Transcom/Arrow Global - unknown debt

SmellyNelly_2

I have received a letter from these`people too,saying I owe just on £600!
I did get in a mess years ago but with the help of the CAB,got it all sorted out and paid off.
The ONLY thing I'm still paying is a bank loan but I have never missed a payment-EVER!
Then my sister told me she gets them all the time but just ignores them cos she'd heard they were chancers,so Im doing the same.
What a bunch of prats!:p

diddldonna

I chose to ignore the letter i got, havent heard anything since. I had one similar months back from a company saying i owed avon and was collecting on there behalf never knew of this debt sent a letter and they said that because its six years or more they wouldnt be contacting me again.

little_miss_k_2

Hi, I've just had the same letter from Transcom on behalf of Arrow. I tried to phone Transcom but their office is closed. I don't what debt this is for, I don't have any and I am nervous because I am in the process of applying for a mortgage and about to give birth.

This is the first letter i've received from them and apparently I have to pay or they will send bailiffs round!! What should I do?

fatbelly

little_miss_k wrote: »

Hi, I've just had the same letter from Transcom on behalf of Arrow. I tried to phone Transcom but their office is closed. I don't what debt this is for, I don't have any and I am nervous because I am in the process of applying for a mortgage and about to give birth.

This is the first letter i've received from them and apparently I have to pay or they will send bailiffs round!! What should I do?

They can't instruct bailiffs without a court order (against you) and you clearly don't have to pay anythng if it's not your debt.

Send a prove-it letter (recorded delivery, keep a copy) and let us know what they come back with. Don't phone.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=11570893&postcount=2

If you're worried they might have already put something on your file (and they might have) then get a statutory report for £2

Darud777

Hi I also received a letter from them out of the blue (I think it might be to do with the recent electoral roll submissions for voting - I know it doesn't update until October, but I literally moved to my address a month ago and sent off the form on my door step for the upcoming electoral roll update etc), judging by the looks of it they are sending loads out at the moment! I've already sent off the required prove it letters this morning and revoking the right to visit me. 4/5 years ago I had another debt collector asking for the same debt but again I sent them proof that it had become a CCJ (with about 1/2 years of it to go before coming off my credit file) and they went away - I thought that would be the end of it (how stupid am I). Seems someone is selling off my debt to other companies when they realise they have bought a dud debt as the CCJ has been signed and served now fortunately for me (bad financial control as a teen and early 20's student)!

Annoyingly though, the letter was dated 31st July, I received it on the 10th August with the deadline for action date being the 10th August!! All seemed a bit dodgy but when I looked back through my records, the amount was recognisable from a debt in 2002 (unfortunately I even had the mis-pleasure of having it as a small CCJ for 6 years, but that has been gone from my credit file for almost 3 years now)!!!

I can understand little miss k's concerns, wife gave birth 2 months ago, and we are in the process of getting a mortgage acceptance offer and I'm nervous enough about that without this going on (all the credit cearches have been done, just underwriting it against our payslips and paper work and waiting on house valuation coming back ok)!!

As it was a debt that I technically didn't pay off circa £150 (it was a hotly disputed debt too, not just me not being bothered to pay it - catalogue - returned the item but they kept on adding admin fees etc for it not being paid for or being returned when it had been), but I "served" the 6 years of having it as an unsatisfied CCJ, it's all disappeared from my credit file now of course, I take it that there isn't much this new debt collector can do, being that the last debt collector from 4/5 years ago gave up chasing it when they had proof that it had already become a CCJ? Or now that it is no longer a CCJ, can they chase it again or worse still, apply for it to become a CCJ again?

fatbelly

Darud - you're right that a ccj drops off your file 6 years after the date of judgement but it doesn't 'cease to be a ccj' and I've no idea what 'signed and served' means!

A judgement can always be enforced by the usual methods: bailiffs, attachment of earnings, 3rd party debt order, charging order. It's just that if it is more than six years since judgement they do need permission from a court to enforce the debt.

