being harrassed by debt recovery companies for a debt that isnt mine!

worsdale

Im in need of some help.

about 8 month ago I was contacted by Wescot debt recovery chasing a payment of around £1200 for a property in the town that I live in, I have never lived in this property and after telling Wescot this on a number of occasions ended up having to send them a copy of my rental contract stating that in the dates in question I was living somewhere else, now its started again, two different debt recovery companies, both chasing the same debt and one is now threatening Bailiffs etc etc

now ive sent the same documentation to these companies but am worried this probably isnt the end of it.

how do i go about sorting this out!

yours
Andrew

Guys_Dad

I had that from EoN for the tenant of the person I sold my previous house to covering a period months after the property was sold.

3 Sets of debt collectors in all. I lost my rag with EoN and demanded that they sort it out.

I got profuse apologies and £25 first time and then, after their assurances that the matter was at an end, I got another set of debt collectors as well - that resulted in £50 cheque and it stopped. Pity really, as i could have dealt with even more of the debt collectors if each one was accompanied with a £50 apology cheque.

What you have to do is keep calm and remember that bailiffs can only be appointed if there is a court case that you lose.

You must write to (a) the energy company and (b) the debt collector spelling out that you have never lived in that address, the address that you were living at for the period of the debt (optional) and a complete denial of the debt.

You should then say that the following debt collectors x, y and z have previously chased you and that you have denied any responsibility in writing to them, that you now consider this is harassment and that you demand that it stops.

Send the letter to the chief exec of the energy company and the debt collectors. The latter will back off as there is no money in it for them and hopefully the energy company will get their records sorted out.

There are probably template letters on MSE - certainly if you google you will find one.

But don't worry - they can't make you pay for a debt that isn't yours or harass you with bailiffs either.

DVardysShadow

worsdale wrote: »

how do i go about sorting this out!

Basically, you cover yourself and then you let them stew.

You don't need to PROVE anything, the onus of proof is on them.

Just write to whoever is hassling you now, and a copy to whoever the debt is with stating that you are not the debtor and outline why you are not the debtor. And tell them that they should advise all parties engaged in collecting this debt that it has nothing to do with you. Keep copies.

Then ignore them. Just keep an eye on your credit files.

If they take you to court, it will be a fairly easy matter to put together a defence that you are not the debtor in question and they have been told. And if they get a CCJ against you by sending correspondence to the wrong address, it will be possible to have the judgement undone.

markharding557

Does the correspondence have your name on it?if it says occupier it means nothing because courts do not send orders to"the occupier"

Premier_2

worsdale wrote: »

...now ive sent the same documentation to these companies but am worried this probably isnt the end of it...

It probably won't be, as debts rarely just dissappear, and as you have now found, often get sold onto others.

What you need to do, assuming the debt is in your name, is discover the original creditor who alleged the debt against you. Inform them that you deny owing the money claimed, and that they should recall the non-existent debt they sold, and cancel it.

Of course, they may not agree with your denial of the debt ... but that's another issue.

undaunted

Guys_Dad wrote: »

I had that from EoN for the tenant of the person I sold my previous house to covering a period months after the property was sold.

3 Sets of debt collectors in all. I lost my rag with EoN and demanded that they sort it out.

& that is basically the way to do it. You do not need to send, prove or discuss anything with these people and unless they turn up with a court order you certainly don't have to and should not (regardless of what they say) let baliffs into your home or onto your property, just tell them to leave or you will exercise your right to remove them & don't leave any windows open enabling them to gain "entry" without permission (once they have entry you will have more problems). Contact the organ grinder tell them to get it sorted out or you will be seeing them in court (perhaps remind them of the guy who was awarded £3000 against Npower for them harrassing him - there was a recent thread on here about ithttp://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=37350096 )

AliceBanned

I had a letter from Wescot claiming I owed £250 in rent to a previous landlord, a place I left six years ago! I disputed it as I definitely did not leave with arrears. I was very upset by it at the time as it borders on harrassment. I asked them to prove it, and they wrote back saying i didn't owe anything. It was a lot of stress though, receiving that letter out of the blue. I think they may just try it on.