Advice about debts turning up addressed to someone who passed away years ago

vburns85

Hi apologies if this is in the wrong place I wasnt really sure where to put this.

I need some advice, I recieved a letter about a week ago that was addressed to my nan, the problem that I had was that she passed away 6 years ago and i live in Southampton - she lived in London all her life in the same road since about the age of 25 (i think) until her passing at 97 years old - now I opened up this letter and it was a debt letter for a catalogue and this debt was for about £400. I had in the past 2 years recieved 2 other letters for the same debt - at the time i phoned them and also had my aunt phone them who dealt with all bills etc... upon my nan's passing where we notified the company that she is not known at this address and never has been.

Right now onto this new bill, I phoned the company up as it was very distressing to recieve something like this, the guy I spoke to asked for the reference number etc... I then told the guy about the fact that my nan had never been known at this address and I live in Southampton and that she had never moved out of London in her life. I was asked when she passed away which I told him that it was over 6 years ago, he then asked me WHAT she had died of! I told him that it was just of old age, he then asked me if I was able to email or fax a copy of her death certificate to show that she had infact passed away when I said she had. I told him this was not at all possible as I would not have dealt with anything like that being her grandson.

I asked him how it was at all posible that they were able to get my address linked with her and his answer was are you sure she never lived with you! - as if I had all of a sudden I had memory loss! - he then said that it maybe that they just linked the name somehow.

I asked him to take the details off the system as I do not want to be bothered again, I even offered to give him the address she had always been known at. He said I won't be bothered again (although I had been told this the last two times I asked this)

Now my questions are:

• Is there anyway I can make sure I never get a letter again?

• Is he right that it could be that they are just picking out names to try and find her?

• Is there not a way they can check up on whether she had in fact passed away when I have said she has?

• Can they really ask questions like how did she die? or is that incase i'm lying so trying to catch me out

I know its not a really big thing but hope you understand its not exactly nice to have to phone up and remind myself that my nan is no longer with us by telling them this.

hope someone can give me some advise on this.

Jinx

Im no expert at all and someone else will prob advise better but if it was me and I received any more letters from them having told them she has passed away then I would put it in a very strongly worded complaint and report them to the Financial Ombudsman.

If it had been the right name and the right address and you had been contacted in 2005 then fair enough I might have thought fine to give a copy of the death certificate to prove the 'debt' cannot be satisfied. Not 6 years later at an address she has never resided at. Sorry for your loss and the horrible reminder...

vburns85

Thats the thing I wouldnt mind if the debt was for someone who had resided at this address but she never even visited this house as Ive only lived in it myself for just over 3 years!! I could have obviously chucked the letter's in the bin but thought the least I could do was rectify the problem but that obviously isnt good enough.

I will take your advice, thanks I have also told my aunt about this as like I said she dealt with all bills etc... but she contacted them last time but they obviously arent interested

Sassers

...maybe have a look at the Data Protection Act and the Information Commissioners website too. I've had the same problem as you have and after a flurry of emails to various companies, all calls and debt-chasing by these !!!!!! has ended..
HTH
Sassers x
PS: ooh I've ducked under the MSE swearasaurus...