Advice: What is this letter?

snowcat38

Hello, im new around here and im not sure if this is the the right place for this so please move the thread if its not.

Today my mum received a letter through the post. Its addressed to her at our address. but is from a debt collection agency asking for £2500 for electricity bills for an address that neither of us have EVER lived at.

The address which is a pub in our city as far as I know was closed until recently.

Should we be worried about this letter? it says "final notice" and im sure as you can imagine as worried her a bit.

its from a company called "ACS Advanced Collection Services" I can't find anything about them. Te electricity company its for is "Dual Energy Direct Limited"

Clearly the debt is nothing to do with us. but its a little unnerving to receive this letter regardless!

antrobus

snowcat38 wrote: »

....Clearly the debt is nothing to do with us. but its a little unnerving to receive this letter regardless!

Never overestimate the intelligence of your typical debt collection agency. Your mother probably has a name that it is identical, or even just vaguely similar, to the name of the tenant of the pub in question. The agency will likely send out a stream of such letters in the hope that one of them will eventually get to the right person.

Probably a good idea for mum to inform ACS Advanced Collection Services that they've missed this time round.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Ring them on the phone number on the letter-head you received Tel : 01707 252900

ValHaller

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

Ring them on the phone number on the letter-head you received Tel : 01707 252900

Standard advice is not to ring Debt Collection Agencies, because they have the habit of bullying in a way which they would not put in writing. Write to them and keep it in writing

snowcat38

I found an email address so Im going to try that tomorrow. Its just all very random.

thank you all!

Richie-from-the-Boro

Ring them on the phone number on the letter-head you received Tel : 01707 252900, tell them on that local rate number what you've told us - then tell them to stop & desist or take you to court. If its not your problem you'll be better off in a court, only a court can stop their relentless pursuit. Make sure you hide your telephone number with a 141 prefix, or open a 'disposable' e-mail addy before you write to them if that's the way you want to go.

Richie-from-the-Boro

ValHaller wrote: »

Standard advice is not to ring Debt Collection Agencies, because they have the habit of bullying in a way which they would not put in writing. Write to them and keep it in writing

- my bad - I assumed 99.9% of the population would already know to use 141 - so yes ! - it's worth you pointing it out again, and again, and again
- thanks Van

Wywth

snowcat38 wrote: »

Hello, im new around here and im not sure if this is the the right place for this so please move the thread if its not.

Today my mum received a letter through the post. Its addressed to her at our address. but is from a debt collection agency asking for £2500 for electricity bills for an address that neither of us have EVER lived at.

The address which is a pub in our city as far as I know was closed until recently.

Should we be worried about this letter? it says "final notice" and im sure as you can imagine as worried her a bit.

its from a company called "ACS Advanced Collection Services" I can't find anything about them. Te electricity company its for is "Dual Energy Direct Limited"

Clearly the debt is nothing to do with us. but its a little unnerving to receive this letter regardless!

If she doesn't owe the money, she has nothing to worry about.

But she should advise the DCA of this fact as they are not mind readers and will continue to pursue her for the money otherwise.

In case of a failure to agree on whether or not the debt really does belong to her, then there are things called courts that have judges in them that can ultimately settle such disputes