Verification Letter from Buchanan Clark & Wells - Advice Needed

Kieran123

Hi to all the good people of MSE's forums.

I received a letter in the post yesterday addressed myself. My situation is that I lived in a student house for the last academic year. I did not really get on well with the people I was living with but it was the cheapest accommodation I could afford. Anyway, I made myself responsible for paying the electric and gas bill for the house which was ok until now as everyone has left the house and I am responsible for £650 of bills to pay for the house. As all of ex-housemates knew they would not be tenants of the house this academic year they thought they could get away with not paying their % of the bills. I have now moved in with my parents and had this verification letter below send to me.

It says:

Dear Mr

---

---

,

We are trying to contact ----

---

. with regards to a private matter. We have confirmed your address through a credit link obtained via a credit reference agency as being the same person who previously lived at the original address above.

Please contact us on tel: ...... quoting the above reference number and one of our operators will be available to take any relevant details to resolve the matter.

If you believe that you are not our customer, and have no connection with the above referenced client, please contact us as soon as possible on tel....... to enable us to amend our records and remove your address from our file system.

I am 21 years old and never had problems like this before. I would ask my parents for advice but I know they are under financial strain themselves. I am going to do my utmost to chase my ex-housemates up for their % of the bills. I have read on other threads about Buchanan Clark and Wells and seen that they aren't the friendliest of people.

Please can people advice me on what to do. If I am manage to get the bill money of my ex-housemates should I pay E-on directly or pay Buchanan Clark & wells? Will really appreciate any advice on what I should do.

Gordon_Hose

Ignore it until they write to you outlining exactly what it is they are after.

Kieran123

Thanks for the advice though are you sure I should do that? I am confident that it is the bill for the Gas & Electric that I owe. I really don't want anyone turning up at my parents house.

shedhead55

They will follow it up about 2 weeks later with a nasty threatening demand saying you must phone them immediately. When this happens DO NOT phone them, write to them asking that they prove the debt, this will buy time to try to get the money from your former housemates. They may continue to try and insist that you phone them but you are perfectly within your rights to insist on written communication only, that way you have have a written record of everything and you avoid possible intimidation by their "highly trained" phoned agents.

In situations like this it is normal to have to make payment to the DCA rather than the original creditor but make sure you get written acknowledgement of all dealings with them and a final confirmation that the debt is settled.

shedhead55

Kieran123 wrote: »

I really don't want anyone turning up at my parents house.

Don't worry about that at this stage, if when you receive the next letter you ask them to "prove it" then they are legally obliged to suspend collection activity until they have done just that, by which time you will hopefully be in a position to settle the matter.

Kieran123

Thank you for the replies. Really appreciated. Any idea if Buchanan Clark & Wells will put costs on top of the original bill which I/my ex-housemates owe?

Lensman_2

You do not owe. (Yet at least). There is a good chance that this debt is entirely unconnected with you.

Wait for the second letter to arrive. If another letter does not arrive then some other (possibly innocent) person has put their hand up for peace of mind and possibly copped for a debt that is not theirs.

If you get a letter with details you do not recognise then send a prove it letter.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=11570893&postcount=2

If you do recognise the debt then I would probably start by negotiating a payment. Offer them what you can afford per month.

But please do not take it for granted that the debt they are chasing is the debt you think they are chasing...

Gordon_Hose

Their letters are designed to scare and panic you into paying. Take it slowly and listen to the advice given on the forum

Pop back when they've written again, or, in the mean time, have a read of some of the other posts from people being chased for debt. It'll give you a massive insight into how these scumbag DCA's operate.

Kieran123

Just had the 'Final Notice' letter from BCW. The debt that I/we owe is £685.01 (which is the original eon bill) + £137 (in administration charges). What is the best way to pay this? Shall i get in contact with BCW to tell them that I am in the process of collecting the money off my ex-housemates asap or is it still best to avoid speaking to them on the phone and just to pay them asap. Advice much appreciated.

shedhead55

You could write making an offer of say £50 per month (or less depending on circumstances), they are legally obliged to accept a "reasonable" offer, and, subject to circumstances, that would be reasonable. Later on, if and when you recover the money from your former housemates, you could make an offer of full and final settlement of somewhat less than the outstanding balance at that time.

Personally I would be inclined to avoid ringing them, debt collectors agents can be very intimidating on the phone as well as overstating their rights. Keep communication in writing, ignore any requests to 'phone them due to tight timescales, do not send them anything with your signature on and keep all documents or copies.