Warning and advice about LCS Utility Investigation Civil Enforcement Debt Recoveries

piers1956

I have read with interest, many of the comments posted and by consensus of opinion it would appear best to keep quiet and ignore these people. My case in short.

I had been with BT on and off for 35 years. This spanned across 10-12 addresses all over the UK. Work moved, I moved. I have never been in debt with them, paid by DD since it was invented and unfortunately had to part company with them during mid 2018 due to their abysmal service during an upgrade. It was one of those "All your eggs in 1 basket bundles" in short all my eggs were scrambled, their equipment failed within hours, mobile connection never worked only had it for 72 hours, TV was blank, no landline, no broadband.

We agreed to go our separate ways, no costs to be incurred if I returned all their equipment within 28 days. They had it all back, against signature within 7 days. and I concluded my agreement with a final payment.

A few months ago, I started receiving sms messages from BPO Collections Ltd asking me to contact them. Checked them out on google and ignored them 100%. Never a letter, just phone calls from spurious numbers that I blocked as soon as they rang off.

They shut up and vanished.

Behold, from the ashes, arise LCS Credit Management Debt Recovery. Here we go again. more sms messages and phone calls all unanswered but now a letter.

Please call us on 0344 543 9125. We know where this is going. They give an option in their letter to request a call back by texting your case number to 01133 202 101*
* = Charged at your standard network rate.

This letter was sent to my name at an address where I had mail redirected to for 3 months. I don't live there, never have, never will.
They ask if the person reading the letter is me. If not could I help them. So they now expect persons unknown to call their "Special" number. They quote a case reference number (8 numerical digits) no BT or other service provider and no amount owed.

Gut feeling is to ignore them completely. Court sounds interesting and they can do their worst with my credit rating a I have 1 digit short of full marks and frankly I don't envisage seeking any further credit in my lifetime.

My only reservation is if they decide to become a nuisance at the forwarding address as it's owned and occupied by a very dear elderly lady who lives alone.

Advice on the matter is welcomed.

Hope things pan out ok for you all.

Regards

fatbelly

In your case, if the lady at the receiving address just returns the letters marked 'not at this address' that will probably be the end of it.

The other option is to give them your present address and go to battle on it.

Do LCS say who they are acting for and is it someone other than BT?

D_M_E

Also be aware that they could gain a CCJ by default if they continue to send paperwork to her address which you may not know about if yo9u don't keep in touch or extend your mail redirection.

piers1956

Thank you for your kind reply. In answer to your points, LCS have not stated who they are acting on behalf of or the amount of the alleged debt. I am summising that it is from BT as to the very best of my knowledge I could not see any other past service provider, bank or credit card co seeking any form of overdue payment.

Now that I have retired, I have sold my mortgage free property and banked a considerable sum for the future. By my own choice, I am now of no fixed abode and as such need an address for the banks. I am travelling most of the time and collect my mail from the elderly lady from time to time. My daughter has LPA, access to my mail and finances and can fill in the gaps, if necessary, whilst I am away. As I do everything I need to online, post usually becomes bin fodder. I have no service providers with the exception of my motor vehicle insurances and DVLA. Both dealt with by monthly standing order.

So I am not in a position to invite anything other than email if a fast response is necessary. I have no intention of calling them unless they provide a landline number and point blank I will not respond to SMS messages.

I believe they can be contacted by email at contact@lcsdr.com This is not advertised on their written correspondence so is purely a guess. Your advice is appreciated, thank you.

Kind regards

fatbelly

piers1956 wrote: »

Thank you for your kind reply. In answer to your points, LCS have not stated who they are acting on behalf of or the amount of the alleged debt. I am summising that it is from BT as to the very best of my knowledge I could not see any other past service provider, bank or credit card co seeking any form of overdue payment.

