Debt recovery ageny error can I reclaim?

Davetheone

Yesterday I recieved a very terse email from Direct Legal & Collections followed by a very threatening notice of debt recovery on behalf of Vodafone for £21.29.

I know from this forum and a google search that they are thoroughly unpleasant people to deal with. I have also got some valuable advice on how to deal with them so that isn't a problem.

However I don't owe anyone a penny.

I have every bill, every bank statement and the final payment of the disputed amount to Vodafone to prove I'm in the clear.

It's already taken 2 hours to trawl through all my records and to complile a suitable letter sent via recorded delivery.

What I basically want to know is, can I charge them for my time and effort if it proves I am correct and what would be a reasonable hourly rate and charge per letter etc?

Kind regards

Dave

mr.ton

I would charge about £25 per day myself personally.........
Anyway - have you reported these vermin to the OFT & trading standards?

DVardysShadow

If you don't owe, then you are not the one who has to prove anything. Send the 'prove it' letter and make them do the work. Template somewhere in the stickies at the top of the forum. Just keep your current draft, the info may be useful later.

PNPSUKNET

You could try charging them, but been honest you would have to take them to court to get it back.

phil80

I was chased a couple of years back now by a DCA with regard to a debt that i knew nothing about.

I sent them a polite letter after weeks of calls and letters. My letter was advising that i am now listing a note of all telephone conversations (times, dates and durations) and i enclosed a list of the charges i would be making for my time. ie £15 for every phone call taken and £25 per letter i had to send to them to advise this was not my debt.

The calls continued so at the end of the month i wrote to them attaching an invoice of all calls and letters and told them that they had 28 days to settle my invoice otherwise i would commence legal proceedings to obtain the money owed.

Hence to say within a week they wrote to me advising that they would no longer be writing to me and my number had been removed from their systems.

I never did chase them for the invoice i sent as that was not my objective but if you reverse the tactics that they use on you then they do not seem to like it.

Vodafone

Hi Dave,

I'm concerned to hear that you've been contacted about an account you believe to have been settled and would be happy to get this looked into for you.

To enable me to do this could you email the details across to me via the Contact is form on our website here and quote the code WRT135 in the subject line?

Once you've sent it you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Could you update the thread with this so I can make sure it comes through to us and we'll get back to you as soon as we can?

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

Davetheone

Thanks Lee I will do as you ask but only when I've given DL&C the chance to hang themselves.

I think it would be a useful excercise for you (Vodafone) to see the consequences of their actions.

The wider public would no doubt also find this most enlightening.

I've written a letter to DL&C asking them to prove in writing the alleged debt and posted it special delivery, so it'll be another £5 or so added to my bill!

I'll update ASAP.

Dave

saltnvinegar

Hi Dave

There have been instances of people taking DCA's to court after invoicing them for 'considerable time and effort taken to conduct responses'.

In each instance the DCA backed down and paid up or didn't show up in court and lost by default.

I read about these in the CAG forums if you want to hunt down the threads.

SnV

DarkConvict

The key word is however considerable time.

Lowell guilty of harassment - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2670865
Ferguson Vs. British Gas - http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2009/02/26/debt_collection/


Sadly we cannot charge them for our time as they didn't agree to it, but thankfully they cannot charge for their. They do try for it, but they are not allowed. The charge much come from the original creditor and be lawful.

It would have to be around the court stage to seek costs against them. Probably go in for harassment like the think above.

PNPSUKNET

Davetheone wrote: »

Thanks Lee I will do as you ask but only when I've given DL&C the chance to hang themselves.

I think it would be a useful excercise for you (Vodafone) to see the consequences of their actions.

The wider public would no doubt also find this most enlightening.

I've written a letter to DL&C asking them to prove in writing the alleged debt and posted it special delivery, so it'll be another £5 or so added to my bill!

I'll update ASAP.

Dave

If you want it resolved, why not let the voda rep resolve it? Or is their not a real complaint, it saves your time and money