Mackenzie Hall

kittymac1

Hi all,

I received a letter today from Mackenzie Hall saying this:

"Despite previous correspondences you have failed to respond. We have obtained this alternative address as a financial link, linking this address to your previous abode. This financial link information was supplied by a credit refernce agency.

We have been instructed by our client to recover this Overdue Account on their behalf.

Our clients have informed us that they are unaware of any legitimate reason for non-payment of their account and although they would prefer an amicable settlement, they will not hesitate to take such further action as may be appropriate.

We trust that this will not be necessary and would request that you send payment by the deadline below.

Payment deadline: Noon, 2nd September 2010

Important: If you are not the named person above please contact us quoting thie above ID to stop any further communication."



Now, i have missed a couple of details out just for Privacy reasons but otherwise it is worrd for word. The amount is £1,247.01 from Cabot Financial with the origial creditor as Barclaycard.

I am 99% sure that i have never had a Barclaycard but having spent the last 6 years trying to rebuild my credit rating after a very messy period in my life i cannot hand on heart say for sure. I have checked my credit report and there is nothing on it now but having looked a bit further back i did have Cabot Financial showing up starting in January 02, defaulting in July 03 and subsequently falling off my credit file.

I obviously will do anything to keep my now very clean credit record and i'm terrified of contacting them and having anything affect it.

If anybody can advise me i would be eternally grateful.

Katie

DarkConvict

If you are sure its 6 years since you last made any payment or written acknowledgement of the debt you can send the statute barred letter. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=11571227#post11571227

if your less sure, send the prove it letter - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=11570893&postcount=2

chuckley

ignore it, if like u say theres nothing on ur report about it within the last 6 years. its probs a debt older than 6 years. MH r notorious for chasing statute barred debts.

bottleofred

Hi Katie and welcome to the world of Muck Hall as I like to call them. If you've read any of the posts about them you'll realise they specialise in chasing debts (often over 6 years old and therefore statute barred). They will bully, harass and intimidate people into paying if they think they can get away with it. Don't under any circumstances call them. Send the prove it letter I've put below (ONLY PRINT YOUR SIGNATURE THOUGH AS THEY'VE BEEN KNOWN TO COPY SIGNATURES!)and see what they come up with. Chances are, you'll never hear from them again, but if you do, post on here again.

Red

1 High Street,
Newtown,
Kent
R21 4RH
October 9, 2007

The Loan Company
Company House,
Church Street,
Newtown,
Kent,
R1 7HG

Dear Sir/Madam

Ref: xxxxxxxxxxx

You have contacted us regarding the account with the above reference number, which you claim is owed by ourselves.

We would point out that we have no knowledge of any such debt being owed to The Loan Company.

We are familiar with the ‘Office of Fair Trading Debt Collection Guidance’ which states that it is unfair to send demands for payment to an individual when it is uncertain that they are the debtor in question.

We would also point out that the OFT say under the Guidance that it is unfair to pursue third parties for payment when they are not liable. In not ceasing collection activity whilst investigating a reasonably queried or disputed debt you are using deceptive/and or unfair methods.

Furthermore, ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment amounts to physical/psychological harassment.

We would ask that no further contact be made concerning the above accounts unless you can provide evidence as to our liability for the debt in question.

We await your written confirmation that this matter is now closed. Otherwise we will have no option but to make a complaint to the trading standards department and consider informing the OFT of your actions.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully

kittymac1

Thank you for all your advice, i'm glad i didn't panic and pick up the phone as soon as i got in.

Thank god for these forums, keeping me sane for a few years now.

I'll let you know if i hear anything back from them.

Katie

saltnvinegar

Hi Katie

You have recieved some excellent advice already. Send them the prove it letter and sit back and wait for a response. It is likely that they will 'claim' you made a payment of (finger in the air) £5 approx 3 years ago.

Don't worry about that right now we don't want to ruin their game plan

Whatever you do do not call them and do not acknowledge the debt.

To help I've decoded their letter below for you to help you understand how these people operate, as, similar to estate agents they have their own language and meaning.

kittymac1 wrote: »

"Despite previous correspondences you have failed to respond.

We may have tried to call you on a telephone number that was last used by Alexander Graham Bell. When this failed we attempted to use ESP to contact you but it would seem the ethereal plane doesn't work as well as we would like so sent this letter instead.

kittymac1 wrote: »

We have obtained this alternative address as a financial link, linking this address to your previous abode. This financial link information was supplied by a credit refernce agency.

We are on a fishing expedition and are hoping you will react and call us. We are also on very dodgy grounds revealing information about the debt to you when we have no proof you are the debtor in question. We got your details from a CRA, and they may have even flagged up your new address if you ran a report against your credit reference file but we want to imply that CRA's are also on our side which they are not.

kittymac1 wrote: »

We have been instructed by our client to recover this Overdue Account on their behalf.

We hope this is going to get you worried but we have no more powers of recovery than a rabid poodle

kittymac1 wrote: »

Our clients have informed us that they are unaware of any legitimate reason for non-payment of their account

Our clients are bricking themselves as this debt is likely to be statute barred and even if it isn't they are unaware of the existance of an enforceable CCA. Thats if they are our clients at all of course. Its likely we have bought this debt for pennies and are just chancing our arm.

kittymac1 wrote: »

and although they would prefer an amicable settlement, they will not hesitate to take such further action as may be appropriate.

We or our client will not hesitate to take further action, which if the debt is statute barred will include but not be limited to ditching the debt into the waste paper basket or selling it on to any other mug who may be stupid enough to buy it. If said debt is statute barred other appropriate action will include a grovelling apology and compensation should you decide to report us to trading standards, the OFT as well as paying a fine to aforementioned regulatory bodies

kittymac1 wrote: »

We trust that this will not be necessary and would request that you send payment by the deadline below.

PLEEEASE we beg you, we hope you are ignorant of your rights and do not start reading forums such as MSE....... Ooops

You may have noticed I do not have a lot of time for such tactics!

:rotfl:

Follow the advice of the good people on here and you should be ok. Don't give in to the bullying and intimidation tactics because that is all they are. It is very rare for court action to be taken and in fact if they are chasing a SB debt this could never happen and it could be you harrassing them!

SNV

kittymac1

Thanks Saltnvinegar, that did make me giggle.

saltnvinegar

Hi Katie

You're welcome!

Let us all know what you response you get back to the 'prove it' letter

SnV

Gordon_Hose

I had the same letter a few months ago, also for a statute barred debt. I've ignored it and heard nothing since.