Roxburghe/Hutchinson 3g worries

huet

Hello this is my first post...

This morning my dad had a call from "Graham White" Solicitors, asking to speak to me. This was to our family home to which I havent lived in for several years.

After doing a bit of digging on the forums I found out that they are actually Roxburghe or HFO??

I gave them a call and they had a lot of information on me. I spoke to a guy called Ricky who explained I had debt relating back to a phone contract in 2004 with 3. He said the last time I paid was april 2004 and it was due to be taken off my credit file in april 2011.

I am an avid watcher of my credit file with credit expert and check my file and there is no metion of roxburghe or HFO on there. The only things that are on there is my current account and credit card.

To which i explained to him, he said it should be on there and he is looking at the default now. He said the total debt is for £400+ yet if i made a payment today it would drop to £291.

He also mentioned that he would tell his manager that it wasnt on my file and get it added on...( this put the shakes on me as I am default free and don't want anything bad on there)... he went on to say that i can pay half this month and half the next month. which will then show settled on this so called default on my credit file.

So without a thought i paid the £145.50, i was very reluctant to give him my address, so he said he would email me straight away with the settlement figures that was at 10am this morning and i still have nothing.

Am i to be worried about this company, I have called my bank and they said they will look into it, when the transaction has gone through on my mastercard but up until then there is nothing they can do as i gave them authority to take the money.

I am also worried about the fact that there is no trace on my credit report and no trace of this email to confirm everything.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly recieved.

NorthernLas

There are 3 credit reference agencies, so it may not show on credit expert.

If the last time you paid was apr 2004, then the debt is statute barred. This means that they can chase you, but you do not need to pay. You need to tell them that it is statute barred.

http://www.payplan.com/debt-library/joint-and-several-liability-the-limitation-act-1980.php Info on limitation act

A sample letter can be found on http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/debt_advice.php#6 called "dispute your liability to debt ...

Hannah_10

Yes I would be worried because this bit here is a direct lie...

He said the last time I paid was april 2004 and it was due to be taken off my credit file in april 2011

Er no, it went Statute Barred LAST April, meaning they can't take you to court for it, nor can they put it on your credit file!

What is more, any default not applied within 6 months (so by October 2004 then) can't be applied legally and therefore is easy enough to remove!

Get the companys' number off the internet or a letter and call them to make sure that they got your payment. I say this because I want to clarify that you DID pay a "Graham White Solicitors" and you haven't just been conned by a totally unrelated thief. It happens, rarely, but it does happen.

If you've been conned, and this is nothing to do with any "Graham White Solicitors" get straight back onto the Mastercard people and report it as fraudulent, say you want that transaction stopped, in fact any further transactions stopped, and the card re-issued.

If it turns out you have just made a payment to "Graham White Solicitors" make a formal complaint in writing* that you were lied to and threatened with legal action that can not be taken. That you were called in an inappropriate location and any other complaints you can think of (reading the OFT's debt collection guidance .pdf is as good a start for what consititues grounds for complaint- click here then you want the top link in the main text). You will get told to take a running jump (in politer words of course) but having made a formal complaint and been answered you have recourse to go through the Financial Ombudsman Service (click here) who might just force "Graham White Solicitors" to give you the money back.

In fact threatening them with the FOS might even be enough to get your money back because the FOS will fine them £500 if they find in your favour, what's more they can pay you compensation of £10 an hour for your time too, so this firm stand to lose £700-ish if the FOS agree with your complaint! You should also lodge a complaint with the OFT because too many of those and they lose thier licence to opperate. Again threatening them with the OFT can be a way to get paid back. Be sure you mean these threats though. It costs you nothing to make complaints.

*= Keep copies of everything you write, only communicate in writing appart from today as it's urgent, and send everything signed for. They can do no lying about what you did and didn't say then.