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Advice needed - Being harassed for another persons debt
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blackcountryman
Posts: 4 Newbie
Hello, first time post. I do apologize in advance if this is not in the correct area of the board but I could not find a suitable location.
I will try and keep it short but to the point.
In January of 2014 I moved into a brand new built home as part of a new complex of new build houses and flats. Being new, some correspondence had the builds plot number instead of the house number due to the building. Within two months of living at the address I started receiving letters for a lady with a surname the same as mine, but all the letters were addressed to the plot number and not house numbers. I reposted the letters stating "person not at this address", but still they arrived.
When my house number started to appear written in ink on the envelope along side the letter printed address with plot number I decided due to the amount coming to my address for this lady, it was time I opened up the letter and address it directly as reposting did no good at all. All letters are from Lowell Financial on behalf of a debt sold on by Aqua for the lady in question who has drawn up hundreds of pounds of debt. I have contacted via phone Lowell on several occasions about the letters to this lady and advised them of my concerns of the letters coming to an address with a plot number, I was told that the plot number would have been passed on by Experian (not sure how that works concerning house build plot numbers), but I also requested that my house build plot number was removed and that all correspondence for this lady must cease. I was told that my plot number would be removed. However, I am still receiving mail letters from Lowell regarding the debt, and despite the numerous times I have telephoned them, asked for the plot number to removed, to be told that no more correspondence will be sent still the letters come including yet another in today's post.
I did a little detective work with the plot numbers and discovered the lady they are looking for lives in a set of flats just a short distance from me and whose plot number is among the five on the letters I am receiving. When I spoke with Lowell about this, they stated they were not interested in the five flat numbers I had recorded. So they do have the numbers of the flat the lady is living at, it is just a matter of establishing which one out of the five.
Due to the length of time, a year now, this has been going on, and because I suffer from a debilitating disability along with severe anxiety and panic attacks (the move to this new house was a fresh start to try and recover) the whole process is stressing me out as I do not know where to go next. These letters keep coming, I keep phoning them, I am getting no where. For a company who are reportedly chasing a woman who owes them a considerable amount of money, the company have not caught up with her or taken my concerns into account. Yet I am being harassed by them.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
John
I will try and keep it short but to the point.
In January of 2014 I moved into a brand new built home as part of a new complex of new build houses and flats. Being new, some correspondence had the builds plot number instead of the house number due to the building. Within two months of living at the address I started receiving letters for a lady with a surname the same as mine, but all the letters were addressed to the plot number and not house numbers. I reposted the letters stating "person not at this address", but still they arrived.
When my house number started to appear written in ink on the envelope along side the letter printed address with plot number I decided due to the amount coming to my address for this lady, it was time I opened up the letter and address it directly as reposting did no good at all. All letters are from Lowell Financial on behalf of a debt sold on by Aqua for the lady in question who has drawn up hundreds of pounds of debt. I have contacted via phone Lowell on several occasions about the letters to this lady and advised them of my concerns of the letters coming to an address with a plot number, I was told that the plot number would have been passed on by Experian (not sure how that works concerning house build plot numbers), but I also requested that my house build plot number was removed and that all correspondence for this lady must cease. I was told that my plot number would be removed. However, I am still receiving mail letters from Lowell regarding the debt, and despite the numerous times I have telephoned them, asked for the plot number to removed, to be told that no more correspondence will be sent still the letters come including yet another in today's post.
I did a little detective work with the plot numbers and discovered the lady they are looking for lives in a set of flats just a short distance from me and whose plot number is among the five on the letters I am receiving. When I spoke with Lowell about this, they stated they were not interested in the five flat numbers I had recorded. So they do have the numbers of the flat the lady is living at, it is just a matter of establishing which one out of the five.
Due to the length of time, a year now, this has been going on, and because I suffer from a debilitating disability along with severe anxiety and panic attacks (the move to this new house was a fresh start to try and recover) the whole process is stressing me out as I do not know where to go next. These letters keep coming, I keep phoning them, I am getting no where. For a company who are reportedly chasing a woman who owes them a considerable amount of money, the company have not caught up with her or taken my concerns into account. Yet I am being harassed by them.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
John
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Comments
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Yet another example of what happens when you start opening mail not addressed to you.
Put them in the nearest bin and stop reading them.
You are asking for trouble, thats how debt collectors work.
