Old Debt? Mackenzie Hall

Orbital

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for digging up quite an old thread, but I'm after some advice involving our mutual friend Mackenzie Hall.

About 6-8 months ago my wife received a letter from a company called Lending Stream. Neither of us had ever heard of them, but they'd decided that my wife owed them £1344!! The letter was a tatty photocopy with no proper signature or anything. I had a search round on the web and it seemed their was a scam going round using the Lending Stream name. So we ignored it and filed it under "B" for bin.

Today my wife has received a letter from Mackenzie Hall Demanding we pay the £1344 amount by 28th of February! My wife insisted on checking her credit history via the Equifax site, even though their's no way this is our debt and it's as clean as a whistle. The only credit we've ever taken out was the mortgage for our house and recently for a new car. What do you think is my best course of action?

Cheers

Dave

Gordon_Hose

You can ignore it or get them to prove it.

I'd probably ignore it, if it isn't your wife's debt, and just bin their letters. Depends how annoying you find the letters really.

Orbital

Hi and thanks for the reply,

The thing that annoys me is that I know it's worrying my wife. Even though it's nothing to do with her, she's just like that.

It just amazes me that company's like this can go around sending off letters demanding £1344 without worrying about any consequences.

Cheers

Dave

Gordon_Hose

You could report them to the OFT and the FOS.

xJOJOx_2

Hi

On coming home this evening my husband told me he had been contacted by the above company and that he owes £4839 from a joint business account from 2001 (11 years ago.) Apparently the other person involved resigned 2 days before my husband did which means that he is now responsible for the debt. They were very pushy demanding whether he had saving etc to pay debt off, he say he wouldn't pay blah blah blah. In the end they made him agree to pay £50 a month (at first this was not acceptable, until he say it was that or nothing) They wanting to set up the direct debit there and then, however they have issued him with bank accout and sort code to set it up himself. I deal with all bills etc and he has no access to account details (as he doesn't need them) which is why luckly we haven't paid anything and they dont have any our details. There has definately been no prior correspondance for over 6 years. I read this on a debt information page re status barred.....
Oral admissions will not suffice. Creditors will often tell our clients that the calls are being recorded. A transcript of a call is not evidence of acknowledgment of a debt. However, reference to telephone conversations in a subsequent letter signed by you or someone acting on your behalf could allow evidence of the conversation to be given in court, so that the letter and the conversation together could amount to an acknowledgement.....

Is this correct? Shall I write to the company as if no phonecall was made and ask them to send information on the personal matter via letter or just send them a status barred letter straight away.

According to the tradding standing website mh can not

• pursue a debt where it has been notified in writing that there is reasonable cause to believe that the debt is in dispute, and
• pursue a debt where it has been notified in writing that the debt is statute barred.

Not sure which way to proceed. Told my husband if he receives any more calls to tell them to put it in a letter and hang up.

Should I put a complaint into tradding standards or write the statue barred letter first, then complain if they harress us further?

Thanks xx

fatbelly

You've pretty much got it. It's statute barred.

Send the appropriate letter from this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2606811

etie

Hi i have just received a letter from mackenzie hall asking for a payment from thier client for £750, we have no dealings with this client so have no debt. Is this a scam

Gordon_Hose

They are probably phishing for people of the same or similar names to you.

Ignore them.

macpep1

Hi All

This makes very interesting reading, I had a "SMS message" left on my home telephone saying, please call Marianne Mackenzie on 01563 556544 quoting reference M??????, or visit our website at www........ then it cut off??? I don't believe I have any old unpaid debts. I am thinking I will just ignore the phone call in the hope that it will go away, judging by the posts, these people are very very pushy! My telephone is changing next week anyway and the company I am switching to could not keep my old number.

awayinchina

Hi Mak-Hall are part of Cabot.
What I would do is forward the new DCA copies of the letters you sent mak-hall also CC copies to MAK-HALL and cabot (do it by email) as you can get read/received notification.
Also, as this debt is older you could ask for FULL AND FINAL settlement for 25% due to their lack of actions (they will offer you 50% straight off). Another, option do a search and see if the new DCA is part of cabot?

again before you act do a little digging around you might well be shocked as to what you find?

mak-hall email: [EMAIL="enquiries@mackenziehall.co.uk"]enquiries@mackenziehall.co.uk[/EMAIL]

cabot email: [EMAIL="cabotcustomer@cabotfinancial.com"]cabotcustomer@cabotfinancial.com[/EMAIL]

hope that helps.