When debts are sold on, the fact that there is a ccj attached does not always get passed to the new owner so you should not be sending the new owner proof of the judgement!

It'll be interesting to see how they respond to the prove-it.

PurplePaganGirl

[QUOTE=Darud777;55124673_Annoyingly_though,_the_letter_was_dated_31st_July,_I_received_it_on_the_10th_August_with_the_deadline_for_action_date_being_the_10th_August!![/QUOTE]

Darud, I am kind of relieved to see that - because I just got a letter from them yesterday with the same dates!

It's only £86 in my case but I don't know what it is so I'm sending the Prove-It letter. Thanks to everyone giving advice on this forum, I was panicking like crazy until my boyfriend pointed me here.

fermi

Darud777 wrote: »

Annoyingly though, the letter was dated 31st July, I received it on the 10th August with the deadline for action date being the 10th August!!

Debt collectors nearly always play silly burgers with the letter dates like that.

It's done on purpose to make you phone them up in a panic.

They want you to phone up in a panic, as it's the best way to frighten immediate payments out of people before they realise the debt collector may be pulling a fast one over the debt.

Their so called deadlines are meaningless.

- Always take advice before you respond
- Always respond in writing
- Never be panicked into a response or making a payment by silly deadlines or threats.

Darud777

Fatbelly - sorry signed and served was my way of saying I was given a CCJ, had it for 6 years, albeit unsatisfied however now it has been off my credit file for over 3 years. I thought when I spoke to that last company 5 years ago it would be the end of it but obviously it has reared it's ugly head again. I had sent them proof of the CCJ to the debt collectors 5 years ago but I won't be sending the new company the original CCJ letter etc as you suggest (hopefully they didn't pass this knowledge on like you say but we'll see). I think I should have played the ignore it card but let's see what response the prove it letters provide. I will post back here if I receive anything to shed some light for other users in a similar predicament. I am lucky enough that I am now in a position where I can afford to pay it off if needs be, but it was a disputed debt originally as explained previously so I am trying to avoid it. The last thing I want it to do is mess up my credit file, current mortgage application as an FTB and of course any future remortgage!

Fermi - with the dates, I knew they were playing a fast one and I think even the postmark was dated well after the 31st so how they'd explain that one as fair in court I'll never know (well apart from it's a panic tactic like you say).

Just to add, it was a catalogue debt (Littlewoods I think) from 2002 so it seems it's the same reason as for everyone else's. I'm hoping I can play the status barred route - never made a payment as it was a disputed debt (item was sent back to them but they claim to never have received it so the admin charges etc added up from a minus £30 "purchase"), although as it was a CCJ we shall see how effect a status barred letter is, if I hear back from them.

gorgeousgirlie

Got similar letter today from Transcom collescting £308.45 for Arrow Global. No idea who/what this is, don't owe anything I'm aware of and they've spelt my name wrong. Found this thread while googling them.

About 12 years ago I had a similar letter threatening court action if I didn't pay £300. I phoned them up and they asked my birthdate for ID and when I told them she said 'oh well its definately you then!' It turned out to be an old Janet Fraser catalogue account which I hadn't used in ages but hadn't cancelled. When I moved house, even though I had my mail redirected, they must have sent some special offer mail with my account number etc on it and the new occupier apparently had a spree on my account!

I had to get proof of when I had moved and they accepted it wasn't me. The police weren't interested. Then a few months later I got another demand, this time for £700, so just did the same again.

I understand these are companies which buy a debt from a business, they then have no worries about whether the debt is actually yours. It's guilty till proven innocent I'm afraid but as I don't want a bad credit score I'll go to the bother of proving it again. Only thing is I've been here 10 years now so can't imagine where this has come from! Certainly won't be telling them my birthdate this time though!

All the best to everyone else going through this, just remember, even if the debt really is yours, you have rights and shouldn't feel intimidated or lose sleep over it. They use strong-arm tactics on everyone so just try to stay calm even though it's upsetting.