Who do I complain to?

Flash-bang

Hi,
I posted a thread a little while ago about how a CFO made a payment agreement with me as I was having financial difficulties and then took 6 times the amount agreed.

I have complained to the company and have received unsatisfactory responses - several of which have threatened to call me daily and ask doorstep collectors to call. This is an example:

"Appointing a Debt Management Company is all fine and we are legally obliged to accept the payment from them. However this does not stop us from chasing the balance until it is cleared in full directly with ourselves. Your contractual obligation is to pay the full balance off. Whilst you are paying them we will call you still daily to get the full balance recovery from you.
I suggest you contact us either directly by E-mail or call us on XXXXXX to arrange something. Going with a Debt Management company as advised will not stop us calling daily, E-mailing or asking our third party door to door collections team to recover the balance. We will also not stop adding the contractual fees and charges to the account until this is sorted with us directly."

I have responded by requesting all communication to be in writing and that I revoke licence for doorstep collectors to call and yet they have continued to try to call me and send emails threatening to call daily and send doorstep collectors.

I am not trying to avoid paying this and my other debts but want to do it fairly, and in a manner I can afford, through CCCS.

I want to make a complaint to TS and FOS about this company but am having difficulties finding the correct forms, websites or addresses. Can any one help?

Thanks

La_escocesa

You could try the FOS's consumer helpline http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact/index.html

fermi

The OFT in addition to the others.

See the relevant sections here about bypassing your appointed representatives

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2992820

Flash-bang

Thanks for the swift responses. We have only just started the signing up process for the DMP - ironically it was this company taking the money that finally pushed us over the edge. I will get onto it. Their tone really annoys me (not to mention their shocking grammar!).

DVardysShadow

Flash-bang wrote: »

... This is an example:

"Appointing a Debt Management Company is all fine and we are legally obliged to accept the payment from them. However this does not stop us from chasing the balance until it is cleared in full directly with ourselves. Your contractual obligation is to pay the full balance off. Whilst you are paying them we will call you still daily to get the full balance recovery from you.
I suggest you contact us either directly by E-mail or call us on XXXXXX to arrange something. Going with a Debt Management company as advised will not stop us calling daily, E-mailing or asking our third party door to door collections team to recover the balance. We will also not stop adding the contractual fees and charges to the account until this is sorted with us directly."

What a little gem!!!! Pass this on to the OFT - it is clear indication of an intent to harass

Flash-bang

Thanks, I have just finished writing my complaing to the FOS. I will also send one to the OFT - I have kept all the emails I have sent outlining the problems I had paying and complaining about the money being taken.

They have sent this threat several times. They also sent this interesting comment:

"The payment with us also must be made by Debit card if you are setting up a payment plan on the account as it make it secure for us, we will not accept payments to the bank."

Interesting way of 'helping' people. At least two of their phone operators have told me to borrow the money from friends or family to pay them back.

Clarie_2

Hi Flashbang, just noticed you were signing up with a DMP company and their fees hadn't helped - have you considered using a charity such as CCCS or Payplan who will do the same work fee free? It might save you a bit of money!

Clarie

Flash-bang

Hi All,

Something VERY interesting has just raised its head. I deceided, after reading the OFT guidance to ask for a full breakdown of the account - dates payments in and out and what the fees etc are. I did it by email yesterday.

First of all they sent a breakdown which totaled each item and did not include dates. I emailed back saying that the information was incomplete. They have now responded with a breakdown BUT the dates are totally wrong. They have late fees being added
on 1st, 6th and 10th Jan on a loan that was only paid into my account on 5th. They then say that the interest and charges were paid on 12th Jan when the payments were actually taken from my account on 15th Feb.

I have asked for a full print out of the account to be posted to me. Something here is definitely not right. Am I right in thinking that this company dropping itself in the poop?

Claire - thanks for your comments, I am going with CCCS, the fees are from a payday loan company.

PNPSUKNET

Unless its a form of insolvency, they dont have to stop chassing you. They must not however harass and they can send you letters or sell the debt or pass to a debt collection agency.

Flash-bang

I'm not too bothered if they keep emailing me, although I find their tone rather threatening. I have aked them to remove all my phone numbers, so am hoping they will stop calling soon.

My current concern is with the accuracy of their information. The 'statement' they emailed was just factually inaccurate and did not match the dates of actual payments or emails sent by them advising me of fees. I also believe that the amount they say I owe is inaccurate which is why I asked for a detailed statement, having seen the errors in their statement I think that they are trying to charge me more than I actually owe. I am definitely going to pass the details of this to the FOS and OFT.

Flash-bang

Another reply from the jokers:

"This gives you a full break down of the charges applied to your account and outstanding balances. If we were to send this in the post it would just be a printout of this email as we have given you the details you required."

This does not taken into account the fact that what they sent in the email was wrong! I have written back again and pointed out the fact it is wrong (I have not detailed exactly how it is wrong to them - afterall they should know!). This is becoming more and more complex.