Gemstone Financial Management - Cold Calls?!?!

lvm

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone has had any dealings with Gemstone? I'm aware they set up Debt Management Plans (and charge for them!). I received a call from them on my work mobile phone (never given out for personal contacts) and asked them to put any correspondance to me in writing after telling me they wanted to discuss the application I made and asking me to confirm my address etc (like hell was I going to do that!!)

So this is what I've sent them:

Dear Mr Pearce,

Re: Recent Communication

To answer the somewhat blunt questions your recent correspondence posed:

• No, my debts have not become unmanageable.
• I don’t tend to find myself in such deep water that I struggle to keep my head above it.

I’m sure you would be more than happy to help me with any of my financial affairs given that your business thrives on those who are far more vulnerable than myself. I find the fact that you take advantage of the financial difficulty some individuals experience throughout their lives absolutely disgusting. Your business is completely immoral and unethical (despite what your website claims) and relies solely on those who are not provided with adequate information to help themselves.

It is certainly not “finding a solution to my debt problems” which is the “confusing process”. What confuses me is that you feel you can justify charging the financially weak £39 per month (or is it £45? The website information is somewhat contradictory – how unprofessional!) for the privilege of taking money from them to give to someone else. Talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul – only you think it’s more appropriate to rob Paul to pay Peter. You certainly weren’t joking when you said “we work alongside the people you owe money to”. You are just as much a blood sucking, evil entity as those Debt Collecting Agencies who feel it appropriate to threaten anything up to, but only just excluding, death in order to secure that extra payment.

With regards to the telephone call I received from your company on 24th February 2011, I am extremely interested in the application you claim I submitted to yourself. Given that I am not and never have been looking for any solution to a debt problem, I find it somewhat miraculous that you have an application from myself and in particular, including a work mobile telephone number which is not, under any circumstances, given to anyone for personal matters. I therefore demand a copy of this application from yourself with information relating to how you obtained such private and confidential details.

As I know full well that you will be unable to provide such application from myself, I demand to know from what source you received my details.

I expect this information to be provided to myself by no later than 29th March 2011. Failure to respond to my request will result in me contacting the Debt Resolution Forum as well as the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Yours Faithfully,

I do have some outstanding debts, most of which are being dealt with but I would never consider a Debt Management company like this so I'm wondering - do DCAs give these people your details to try and tempt you to paying back debts?

I'm not really expecting a reply to my letter - I just love writing letters like this and at least I could vent my anger!!

Gemstone_Fin._Management

Dear lvm

Your post on here has recently come to my attention and I thought it only right to put the record straight.

We did receive your letter and can confirm that we responded to you on 16th March 2011. Without going into detail here, which would be inappropriate, you had given permission for your details to be passed to us - we were not cold-calling you. Gemstone do not cold-call people nor would any other reputable Debt Management Company.

I appreciate your comments about not needing our service but not everyone is as fortunate, and many do need non-judgemental help and advice from a professional organisation that delivers peace of mind and great value relative to any fees charged. Over the 10 years we have been in business, Gemstone has helped many 1,000s of clients, either to become debt free or to get over a short-term period of needing support and help.

Incidentally, our customer testimonials and the fact that currently our largest source of business is referrals from existing clients, hopefully demonstrates that when only bad news and bad providers are identified in the media and press, that some of us do deliver benefit to the many people we represent.

As we have not heard from you since our reply I assume you are now satisfied with the situation.

Kind Regards.