Debt collector letters - note to the regulars

Stroma

Come on the basis of the letter is given above! If people can't or won't help themselves then so be it! But we can't help people who won't help themselves, the point is that if you look on the debt free wannabe forum, fermi and others advice contact to the debt collectors in that they must not contact debtors via phone, text, email etc

The difference here is the debt is denied, they must refer back to the originator or they are in breach of the guidelines set out by the oft , so another spanner in the works for very little investment in time!

Sorry but on this I agree with Daisy, we adapt to what they do, this highlights the fact that the debt is denied, and gives people something proactive to do. Until recently we were saying to ignore all tickets. It also gives a paper trail and is an extension to replying to a notice before claim.

Computersaysno

The PPCs will be really happy if they get these letters because they will know that the senders are 'switched on' and so the PPC will probs drop it and crack on with extorting the other 99% of ticketed people.

Remember that POPLA is a minor itch that the PPC industry will tolerate because it
1. Keeps the gov off their backs
2. Carries weight with the courts
3. Makes our job of giving advice much harder
4. Allows them to keep scamming

bazster

Adapt to what they do? Dance to their tune more like.

Do you ever stop to consider that people might read this forum, look at the blizzard of letter-writing being advised, and think "oh stuff that, I'll just pay them"? Most people don't want to be part of a campaign, they simply want to get rid of the problem.

With all due respect to the regulars, this forum seems to be thriving more and more on scaremongering ("oooh, they've got six years to sue you so you'd best appeal" - even though most PPC's have never sued anyone).

The accurate advice would be thus:

[insert name of company] has never sued anyone/sues people rarely/sues people occasionally but still not often [delete as applicable]. Of course, there is no guarantee that this behaviour will not change in future or that you will not be one of the unlucky ones. Note that, in the case of some PPC's, getting help here actually INCREASES the likelihood of you being pursued to court.

If you wish to obviate that very small risk, these are your options blah blah blah. Alternatively you may choose to ignore them completely, your call.

If you wish to join us in taking a stand against this toxic "industry", please say so and we can provide you with lots of help in writing stroppy letters to all-and-sundry.

DCodd

A poster should be made aware of any and every avenue of redress that is open to them. They should be shown the essential responses and replies that they must make but also other options that are available to them. That is what Daisy is doing here.

Even if a letter to a solicitors or debt collector only buys a poster 24-48 hours reprieve from being hassled, that is an extra 1 or 2 days that they can use to seek advice. Surely that alone is worth the letter?

Who knows, maybe one or two of these letters could result in highlighting an irregularity and the imposition of some form of sanction for the Solicitor / Collecton agency.

hoohoo

If you have to do one or the other, complain to your MP. Please please do this. They may not take notice individually, but if their constituents regularly raise this as a problem they will do something about it.

If you have enough energy left over to cut and paste daisy's letter and sent that to, then you are increasing the chances that you are not the unlucky Wildebeest, which is probably a good investment for the price of a stamp (or an email). They will be forced to consider your letter, and I read somewhere (so it must be true!) that every letter costs an organisation at least £20 admin time so your outlay on the stamp will be well spent.

Folkiedave

Stroma wrote: »

…...Yes you are right, but look at the 2.2m tickets issued to October and the 12k county claims in that period, which when you look at it is about 99.5% of the time nothing happens. Or going to popla where again less than 1% will go there.
…...

But those figures conveniently ignore what I would suggest is nearer the truth - that most people pay, not that most people ignore.

Crapita paid £57.5 million for Parking Eye. PArt of this will be based on people paying up.

Computersaysno

IIRC 35% pay immediately - no appeal, no POPLA, no court...they just send the cheque in.

zzzLazyDaisy

Stroma wrote: »

Been thinking about this exact thing over the last few weeks. Can I just ask does this apply to Scotland and Northern Ireland? I mean the practice direction ?

TBH I don't know if the PD applies to Scotland /NI, but I am not convinced that it is relevant because POFA doesn't apply, and there is no efficient cross border way of issuing against a defendant in Scotland, even if the PPC knows who the driver is, which is unlikely (you taught me all that, Stroma, so that's just by way of explanation to anyone else reading who doesn't know about these things!).

It doesn't alter the fact, though, that motorists in Scotland are still likely to find the letters chains stressful, and I have done a couple of cease and desist letters for scottish motorists omitting reference to the PD, but making it clear that they know there is no jurisdiction in scotland so the debt collection agency is in breach of CSA CoP 10 (h), which appear to have done the trick and stopped the letters. I can add one of those to the example letters?

Stroma

Folkiedave wrote: »

But those figures conveniently ignore what I would suggest is nearer the truth - that most people pay, not that most people ignore.

Crapita paid £57.5 million for Parking Eye. PArt of this will be based on people paying up.

I am not saying that people don't pay! I am saying in the larger scheme of things 99.5% of the time nothing happens no matter what you do! If I was a gambling man (and I was in the gaming industry) I would bet all day long on a 99.5% chance of winning.

bazster

Stroma wrote: »

I am not saying that people don't pay! I am saying in the larger scheme of things 99.5% of the time nothing happens no matter what you do! If I was a gambling man (and I was in the gaming industry) I would bet all day long on a 99.5% chance of winning.

But you will not advise others accordingly? :huh: