Concerns in dealing with Collection Agency/debt

AJadams

I'm hoping someone can possibly shed some light on this issue I am having & hopefully end this saga once & for all.

Last June, my mobile contract with o2 expired, and instead of the contract winding down like I had requested them to do, they continued on the contract without my consent. When I debated this issue I got several excuses for the situation (all of which my fault supposedly) but admittedly agreed to cancel the account.

Fast forward to October 2011 and I receive a debt letter from o2, stating I had broken my contract (still running) and unless I set up payment for the previous months I would be charged up to £204 under breach of contract. Several online/email communications later and given assurance from 2 different advisors (which I have retained copies of the online conversation) that I would not be required to pay the debt. In November/December 2011, I received debt collection letter #1 from a random collection agency (I forget the name) claiming the "debt" of £204 has been sold to them by o2 and they will now require collection of the balance. Having checked this website I found this company to be less than trustworthy for it's collection tactics & supposed purchasing of owed debts so I contacted them to request no further communications via phone or letter as the issue was still being dealt with between myself and o2. They seemed happy enough to let this play out.

February 2012 - debt collection company #2 who supposedly purchased my debt (again from o2) and this company started attaching solicitor letters to their threats (which turned out to be without the solicitors' knowledge thanks to this website) so once again I ignored these obvious idle threats.

August 2012 - debt collection company #3 -Lowell now communicate via 3 similar letters stating THEY have bought the debt from o2 and will pass onto their collection company with threats of using my income/employer to pay for debts etc. Having been advised previously not to communicate with these companies without proof of their ownership of debt (o2 claim to have no knowledge of any purchase of the debt to these companies under my name) I ignored these letters.

September 2012 - I have this morning received a threatening letter from Lowell's Red Debt Collection company with the familiar threats from the previous letters, threatening decrees & all sorts.

Are these all genuine owners of my debt or am I getting played around until I pay someone for this debt? I'm currently unemployed & on ESA due to medical reasons & I refuse to be intimidated by these letters.

Please help end this stressful nightmare!

shedhead55

The chances are that the debt collectors are the genuine owners of the debt but you should demand written proof of a standard that a court would accept before entering into any negotiations. It is sometimes the case that by the time a debt has been sold on a few times such proof is unobtainable and that the debt collectors back down when challenged. however if they do produce such proof then they can enforce the debt.