Mackenzie Hall / CCJ

Tavira_2 · 29 August 2006 at 2:02PM

Hi

I have received in the post a letter form a company called Mackenzie Hall. They say they are trying to contact me concerning a 'personal matter'. The letter is on photocopied headed paper and a printed signature. So far I have not contacted them and have no intention of doing so until they contact me with a specific request.

I have done google searches and found they are a debt collection service specialising in old or unrecoverable debts. I did have a CCJ from approx 96/97. I knew about this from a credit report done in 97. However no-one has ever contacted me to sayI owe them money, am in debt, are chasing debt etc etc.

I have 2 questions as follows:

1) Has anyone else come across Mackenzie Hall and what were their experiences?

2) Where do I stand, legally, with having to pay CCJ?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

TNG · 29 August 2006 at 2:04PM

If I could put a link in I would......Search this site. I have seen plenty about MH and none of it good

inmypocketnottheirs · 29 August 2006 at 3:27PM

Hi Tavira and welcome to MSE.

It would be worthwhile getting an upto date credit report from Experian and Equifax to see if there is anything else that you may have overlooked.

I would say, without any experience of this firm, that they are a bunch of chancers who have bought an old debt with the intention of trying to scare you into paying. You have the protection of 'statute of limitations' which essentially means that after 6 years from the date of last correspondence, that a debt becomes uncollectable. Similarly any old credit information is removed from your credit file after this period for the same reason.

HTH

Optimist · 29 August 2006 at 3:28PM

1. As TNG says do a search on Mackenzie Hall that will tell you all you need to know about them

2. Generally the Limitations Act 1980 would come into force after 6 years and they cant do anything unless you admit to the debt, but as you state there is a CCJ against you that might cause complications. However it may be that they wont be able to enforce judgement without the courts permission. You need to find out if there actually is a CCJ against you and you should be able to do that on here

http://www.registry-trust.org.uk/

Tootsie_Roll · 29 August 2006 at 3:34PM

inmypocketnottheirs wrote:

Hi Tavira and welcome to MSE.

It would be worthwhile getting an upto date credit report from Experian and Equifax to see if there is anything else that you may have overlooked.

I would say, without any experience of this firm, that they are a bunch of chancers who have bought an old debt with the intention of trying to scare you into paying. You have the protection of 'statute of limitations' which essentially means that after 6 years from the date of last correspondence, that a debt becomes uncollectable. Similarly any old credit information is removed from your credit file after this period for the same reason.

HTH

Not quite right. Mackenzie Hall specialise in 'tertiary' debt, debt that is either very old, has been worked a lot or generally thought to be unlikely to pay out. I do not know of them buying debt yet, although they could have but unless the OP has had a letter from them stating that then they are collecting on behalf of the lender or another dca.

Also there is no statute of limitations on a ccj and they can be re-registered with the cra's so no matter how old it is it m ay be worthwhile paying it off.

Tavira_2 · 29 August 2006 at 5:11PM

All good info - the feedback on Mackenzie Hall is not good. Sounds like they are trying it on.

I didn't know there was no Statute of Limitations against CCJ. However, if I have never had anyone chasing me for the debt, then does this give me any grounds for not paying or having debt written off?

Also - if I apply to the registry-trust website, then is that then logged against me as having formal knowledge of my CCJ and therefore having to pay?

Thanks to all for your replys. Its true what they say 'it's good to talk....'

iolanthe07 · 29 August 2006 at 5:39PM

But if you owe it, shouldn't you pay it?

inmypocketnottheirs · 29 August 2006 at 7:29PM

Tootsie_Roll wrote:

Not quite right. Mackenzie Hall specialise in 'tertiary' debt, debt that is either very old, has been worked a lot or generally thought to be unlikely to pay out. I do not know of them buying debt yet, although they could have but unless the OP has had a letter from them stating that then they are collecting on behalf of the lender or another dca.

Also there is no statute of limitations on a ccj and they can be re-registered with the cra's so no matter how old it is it m ay be worthwhile paying it off.

Now you come to mention it, that does ring true, my apologies for misleading the OP.

Does a ccj (whether satisfied or otherwise) get removed from a credit file after the six year period?

Tootsie_Roll · 30 August 2006 at 9:37AM

Tavira wrote:

I didn't know there was no Statute of Limitations against CCJ. However, if I have never had anyone chasing me for the debt, then does this give me any grounds for not paying or having debt written off?

Also - if I apply to the registry-trust website, then is that then logged against me as having formal knowledge of my CCJ and therefore having to pay?

If the company concerned has gone to the trouble and expense of getting a ccj then there is little or no chance they are just going to write it off for you. Also whether you have 'formal knowledge', as you put it, makes no difference at all. If there is a ccj outstanding the company can re-register it with the credit reference agencies continually untill it is cleared although in practise this doesn't happen very often - I have to say though if anyone's going to do it it will be Mackenzie Hall.

redlilly · 5 September 2006 at 2:04PM

Hi i'm new here and have been reading the threads on MH i also had a letter from them last week asking me to urgently get in contact with them, didn't know who they were so phoned big mistake!!! It apparently was for a debt i had with Barclays bank (one i never knew exsisted) it is for about £500 and was from 1998, i was at the time living with my partner who got me in to quite a lot of debt by fraudently using my name to get credit for stuff, now i did have an account with Barclays but it was a basic thing no overdraft etc, infact i think the card was a visa electron so would only debit what was in account. The one thing i did have was a cheque book i am wondering if he got his grubby little hands on it and the above has happened, until MH got in contact with me i didn't know anything about this debt, and explained to them what i thought may have happened but obviously it was a long time ago and i can't remember what happened yesterday let alone 8 years ago!!!! but i did not admit to the debt being mine, the first person i spoke to was extremely rude and told me it was my fault i was in the position i did explain i was at the time only 21 and in an abusive relationship so didn't really know any better, that was also my own fault this guy had me reduced to tears i couldn't understand why he was being sooo horrible to me, i managed to get someone else on the phone and they told me if i got a crime ref. No. from the police it would be invesigated by the fraud team, i haven't yet gone to the police as i feel abit stupid and i haven't spoken to MH since either, what should i do now???????

Please help :-(

Tootsie_Roll · 5 September 2006 at 2:41PM

Please don't worry or panic.

Do a search for statute barred debts either on here or the national debt line web site. Send MH the letter informing them that the debt is now statute barred and you are not going to pay it.

In a nut shell as the debt is older than 6 years and presumably you haven't paid or acknowleged the debt in that time they can't pursue you for it once you send them the letter.

Good luck.

Mackenzie Hall / CCJ

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