible for the 'debt' of someone to whom you are not financially associated.
Mackenzie Hall are indeed as you described - others have possibly more colourful descriptions for this 'company'.
I think that the practice of sending those 'red cards' is despicable - whilst it does not actually state on the card that they are debt collectors, both the wording and the fact that their name is so well known in this sector makes it as bad as turning up outside of your house with a white van with DEBT COLLECTION written all over it. :mad: :mad:
Another tactic used by these 'people' is the BT voice text asking you to call them - they obviously know that the person who answers this may not be the person they are looking for and in my opinion it is a tactic designed purely to cause the maximum amount of embarrassment to the person in question.
This despicable crowd have been described as the 'fag-ends' of the debt collection business, for the tactics they employ.
I wouldn't even bother to reply - they are not looking for you - you have informed the other DCA that the person they are looking for no longer lives there. Bin it, and if they persist, report them to the Kilmarnock Trading Standards office (they are very familiar with the tactics of Mackenzie Hall).
Good luck
Rog2

Tiffer · 27 November 2006 at 9:35PM

Rog2

Thanks for the speedy reply. I thought that was the case, that as it's not my debt I cannot be held responsible.

I think I'll hold on to the card as evidence (just in case!) instead of binning it. You advise not to contact them, not even to just tell them that it's not my debt and that the person concerned does not live at this address anymore? Do you think the text of this card amounts to just "scare tactics" given it's wording and the deadline date being the date it arrived? My wife is concerned that if we don't even contact them they will put a "black mark" at the very least, on our property which may cause us issues in obtaining credit at a later date. We currently have a very good credit rating, owning at least one platinum credit and one platinum debit card.

I need some advice to reassure her that they will not keep chasing us for the debt....she seems to think that if we do nothing the bailiffs will come round!

I will take your advice on contacting Kilmarnock Trading Standards should we get any further mail. Is it fair to say that we are okay to just ignore this mail as it not addressed to our name, regardless of the fact that it is sent to our address, much like mail for a previous owner?

Thanks again for your help.

whatatwit · 27 November 2006 at 9:43PM

It sounds like the original debt, first letter you got, has been passed to MacKenzie Hall.
They will no doubt be starting at the beginning and following up every address they have on file for your friend.

I personally would write to them along the same lines as your original letter.
If you do nothing, they will be back in touch.

madduck · 27 November 2006 at 10:11PM

Re your concern about a 'black mark' on your address - addresses aren't blacklisted - it is people that credit scores are based on. You can only be adversely affected by the credit rating of someone who is financially linked to you ie someone with whom you share a bank account/mortgage.

Personally, I would send a letter like the one you sent to the other company - hopefully that will do the trick and finish the matter off.

Tiffer · 28 November 2006 at 1:41AM

Hi again,

Now I am confused! I now get advice to write to MacKenzie along the lines of my letter to Direct Legal. In view of the reputation of the Mackenzie company I am not sure if this is a good idea and whether I am opening myself up for further correspondence from them. Although I suspect they would only have to check the Electoral Roll to discover that the debtor (if thats the correct word) does not live at this address.

I am of the view that I need to do something to avoid further letters and bring an end to the matter. I am just not sure if MacKenzie Hall will believe anything I tell them! Any further advice welcome.

Xbigman · 28 November 2006 at 2:30AM

Tiffer wrote:

Hi all.

I received a reply from that company stating that the contents of my letter had been noted, apologising and stating that no further action would be taken. We have never had any similar mail until today.

I would advise not replying to them but as you have a letter stating no further action will be taken you should send a recorded delivery letter to MH with a photocopy of it. Do not call them under any circumstances.
Regards

X

MacKenzie Hall - 3rd Parties Debt: Help!

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