1st Credit - not a nice experience

Felicity

I have just had quite an unpleasant experience (I am still shaking)! Sorry for the long post.

I got a letter from 1st Credit saying they were going to start legal proceedings against us for an upaid bill to British Gas of £60, that we would incur substantial legal costs and they could contact our employers (amongst other things) :eek: :eek: Seeing as British Gas don't even supply us, I rang them straight away to see what it is all about.

I ALWAYS pay all my bills on time and couldn't understand it all.

The guy on the other end of the phone refused to tell me what the letter was about UNTIL I told him my landline and mobile phone numbers, my maritial status, if I had a bank account, how many dependent children I had, what I did for a living, if I received any benefits, my DOB and various other things!!!! WHAT????? THEY had written to ME!

In the back of my mind was that this could be a fishing letter (purely to get personal details from me) as I couldn't understand the 'British Gas' connection so I told him I wasn't happy to give him that information UNTIL he told me what this was all about.

He said, fair enough, he would just send somebody around to my house to 'discuss' it with me :eek: :eek: :eek: I asked him for the phone number for British Gas so that I could ring somebody directly to sort it out, he told me he didn't have a phone number for them, that it had been passed onto him and that British Gas would not be interested in talking to me. That if I didn't pay him over the phone there and then he would be sending somebody around to see me!

Why on earth would I give him my credit card details when I haven't a clue what it is all about, but I obviously didn't want anybody coming round to me house. Every question was an argument, him asking me questions, me (nearly in tears at one point) literally begging him to tell me what is was all about, then me telling him he couldn't tell give me any info until I had answered all the questions.

I got off the phone and rang British Gas who explained what is was all about .... It was a bill outstanding from Jan of this year for our previous house. When we moved we gave British Gas our final meter reading and change of address details to send new correspondance to. We had always paid by DD which I cancelled a month after we had moved out. We also have Royal Mail redirection service for one year (so we are still getting all our letters forwarded).

British Gas did not take the final DD on time and with all the confusion that goes with moving house I did not realise this.

They said that they have sent out a number of outstanding bill letters to our old address (despite the fact I had given them, in writing a forwarding address). Regardless, as our mail is still being forwarded, we have not received a single one of these and were just not aware of this.

The lady at British Gas was very apologetic after I told her that I felt very intimidated by the letter from and phone call to 1st Credit and told me this shouldn't ever have happened. She will get the details back from them and this will not effect our credit rating (she will put this in writing), so hopefully it is all resolved now! I paid the bill over the phone using a debit card. She said she thought we should have received reminders (but admitted they were probably not sent out).

So hopefully now it is resolved, but I was shaking when I spoke to the guy at 1st Credit who was going to send somebody around to seem me, without me even knowing what it was about, particularly after watching the programme about Bailiffs the other night (and him wanting to know all that information about my personal circumstances).

I read this board regularly and my heart absolutely goes out to anybody who has to deal with these 'people' on a basis that is not as easily cleared up.

BTW, I got the name of the guy at 1st Credit that I spoke to and British Gas are raising a complaint about him (or so they told me).

rog2

Follow your telephone call, with British Gas, up with a letter, to confirm all points discussed, finishing nthe letter by acknowledging the fact that British Gas have confirmed that they will be pursuing the complaint to 1st Credit on your behalf.
1st credit were totally out of order in asking for all of those details, and you would be within your rights to lodge a complaint with the FSA.

Felicity

Thanks Rog2, I was just wondering about doing that!

gargoyle

I have just spoken to these guys! I was fuming at the personal questions they were asking, what has the fact that I've got a daughter got to do with my bill??!!! I phoned up British Gas after reading this who said it should not have gone to them at this stage. I had already offered to make monthly payments to British Gas. When 1st credit rang me they offered very kindly to make a reduction in the bill if I pay it now, which makes me wonder whether it was legit, and when I said that if they want to go to the County Court that was fine, because I would offer them the same, they said they would get back to me within the next few minutes. Surprise, surprise I have not heard back from them.

rog2

In both of these cases 1st Credit appear to be ignoring the OFT guidelines.
They should not be chasing a debt when you are still negociating it with the original creditor.
Whilst they are entitled to ask questions in order to establish that they are speaking with the correct person, the questions they are asking go clearly beyond this.
Equally, you are within your rights in refusing to answer personal questions, as it could be a scam - how do you know that these people are not 'time-share' salesmen, or some financial racket based in Nigeria?
They should tell you, at the beginning of the call, who they are and on whose behalf they are calling.
You have the right to refuse to discuss anthing on the phone and to request that any correspondence should be conducted in writing.

gargoyle

Thankyou rog2. I just found it very confusing when they asked if I was married and I replied "Why?", they then said we assumed as you were called Mrs. So I said well it's obvious then.

gargoyle

After thinking I had sorted this one out with BG, I have just received a letter from LCS solicitors saying that 1st credit had now instructed them to put me on the CCJ register!!!!!! On the phone to BG now, what do I do??

lynzpower

tell BG that you are reporting 1st credit to the FSA for a start.

It seems that 1st have rules of thier own and as rog says in contravention to guidance and law.

BG should have called the dogs off as it were and they havent, what are they going to do to compensate you for this level of distress???

FatJock

Gargoyle,

I'm not an expert but I would have thought that you'd need to be summoned to court and then a judge would have to issue a CCJ. I don't think you can just be put onto a CCJ register (if there is such a thing).

I'd contact the solicitor and state firmly that the bill has been paid to BG and no further action is necessary. Contact BG to ensure payment has been received, even though you had by debit card. don't pay the bill twice and demand BG contact all parties concerned stating the bill is settled.

Hope this helps.

Let us know the outcome.

Cheers,
FatJock