help with debt collectors

sheila_b_2

HELP!!
have just had yet another phonecall from buchanan clark and wells asking to speak to my son. understand they cannot give me any details because of data protection. asked them to put problem in writing to my son but they said they had several times & got no response. i know this is a lie as i take in all mail & have never taken in letter from them. my son has no knowledge of what they are looking for(he has no debt) & is @ work when they call. have just got BCW address off internet & am wondering if my son should write to them or just ignore calls (if he writes then they will have a correspondence address but i am worried they will call when he is not here). could someone have given the wrong address? they would not tell me the address they have (data protection).can they take anything out of my house if he does not respond to the calls? any advice please on the best course of action. sheila b

Funky_Fudge

sheila_b wrote: »

HELP!!
have just had yet another phonecall from buchanan clark and wells asking to speak to my son. understand they cannot give me any details because of data protection. asked them to put problem in writing to my son but they said they had several times & got no response. i know this is a lie as i take in all mail & have never taken in letter from them. my son has no knowledge of what they are looking for(he has no debt) & is @ work when they call. have just got BCW address off internet & am wondering if my son should write to them or just ignore calls (if he writes then they will have a correspondence address but i am worried they will call when he is not here). could someone have given the wrong address? they would not tell me the address they have (data protection).can they take anything out of my house if he does not respond to the calls? any advice please on the best course of action. sheila b

Buchanan Clark & Wells
BCW House
24 George Square
Glasgow
G2 1EG

Email general@bcwgroup.com
Tel: 0871 2441881 - although this is a payment phone line, can't seeem to find an enquiries number, but they might be able to help (it is a 24 hour phone line).

I would get your son to ring them when he gets home and asks them what the heck they are on about.... has he always lived with you, or changed addresses recently? They wouldn't be sending letters to a different address would they?

He might also want to get a copy of his credit file from experian just in case someone else has credit in his name and now there are people chasing for it... you can do that online as well now:-

Experian Credit Expert

Hope you get hom sorted out !

Mel

Oldernotwiser

You might also need to be prepared that your son isn't telling you the truth about his financial situation. You'll see many threads on here about people who have kept this sort of information from those that are closest to them.

sheila_b_2

many thanks for your advice, have asked him again & he is still confused about it all. will get him to ring BCW direct. sheila b

daisydee_2

Hi - have just joined forum so please be patient with me! First forum I have ever joined come to that.....I was very interested in the comments about Debt Collection Agencies and wondered ...
does anyone know if there a Code of Practice that they should adhere to? My daughter was working fulltime, paid her bills etc and, in legally questionable circumstances, recently lost her job. She now has to claim Income Support for herself and son. She received a phone call from a Debt Collection firm this pm (Buchanan Clark Wells) He told her that a bailiff was going round on thursday as a bill that she has not managed to pay has been referred to them. She was terrified and heartbroken (never claimed benefits or had debt probs before). She asked if she could pay by intsalments but this was refused. I rang the agency and accused them of intimidation and said I would go to the press if they would not allow an arrangement. They would not speak to me so I got my daughter to ring them back. They said they were not allowed to make an arrangement but could not stop her paying each week. She's going to try to pay £5. weekly - out of $59.00 benefits. They also said that bailiff would not be going on thursday, that it would take months to get to that stage and they only say that to get people to pay. It IS intimidation - it doesn't bear thinking about the effect this could have on vulnerable people. HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH IT!

chevalier

Quote It IS intimidation - it doesn't bear thinking about the effect this could have on vulnerable people. HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH IT!end quote

They get away with it because most people don't know the process that has to be gone through, and mentioning bailiffs and turning up on your doorstep, are virtually guaranteed to make people panic. When they are panicking they are not thinking straight, so people agree to things that they normally wouldn't. It stinks and there are regulations, just no one seems that keen to enforce them
chev

Roger_Rampant

My wife and I have had debt collectors chasing us for about ten years now, while we have been gradually paying all the old debts off, and we have never once been telephoned by a debt colector (or anyone trying to sell us anything, for that matter). The negotiations have always been conducted by post, which is the way that I like it, as it's far easier to reach an agreement over things such as them not charging any interest, and allowing small monthly payments

I've tried to analyse some of the reasons that we are never telephoned, and some of the following may have some bearing (not that it helps the OP here, sorry about that):

1) Our telephone numbers are always ex-directory

2) We are registered with the Telephone Preference Service, http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/. Incidentally we also rarely receive junk mail, presumably due to also registering with the Mailing Preference Service, http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/

3) Our telephones are all set up so that our number is automatically witheld from the people that we are telephoning

If your son has something in writing from them, and therefore knows their reference, he can write and say that he doesn't believe the debt is his, and can they provide a copy of the credit agreement. As they know they are unlikely to be able to obtain a court judgement without a copy of the credit agreement this is quite an effective way of stopping them when they don't have a contact number for the person concerned, but whether it would work in this situation I don't know

Perhaps if they telephone again you could tell them that he is not available on your number, that you don't have his current number, and maybe take that opportunity to ask what address they have for him?

It's quite possible that they are just trying it on, my mum (who isn't ex-directory) has had a couple of calls from debt collectors trying to track me down, even though she lives in Southampton and I live in Northampton, one of them even pretended to be from a pension company "worried that I wouldn't be able to claim my pension when I retired" (in about 20 years time!)

If a bailiff should turn up you can tell them that none of the items at your property belong to your son, and you don't know where he is currently living

smashedbooboo

Debt collectors cannot send in the bailiff. Only that can be done with a court order. They may threaten you but they cannot do this. Do not be intimidated by them. Thereis a letter you can send them. I will post this uo when i have had my tea. Sorry. Stomach thinks throats been cut at the minute.

ForwardBadCallsToFeds

The number for reporting harrassing calls to federal authority in theory who handles those things is 8773824357.
As near as i can tell, thats as useful as shouting down a hole.

However, you can forward those nasty calls directly to the federal complaint line, never hear a ring, and the abusers can report themselves, and keep the complaint line so busy maybe the feds will do their job.

Most phone services offer a forward all calls service. You can do this when they keep calling back. Some phone services offer selective forwarding,
like forward calls from 000-000-0000 to 8773824357. Most of the voip
services offer some form of this. Google voip if you need that.

Yep, I got over my head and behind. Calling me 20 times a day is just going to make me unplug my phone. I'm doing my best, and at some point harrassment just makes me quit trying. Then start fighting back.
You can too. :T

fermi

ForwardBadCallsToFeds wrote: »

The number for reporting harrassing calls to federal authority in theory who handles those things is 8773824357.
As near as i can tell, thats as useful as shouting down a hole.

Erm.................

This is a British site.

ForwardBadCallsToFeds

all the funnier when you flood the complaint line from good old GB.