Mackenzie Hall - At it again!

Tiffer

Hi all,

Further to my post of last November http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=314738 advising of a "Redcard" received relating to a debt of an old friend of mine, I have today (10/02/07) received a letter basically threatening legal action and with a Standing Order attachment asking for payment at £25 a month to settle the debt and avoid any further action.

The letter is as follows:
Addressed to our Friend's name
at our address.

Dated 7th Feb 2007 (But received on the 10th of Feb giving only 4 days until 14th Feb to avoid further action, which I suspect is another dodgy tactic by this vile company)


It reads:

"Welcome - *** -v- Friends name
Account Reference: Number given. Principal Sum: £Amount stated

We wrote to you last week advising you that Litigation Proceedings would be taken against you for the recovery of the above unpaid account. (At this point I should state that this is the first letter I have received since the "Redcard" in November 2006) We advised you that failure to pay could result in Seizure of Assets, Arrestment of Wages or Bankruptcy (if applicable). To date, we have received no payment.

However, even at this late stage, our client will accept the Principal Amount to be paid by monthly instalments providing the enclosed Standing Order is completed, signed and returned to Mackenzie Hall by noon 14th February 2007. If the Standing Order form is not returned by this date, Legal Action will be taken without any notice and costs will be added to your account."

It then goes on to show the Standing Order mandate with the payments I noted going straight to Mackenzie Hall.

On the advice received previously, some of which suggested getting in touch with MH to tell them it wasn't my debt and others suggesting I had no contact whatsoever with the company, I decided to totally ignore the "Redcard", I did not contact MH and had not heard another thing from them until this letter arrived today. I have deliberately refrained from putting any real reference numbers or figures in this post that could identify the letter or debt as I have no doubt that this vile outfit probably scour forums looking for just such information to help them "win their case".

I just need further advice now on what to do at this stage? Do I just carry on as before and ignore the letter completely or do I use their enclosed Business Reply Envelope (2nd Class I noted obviously for the standing order to be returned in!) to send them a letter at their own cost stating that this debt is not mine.

I am personally of the view that I should carry on as before and totally ignore them, then in maybe in another four months time I might get a knock at the door whereby I can tell them in person that the person they are after no longer lives here and they can now **** off and leave us alone! :mad:

Do you think this is just another "phising" letter to try and recover the debt and find out if the debtor is at the address they have on file, which I can assure you they no longer are and have not been for at least 10 months.

Any advice would be appreciated.

chevalier

It might be. I take it that your 'friend' does not live with you any more, and indeed that you do not know where they live now? The reason why I ask this is because sometimes what they are counting on is you writing back to say, look they don't live here any more, they live x place.

I would suggest that you talk to the CAB if you have had more letters from this company
chev