Ruthbridge LTD

marcarm

Hopefully I have got this in the right forum!

I have today received a letter from Ruthbridge LTD asking me to contact them etc giving a reference number.

I have googled the name and it does not look like a company that I want to be calling.

In the last year, I have had to deal with another DCA about an old debt that was over 6 years old (for about £50). Using a letter that I got from here I got the company to stop sending me letters (Lowell Finance). When I was receiving these letters, I got my credit report from Experian and there was nothing on there to suggest anything about the Lowell 'debt', and certainly nothing else on there about any other debts that might be outstanding.

What do you suggest I do with this letter, obviously if I contact them it opens me up to all sorts of nonsense from them.

Is it worh emailing them and asking for more information, citing 'without prejudice' on the email? Or should I leave well alone?

The letter does state that if I do not respond within 7 days then an agent may contact me.

Thanks

Tixy

Ignore it - and wait for them to write again with more information (ie that you owe them or their client £x).

Is the lowell debt the only debt of yours you are aware of? was it a statute barred letter template you sent back then?

Could well be that its the same debt been sold on again - but I wouldn't second guess them, wait for them to confirm that so you can then reply to state its statute barred and to complain about it being sold on when you've already said you are not going to pay it.

marcarm

Thank you, the Lowell debt is the only one I am aware of, my credit file is clear.

I was going to check again but it would cost £15 to renew my Experian membership.

I'm pretty certain it was a letter saying that I do not acknowledge this debt and asking them to prove it etc, they wrote back to me saying that they now consider the matter closed.

As it was a while ago I'm not sure of the finer details about what was in the letter though.

Edit to say, that the Lowell debt was not anything that I was aware of, so asked them to provide further details of the debt by sending the CCA letter. I genuinely didn't know, and still don't know what it was realting to. It was after this letter that they wrote back and said they consider the matter closed.

fermi

As said, ignore and wait to see if they ever write again with proper details.

marcarm

Thanks for your replies guys, as I am a natural born worrier I have just checked my file on Equifax as it was free (as long as I remember to cancel!), and there is absolutely nothing there to suggest I owe anyone anything, apart from my credit card and a finance agreement for laser eye surgery, both of which are current and up to date.

There are no CCJ's held against me, or anything negative, so I will indeed take your advice and see if/what they send me in the future.

I have read online that they have sent a phishing letter, as if they had anything tangible that they can get me for then those details would be in the letter, and not just a contact us letter sent.

Here's to hoping they just go away!

missindecisive

I had one of these letters from Ruthbridge ltd addressed to 'the occupier'. Ive never missed a payment for anything in my life, although it still concerned me, so much to the point that I nearly phoned the number provided. luckily I googled them and was shocked to discover their underhand tactics. After checking my experian credit file and all was in order, I put it in the bin and never heard from them again. It was a bit weird though, as for the following six months or so i kept receiving letters addressed to other people in my mailbox. I also had a phonecall from a solicitor looking for someone at my address. weird as we have lived here 10 years or more.

nucscam

I have received the same lett from Ruthbridge, they then sent a further letter saying that I have not contacted them and they may get somebody to call me if I dont phone them, they still havent mentioned what it is regarding. Can anybody please point me in the direction of a statute barred template.
Thanks

Tixy

nucscam wrote: »

I have received the same lett from Ruthbridge, they then sent a further letter saying that I have not contacted them and they may get somebody to call me if I dont phone them, they still havent mentioned what it is regarding. Can anybody please point me in the direction of a statute barred template.
Thanks

Statute barred information / factsheets and various templates are here - Statute barred debts and the Limitation Acts

however if ruthbridge have just asked you to contact them but not mentioned that they are trying to collect an outstanding debt, or if the letter is addressed to the occupier I wouldn't send a statute barred letter or any letter.

nucscam

Thanks Tixy. I had also been contacted by Mackenzie Hall quite a while ago and sent them the Statute Barred letter after they claimed I owed money, I am assuming it is regarding that. The second letter from Ruthbridge mentioned collections.

fatbelly

Until these bottom end DCAs actually state what they say you owe, and regarding what account, quoting a reference number that you recognise, you should not send any letter, and certainly not a statute barred letter.

That would imply that you know what they are chasing, and it's yours, and you believe haven't acknowledged the debt in a 6-year period.

Now if they're holding some paperwork for an account that isn't statute barred (though it might be heading that way) and they are currently pursuing half a dozen people with similar names for it, you've just given them a green light to go after you.

At this stage the phrase to remember is 'any contact merely encourages them'

Rover8098

Interesting to read all the comments here as I too received a letter out of the blue yesterday from these !!!!!!s. Have a suspicion it's relating to an apparent 'non payment' of a gym subscription fee after I cancelled my subscription back in 2006. The 'debt' was chased by another DCA around 3 years ago which I disputed and asked them to send me proof that I actually owed the money (which obviously they couldn't as I owed nothing) and they left me alone. The 'debt' has obviously now been passed on to Ruthbridge for a last chance attempt, which I shall ignore. I am just shocked that these sort of cowboy outfits actually exist and can harrass people.