Now that I have retired, I have sold my mortgage free property and banked a considerable sum for the future. By my own choice, I am now of no fixed abode and as such need an address for the banks. I am travelling most of the time and collect my mail from the elderly lady from time to time. My daughter has LPA, access to my mail and finances and can fill in the gaps, if necessary, whilst I am away. As I do everything I need to online, post usually becomes bin fodder. I have no service providers with the exception of my motor vehicle insurances and DVLA. Both dealt with by monthly standing order.

So I am not in a position to invite anything other than email if a fast response is necessary. I have no intention of calling them unless they provide a landline number and point blank I will not respond to SMS messages.

I believe they can be contacted by email at contact@lcsdr.com This is not advertised on their written correspondence so is purely a guess. Your advice is appreciated, thank you.

Kind regards

Well, you cannot presume anything with LCS so, although it could be your old BT account, equally it could be something else, perhaps not even yours.

The ignore option has attractions. I think if you start to engage with them by letter there will be a lot of correspondence going to and fro.

But if they send a pre-action letter with a 30-day reply requirement, then you will have to engage.

piers1956

Good afternoon. Another SMS message at 14:00 today and I quote:-

"Please contact LCS regarding your BT account on 0344 543 9125 Quoting 2***9*53. Calls charged at standard rate.

So my assumption that it could only be BT was ok.

I'll keep quiet and see where they go next. I take on board the receipt of a pre-action letter and will advise if received.

Kind regards

andrey13

Hi
Firstly, I apologize for my English I am not UK citizen, but I will try to describe my case as good as I can.
I received letter (final demand) from LCS that I have over 300 pounds debt for electricity consumed between 11/2016 and 12/2018. Their client is SSE.
The problem is that:
- I have never rent the apartment on the address that debt is made. I lived there only for a moment visiting my family and that was 7 years ago.
- In 11/2016 I didnt even lived in UK,
- I came back to UK in 2017 for few months and I lived in University Student Village and I have invoices for that.
- I have never made any contract with SSE,
For me it looks like sb found my old letter in this apartment and gave my name to SSE and now LCS is chasing me for debt. I spoke with SSE and they said that they dont know who used my name to make the agreement with them. They basicly dont know anything they just providing electricity and gas and if I need any information I need to call LCS becouse LCS made the check who is liable for debt.

What should I do? I would be very glad for any advices
THANKS

fatbelly

andrey13 wrote: »

Hi
Firstly, I apologize for my English I am not UK citizen, but I will try to describe my case as good as I can.
I received letter (final demand) from LCS that I have over 300 pounds debt for electricity consumed between 11/2016 and 12/2018. Their client is SSE.
The problem is that:
- I have never rent the apartment on the address that debt is made. I lived there only for a moment visiting my family and that was 7 years ago.
- In 11/2016 I didnt even lived in UK,
- I came back to UK in 2017 for few months and I lived in University Student Village and I have invoices for that.
- I have never made any contract with SSE,
For me it looks like sb found my old letter in this apartment and gave my name to SSE and now LCS is chasing me for debt. I spoke with SSE and they said that they dont know who used my name to make the agreement with them. They basicly dont know anything they just providing electricity and gas and if I need any information I need to call LCS becouse LCS made the check who is liable for debt.

What should I do? I would be very glad for any advices
THANKS

Hi Andrey

You'll know from this thread that this is typical of LCS - find someone remotely connected to the address and send them a threatening letter.

You should not pay it, and it will eventually go away. So one option is to ignore it.

A second option is to send a prove-it letter. That may result in more letters between you and them, because they will know they have found someone to engage with. The prove-it is here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247

A third option would be to go into full complaint mode (links in #328). I don't know how confident you would be with that. For what it's worth you do communicate clearly

andrey13

Hi,
Thanks for quick reply
How about registering that case in FRAUD ACTION?
Is that will help?

HardDoneBy62

Hey, I’ve only been offered a 10% Discount :mad:
Also the letter is addressed to “the legal owner”. Do they really not know the name of the debtor?