Cabot Financial: Using intimidation?

thin_white_duke

Hi
Cabot Financial have just sent me a letter saying I owe them £298.80 from a CitiFinancial credit card used in 2000. Needless to say I know nothing of this debt but it sent me into a panic.

What worries me is the intimidating tactics they use which could panic more vunerable people into paying these low lifes.

The letter states that:

"If we don't hear from you
If you don't contact us within 14 days to discuss repaying your account, we'll ask a collection agency to collect the outstanding amount on our behalf. If necessary, they'll visit you at home to discuss how you paln to repay your account and to collect your first payment"

When you ring them you get a character trying to sound like Phil Mitchell who informs you that you are racking up interest as you speak.

This is intimidation pure and simple isn't it? I bet they get a lot of success with these methods, can anything be done to stop them?

I have sent the the standard letter Martin advises telling them unless they have proof I'm liable to stop bothering me, we'll see what happens.

BugsyBrowne

Sounds statute barred to me>

Gordon_Hose

Urgh, don't speak to them on the phone. Ever.

But if you know nothing of the debt, then let them prove it I say. If they do prove it's yours then it looks as though it is statute barred anyway.

What they are hoping is that you don't know your beans, and will pay up out of fear.

thin_white_duke

yeah thanks I realise that now, but it put me in a panic to start with so I rang them doh!! The threat of "sending the boys round" would get some people reaching for the cheque book I think, its all wrong!

thin_white_duke

star-fire wrote: »

Sounds statute barred to me>

Sorry what does that mean?

Gordon_Hose

thin_white_duke wrote: »

The threat of "sending the boys round" would get some people reaching for the cheque book I think, its all wrong!

Yeah, I can imagine that would be scary. It's a shame many people don't even think to get on the internet and do a search, find this place and realise "sending the boys round" is a complete myth.

thin_white_duke wrote: »

Sorry what does that mean?

A Statute Barred debt is one that hasn't had a payment towards or been acknowledged in writing for 6 years. If both things haven't happened then the debt is not enforceable through the courts, but they can still chase the debt, however a debtor isn't liable to pay it...but that opens a whole new moral argument.

thin_white_duke

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

Yeah, I can imagine that would be scary. It's a shame many people don't even think to get on the internet and do a search, find this place and realise "sending the boys round" is a complete myth.



A Statute Barred debt is one that hasn't had a payment towards or been acknowledged in writing for 6 years. If both things haven't happened then the debt is not enforceable through the courts, but they can still chase the debt, however a debtor isn't liable to pay it...but that opens a whole new moral argument.

Thanks for that