MSE News request: Have you received a letter from a debt collector/law firm?

Former_MSE_Paloma

Hi there,

I'm hoping you may be able to help me. Last year, it was uncovered that Wonga, Lloyds, the Student Loans Company and NPower sent letters purporting to be from solicitor firms or debt collection agencies to pressure customers into paying their debts. In those cases, the letters were actually from the banks, energy providers, payday lender etc themselves.

We think this may also be happening in the private parking industry. If your details have been passed on to a debt collection agency or to a law firm and you think it may be suspicious (google the name and address or contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority to check), please can you email a copy to news@moneysavingexpert.com.

Many thanks, MSE Paloma

ManxRed

You also have Debt Collectors (ZZPS for example) sending out solicitor letters (not a fake solicitor as such, but the letter looks like it's come from them when actually it hasn't). In ZZPS's example they use letterheaded paper from Wright Hassall, a genuine firm of solicitors.

The giveaway is that the letters claim that ZZPS are the creditor for the alleged debt, and that legal action will follow unless payment is made to ZZPS, when in fact, the creditor (assuming a debt actually were to exist, which 99.9999% of the time it doesn't, it's merely an alleged debt) is either some parking company or a landowner somewhere, and ZZPS as a third party agent don't even have the capacity to take legal action.

The letters don't say that though. They just make intimidating baseless threats to sue in an attempt to con the recipient into paying the debt collector.

Cornucopia

It's good to see MSE taking an interest in this in the narrow scope of PPCs, but I have to say that fake/misleading/intimidating/unclear/unfair communications are rife across UK business.

The result being that when you receive an "official" communication these days that makes some kind of unusual or counter-intuitive claim, you never really know for sure whether it is real or scam, true or false, legally-binding or not.

I wonder whether the time is right for a standard letter that consumers could use in these instances which required the companies concerned to specify clearly what was legally required of the consumer, and what their legal rights were (and in the case of alleged debts, proof of the debt).

It's all too easy for companies to make false or misleading legal claims, and it will ultimately wreck any (remaining) notion of trust amongst UK consumers, to the detriment of the entire country.

System

Suggest that ANPR Ltd / Expedion would be a prime candidate with their court "claims." Expedion paperwork is right up MSE's street with this regards

Castle

IamEmanresu wrote: »

Suggest that ANPR Ltd / Expedion would be a prime candidate with their court "claims." Expedion paperwork is right up MSE's street with this regards

Or how about CEL/DEAL!

trisontana

Another problem that must be highlighted is that caused by those companies who are both proper certified bailiffs but also act as ordinary debt collectors. Sometimes these companies fail to point out this difference between their roles in their paperwork. This can leadto confusion by motorists who think they are being pursued by real bailiffs, when in fact they are just powerless debt collectors.

esmerobbo

Now a thing of the past but "UKCPS" and their mythical "Court Proceedings Ltd" was a prime example.

We have of course still Got JAS and Dara debt recovery who are owned by the same person.

http://companycheck.co.uk/director/915935317

bod1467

trisontana wrote: »

Another problem that must be highlighted is that caused by those companies who are both proper certified bailiffs but also act as ordinary debt collectors. Sometimes these companies fail to point out this difference between their roles in their paperwork. This can leadto confusion by motorists who think they are being pursued by real bailiffs, when in fact they are just powerless debt collectors.

Barnes Gordon & Noble are a prime example of this in Scotland.

pogofish

MSE_Paloma wrote: »

We think this may also be happening in the private parking industry.

Really.....! :eek:

You might think Post Four never happened!

CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH, THIS IS NOT A FORUM FOR TALKING AD INFINITUM ABOUT DEBT COLLECTOR LETTER CHAINS SO PLEASE SPARE US!!


DO NOT START A NEW THREAD ABOUT DEBT COLLECTOR TEDIUM, PLEASE, JUST SEARCH AND READ WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID.



REPEAT: CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH, THIS IS NOT A FORUM FOR TALKING AD INFINITUM ABOUT DEBT COLLECTOR LETTER CHAINS SO PLEASE SPARE US!!!!!!!


DO NOT START A NEW THREAD ABOUT DEBT COLLECTOR TEDIUM, PLEASE, JUST SEARCH AND READ WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64350592&postcount=4

And:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5035663

enfield_freddy

can you clarify that please?

ampersand

.........but my fine is not like any of these and I just need someone to do everything for me as I cba..........:-)