Not your name = not your problem bin, they are paying the postage.I do Contracts, all day every day.0 -
And stop phoning them - you are just encouraging them.0
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I understand what you are saying, not my name, not my problem. But I had a valid reason to open the letters because of another issue with someone else. Within a month of moving into the house, the gas/electricity company sent me the bill for the gas and electricity used when the property was being built and before I signed the rental agreement (its a housing association home). I had months of trying to sort that out mess.0
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Marktheshark wrote: »Yet another example of what happens when you start opening mail not addressed to you.
Put them in the nearest bin and stop reading them.
You are asking for trouble, thats how debt collectors work.
Not your name = not your problem bin, they are paying the postage.
I think it's actually illegal to put someone else's mail in the bin.0 -
blackcountryman wrote: »I understand what you are saying, not my name, not my problem. But I had a valid reason to open the letters because of another issue with someone else. Within a month of moving into the house, the gas/electricity company sent me the bill for the gas and electricity used when the property was being built and before I signed the rental agreement (its a housing association home). I had months of trying to sort that out mess.
So be it then, they probably have your phone number now as well.
Not a lot we can do if you will not listen to the advice.
You asked what you can do, we told you and that it.
Ignore them or play the game.
Looks like its the game then.
They wont give in until you do.I do Contracts, all day every day.0 -
I think it's actually illegal to put someone else's mail in the bin.
Of course it's legal - it's unsolicited and they don't live at the address. The OP has already tried return to sender and more.
I still get rubbish post - and also building society stuff - for the people we bought the house from 12 YEARS ago. Have given up RTS as they just don't listen. It all goes in the recycling.
Not sure on the legality of OPENING someone else's mail though.LBM July 2006. Debt free 01 Sept 12 .. :T
Finally joined Slimming World: weight loss 33lbs...target achieved 51wks later 06.05.13 & still there :j
Aim to be mortgage free in 2022. Jan 17 33250 Nov 17 27066 Mar 18 24498 Sep 18 20608 Nov 18 19250 Jan 19 17980 Mar 19 16455 May 19 15024 Nov 19 10488 Feb 20 8150 May 20 5783 Aug 20. 3305 Nov 20 859 Mortgage free, 02.12.20200 -
Marktheshark wrote: »So be it then, they probably have your phone number now as well.
Not a lot we can do if you will not listen to the advice.
You asked what you can do, we told you and that it.
Ignore them or play the game.
Looks like its the game then.
They wont give in until you do.
With all due respect, I only posted today and for the first time. How am I not listening to advice when the advice being posted is from today's date. I have tried resolving this myself prior to today.0 -
HI BCM - please don't fret about this mail. Some time ago we were looking after a property for a friend whose tenant had done a runner - no need to guess why!!! ALL post that arrived, apart from obvious junk, I sent back by crossing through their name and the address and writing RTS and if needs be put the return address on. Mail kept on coming and I kept returning. One day a hand written note was put through by a debt collector asking for contact. I did contact them explained the situation and was, by then, even able to tell them where the old tenant was living and hoped that they were successful in pursuing. Their response was 'they were unable to accept new address details from someone else, they needed to be contacted by old tenant'. At that point I said well that is very unlikely to happen!!!!! Also, our postman told me that mail that has RTS on can take months to reach the original sender.
Therefore, please stress no more. You are aware this post is not for you. You have done your best and from now on I would just continue to return it, they are paying for the postage not you. Do not contact them because even if you do know where the lady lives, they are unlikely to take instructions from you.
I hope that helps you and please do not be put off by posters who exclaim that you are not accepting their advice!!:j I belong to Mike's Mob :j0 -
blackcountryman wrote: »With all due respect, I only posted today and for the first time. How am I not listening to advice when the advice being posted is from today's date. I have tried resolving this myself prior to today.
Hi,
Basically what the others are trying to tell you is this, all DCA`s (debt collection agencies) are in the business of making money, and they are not too bothered who pays them, weather you are the debtor named in these letters, or not.
If you respond to these people, they see an opportunity to make money, your protestations will go unheeded, they will hound you, and keep hounding you.
You should never, ever contact these people if its not your name on the envelope, either ignore, or post back "return to sender", and never phone them, once they have your phone number, they wont let up, as its there 1st weapon of choice.
I realise you were trying to do the right thing, but by contacting them, you may of opened a hugh can of worms for yourself.
Bast advice now, is ignore these people completely, do not contact them again, bin or return any further letters, dont answer there calls.
They cant do a thing to you as its not you named in the letter.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter0 -
It's not against the law to open post addressed to someone else unless you're doing it with the intention of 'acting to their detriment' or 'without reasonable excuse'.
blackcountryman - stop phoning the senders of these letters. You've returned enough of them for the companies to know they're using the wrong address - the recycling bin is the place for them now.0
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