Provident offering loan to 15 year old!!

Gregm

A 'junk mail' letter was delivered to our address this morning from Provident Personal Credit offering up to £500 cash loan and I then noticed it was addressed to our 15 year old son.

I thought you had to be 18 to obtain a Loan?

I phoned the number on the letter and eventually got through to a manager and I asked where they obtained the details of my son and they said they couldn't tell me.

Are they allowed to send such letters to children? can I insist they give me details of who sold them my sons details? Are we likely to be fending of lots of other loan offers addressed to him?

scooby088

probably got your sons name off the electoral register.

BackOnTrack

Maybe you son put his details into some internet site who then sold the info on to provident.

carolwat

If they got it from the electoral register they wouldnt have wrote to him as he is under 18. Its more likely he has signed up for something maybe on the internet and ticked he is over 18 or maybe you have taken a contract phone out for him in his name but from your account and they have sold their mailing list on. In reality he wouldnt actually get a loan from Provident as he would have to prove he is over 18. Its junk mail so just bin it and make sure you know what hes signing up to and lying about his age.

triticale

Gregm wrote: »

A 'junk mail' letter was delivered to our address this morning from Provident Personal Credit offering up to £500 cash loan and I then noticed it was addressed to our 15 year old son.

I thought you had to be 18 to obtain a Loan?

I phoned the number on the letter and eventually got through to a manager and I asked where they obtained the details of my son and they said they couldn't tell me.

Are they allowed to send such letters to children? can I insist they give me details of who sold them my sons details? Are we likely to be fending of lots of other loan offers addressed to him?

CAB says:

"If you are under 18, it is a criminal offence for anyone to send you material inviting you to borrow money or obtain goods or services on credit or hire purchase."

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/young_people_money_and_consumer_rights.htm

I can't find which actual law the above relates to though.

Gregm

scooby088 wrote: »

probably got your sons name off the electoral register.

He's only 15 so isn't on the Electoral Register.

pearce1979

AS he purchased something else and said he was over 18?

spadoosh

Yeh hes been on a site and said hes over 18 and not tick or ticked the wrong boxes, question your son not provident. im sure if he applied he would be refused:)

Enfieldian

What spadoosh says.

[Deleted User]

its a pity some people dont have more to worry about than who junk mail is addressed to

BIN IT AND GET OVER IT !

Gregm

carolwat wrote: »

If they got it from the electoral register they wouldnt have wrote to him as he is under 18. Its more likely he has signed up for something maybe on the internet and ticked he is over 18 or maybe you have taken a contract phone out for him in his name but from your account and they have sold their mailing list on. In reality he wouldnt actually get a loan from Provident as he would have to prove he is over 18. Its junk mail so just bin it and make sure you know what hes signing up to and lying about his age.

Yea I will check with him this evening, the only thing I know of was he opened a bank account recently so his Saturday job could be paid via bacs, his phone is PAYG. The lady at Provident said they should be able to tell me where they got his details from but was unable to for some reason.

triticale wrote: »

CAB says:

"If you are under 18, it is a criminal offence for anyone to send you material inviting you to borrow money or obtain goods or services on credit or hire purchase."

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/young_people_money_and_consumer_rights.htm

I can't find which actual law the above relates to though.

This is what I thought,

woodbine wrote: »

its a pity some people dont have more to worry about than who junk mail is addressed to

BIN IT AND GET OVER IT !

Yes it is junk mail, but its junk mail that a child should not receive, and what other rubbish is going to come through addressed to him, who's going to pay the phone bill when he gets junk telling him to phone a £2/minute number to claim his 'Prize'. etc

You may be happy with your kids getting this trash but I'm not and companies get away with it because people like you let them by ignoring it.