Debt Collector Messages

RosiPossum

Oh this drives me mad! Let me first say that although I've been contacted by debt collection agencies, it's always been a problem with the council tax or something, not something I've done.

One of these companies sends texts saying "*name* please contact Scott & Co urgently on 0845**** quoting reference ****". Am I the only person who isn't going to call an 0845 number without any idea what it's about? I understand that data protection etc. stops them from saying it's about a debt, but come on.

Anyway, just received a message saying "This is a message for Miss **** (Maiden name). Please contact Westcot on 0844**** quoting reference number ****. I have no idea what this could be from, but I'm not going to call up a company who will then want to verify my details.

It's not that I have anything to hide, but debt collectors or not, I don't want to give my DOB, address and other details to someone over the phone.
I emailed them to say if someone wants to talk to me, they can call again but I won't be calling an expensive number. I know I can Say No to 0870 is, but that's not the point

I've read threads where callers have asked if the callee can confirm their DOB, and the callee said yes, then waited. I think that'd be fun! I'm not going to give my details.

Just a wee rant. I know about credit and things, so please don't reply telling me I have to call them. I'm mostly just annoyed at the methods they use to get people to call them.

battleborn

ask them to verfiy there details before you give them yours

bod1467

RosiPossum wrote: »

so please don't reply telling me I have to call them.

In fact I'm replying to say DON'T call them. In many cases they're just on fishing expeditions, contacting everyone they can find with the same name as someone they're chasing.

RosiPossum

It's most definitely my debt! Oops. From NatWest...who haven't contacted me once to ask me to pay back overdraft. I still have a few months left of interest free, so will be talking to them. The debt collection guy was actually very helpful!

johnnythefox

I've had a debt collector sit down with me and complain at how aggressive the company he works for is, even though the people he visits haven't got to pay up yet. Some of them just use collectors to bully for early payment.

fluffnutter

RosiPossum wrote: »

Oh this drives me mad! Let me first say that although I've been contacted by debt collection agencies, it's always been a problem with the council tax or something, not something I've done.

You make it sound like a regular occurrence. Is it? TBH, if you're regularly being contacted by debt collectors, even if it's not 'something you've done', you're still doing something wrong for it to get that far.

fluffnutter

RosiPossum wrote: »

It's most definitely my debt! Oops. From NatWest...who haven't contacted me once to ask me to pay back overdraft. I still have a few months left of interest free, so will be talking to them. The debt collection guy was actually very helpful!

I thought it was never your fault. You sound like you need to take a better hold of your finances.

RosiPossum

fluffnutter wrote: »

You make it sound like a regular occurrence. Is it? TBH, if you're regularly being contacted by debt collectors, even if it's not 'something you've done', you're still doing something wrong for it to get that far.

It's been a couple of times, and it's been Glasgow council chasing payment for which I had a student exemption. Just took a quick call to clear up, and a lot of my friends have had that before too. I didn't actually owe any money, and I hadn't done anything wrong.

I'm actually in the process of sorting my finances out. The way the NHS is just now, I've graduated with a degree in nursing and it took 9 months to get my first staff nurse job. I've been working very hard as an auxiliary in the meantime, but not making any inroads as my husband hasn't been working.

I'm aware that I need to pay off my overdraft, but I was never contacted once by NatWest asking me to. I've been doing it slowly, but I haven't gone over my OD limit at all. I wouldn't have a problem with a debt collection agency contacting me if NatWest had written to me or called me asking me to pay back the OD.

Anyway...my vent (which is why I put it on this board) was about debt collection agencies texting or leaving a message asking people to call them without any mention of what it's for. Many scams text/call people asking them to do exactly the same.

RosiPossum

fluffnutter wrote: »

I thought it was never your fault. You sound like you need to take a better hold of your finances.

I didn't say it was never my fault. I said previously it hadn't been something I'd done wrong. It was a problem in the admin of the council.

I don't think I've done anything wrong here, unless it's wrong to have an overdraft as a student that's 0% interest until a year after graduation. I graduated in June and haven't had any interest charges. They've not contacted me, so I don't see what I've done wrong?
It's not like I have a lot of debt, and I wasn't aware it was wrong to have an overdraft...

Chickabiddybex

I doubt it's Natwest as I have that same account and you don't have to pay it back yet. I left uni 3 years ago and still have my overdraft limit set to -£1600 (I'm nowhere near that though) and its fine to not pay it back yet they just drop the interest free threshold.

This_Year

RosiPossum wrote: »

Anyway...my vent (which is why I put it on this board) was about debt collection agencies texting or leaving a message asking people to call them without any mention of what it's for. Many scams text/call people asking them to do exactly the same.

As the company don't know who will be listening to the message they can't mention what it's about. They don't know if you live alone or in a house-share etc and they don't know who will press the button to replay the message.