Hillside Services Limited

pigsmightfly

loneranger wrote:

Are you sure you don't have a forgotten debt that is over six years old? some tracing agents send out letters asking you to ring a number to 'hear something of benefit to you' just to check if you are the person they are seeking,checking at your grandparents house would assume that they are checking every contact for your name. If you have no outstanding debts it is probably someone else with a similar name. Bin the letter and make no contact, they will go away eventually.

I do have debts but all my payments are up to date - to explain my situation I have 2 loans at the moment which I have as I got them to pay off all my store cards etc. that I had years ago so should have nothing to do with them.

Think I may just ignore it and see if I hear anything else

loneranger

Yes, bin it, I doubt if you will hear any more from them.

pigsmightfly

Weel just to keep you up to date and in case anyone else comes into contact with these people, I contacted the National Debtline for advice and this is the reply they sent me:

"Thank you for contacting National Debtline

As we understand from your email you have been contacted by a company called Hillside Services Ltd for an unknown purpose. You have stated that you haven’t found many details about them.

We have investigated and have found that Hillside Services Ltd is a registered
Debt Collection Agency. They are members of the Credit Services Association.

We would recommend that you make contact with the agency concerned as it is likely that it refers to a debt outstanding.

Ideally we would recommend contacting the company in writing to avoid possible stressful phone calls. If they state that a debt is owed then you should request full written evidence of the debt and an up to date statement of account.

Collection Agents will often use various techniques to get clients to call them
and it would seem that they have attempted to mask themselves in the guise of another company. This could potentially be a breach of Office of Fair trading guidelines and you may wish to consider a complaint. Please contact us for further details or see the guidance on the OFT website, https://www.oft.gov.uk (search:debt collection)

If you require any further information regarding this situation then please do
not hesitate to contact us and one of our advisers will be happy to assist you. "

So I sent a letter to them asking what they had contacted me for as I had no debts I had "forgotton" about and haven't heard a thing back from them.

Will keep you up-dated!

rog2

Thanks for the update lou, I note that the advice given by National Debtline is consistent with the majority of advice given on this forum in respect to DCA's.
They really are very underhanded in the way they operate, and treat the OFT guidelines with utter contempt. :mad: :mad:

pigsmightfly

Yes I totally agree!!

clarab_3

lou_lou88 wrote:

I totally agree with you hence why I haven't rang them. There is no reference to any company name or if it was to do with debts etc, any accounts numbers or figures, etc.

The tel no is 01484 723027

that's a huddersfield number...

Lurkalot_2

As one of the world's greatest worriers and recipient of a similar letter (addressed to me simply as The 'Occupier'), I am understandably anxious to find out exactly how others in the same predicament fare with Hillside Services.

Whilst I have chosen to ignore the letter since it doesn't state the nature of their business or address me personally, I am fearing repercussions, particularly a knock at the door by three heavies built like brick commodes! Not now, but maybe in two or three months time.

Whilst I don't believe I have any outstanding debts, there is a possibility that I am being pursued, as guarantor, for one month's flat rental owed by my daughter and her erstwhile boyfriend dating back to last October. The letting agency wrote to me within days of him vacating the flat, and I responded by saying that they should be pursuing him this early on in proceedings. Since I have heard nothing further, I am assuming that I need take no further action unless they write to me again. In any case, shouldn't they write to advise me that any debt (if it exists) has been referred to a DCA? If I owe money, then I need to be told so in writing, in which case I will happily cough up (well, not entirely happily!) providing everything is above board.

The methods described here clearly are not.

Steve

Tootsie_Roll

Lurkalot wrote:

The letting agency wrote to me within days of him vacating the flat, and I responded by saying that they should be pursuing him this early on in proceedings.

I make no comment about Hillside - never heard of them.

You are however incorrect in your assumption about being a guarantour. The letting agent shouldn't have to chase anyone in this instance. As guarantour you are obliged to pay up immediately and it's up to you if you decide to reclaim the monies outstanding from both your daughter and her boyfriend.

I also notice you don't seem to hold her responsible for the debt at all.

Janis

I received a letter from Hillside addressed to 'the occupier'. I noted it might be related to a debt collection agency and I was worried I might have been the victim of identity fraud as I have no outstanding debts.
I called them and the message stated that they were trying to trace a person with a name I did not recognise who might live at no 110 or possibly no 111. My house no is 109 and had to point out that I dont live next door to 110 because like most roads we are numbered alternately with odds on one side and evens on the other, and 110 is a long way up the road. Maybe they number houses differently in Brighouse? Dont know names of tenants in the rented flats next door either.
Anyway they were using me to give them info in the whereabouts of a possible neighbour (who may have debts), so in this case it was nothing for me to worry about. If they address it to 'The Occupier' they obviously dont know you by name so they are not targetting you, just hoping you are in a position to supply info.

WellGirl

Hillside, like the company I work for (ironically) are a tracing agent which trace absconded debtors.