Vodafone sold my debt to Lowells in the middle of Ombudsman activity?

waterpistol

Hello,

I have been trying to sort an issue with Vodafone for over a year. I have, twice, asked for a 'Deadlock Letter' so that the Communications Ombudsman would finally agree to look into the claim/counterclaim that I have.

Frustratingly though, Vodafone have just sold my account to Lowell Portfolio Ltd. Who, judging by the criticism directed at them on this forum, look like a scurrilous company to have to deal with.

Like many people I have an otherwise exemplary credit score. I am trying to remedy this one thing dragging my score down so that I can apply for a (new) bank account. If you good people could offer any advice other than the course of action I will detail below then much appreciated.

1. I will no send a recorded letter to Vodafone asking if they know I was still in the process of determining the legitimacy of the debt. If so, what is their position now.
2. By selling my debt to Lowell's am I no longer in debt to Vodafone and as such that particular default should be removed from my credit score (admittedly I know that Lowell's might just then take it's place but surely one default is better than two)?
3. I kind of want to know what has happened to my contract. Is it still valid if Vodafone sell it on or have they essentially torn it up? Is it legal/lawful for them to do this without my consent?

OK, #3 is obviously more a question for the community. Finally, should I contact Lowell Portfolio Ltd and explain that I was in communication with both Vodafone and the Ombudsman or will this simply be like weeing in the wind?

fermi

Going to have to insist that the ombudsman looks at your complaint now. Deadlock letter or not.

Often in debt sale agreements the original creditor will have the right to buy back debts that turn out to be subject to a dispute such as this, so if they can do that it may be worth insisting on that as part of what you want vodafone to do to put things right.

Should probably at least tell Lowells that the account is subject to the complaint, and that if they attempt to pursue it while this is the case then you will be making them the subject of a formal complaint as well. Not sure if still valid now, but ComplaintsResolution@LowellGroup.co.uk use to get a reasonable response sometimes.

Normally Lowells would be able to add a default in addition to vodafone's, as long as it is clear that both entries are for the same account and vodafone one was marked as settled and sold. So asking them to remove it on the basis that it has been sold may not fly.

In the end if you believe the debt/default is not valid anyway, then that is a more appropriate reason to dispute the default on your file.

If vodafone believe that the contact has been broken your end, the could sell it on and that would be legal.

sourcrates

Hi,


So what is the nature of your dispute with vodaphone ?


You seem to be admitting the contract is/was yours, so ownership of the account doesn't seem to be in dispute, was it an abnormally large bill, or some other issue ?


The account would of been closed when Lowell purchased it, if either you, or they, broke the terms of the agreement, they can terminate it according to the terms and conditions of the contract.

waterpistol

Thanks Fermi, your time and energy here is evident for all to see! I've emailed Communications Ombudsman detailing the expanded nature of the complaint. I have also written a letter to Vodafone expressing my need for their final position, or, an explanation.

I'll keep this thread updated for others.

waterpistol

Hello Sourcrates,

I took a 2 year contract with Vodafone, bought an iPhone, thought all would be well. Except from the off the service was terrible. I contacted them (Vodafone) in store nearly every few weeks. I swapped Sim Cards a couple of times, even got a new handset but the fault persisted.

I then began a series of complaints as I felt I was paying a lot of money for substandard service. It was then that Vodafone admitted that the were having problems in the Sheffield area, due to something technical. They offered me half price line rental until the problem was sorted out. The problem was never sorted until the end of my contract.

I owed them not much, £200 or something. But felt that this should be halved as this was only made up of line rental, i.e. no extra calls/charges. I spent hours asking when the fault with the service in Sheffield was first reported, but, they have remained taciturn as a defence.

Just a few months ago I again contacted them, said I was willing to pay £100 just to get rid of the hassle, but they said no. Ironically, I'm sure they will have gotten a lot less than that from Lowells.

In a nutshell then, I complained about poor service after doing all I could at the consumer end. Vodafone eventually confessed to technical problems in my area and have refused to state when the problems started as I am sure this will be before I got my contract with them.

Thanks!

redux

So Vodafone failed to make good their service or the promised tariff reduction in acknowledgement of poor service?

If Lowells have any sense they'll resciss their deal and send it back to Vodafone.

sourcrates

You just need to send a short letter to Lowell stating the nature of your dispute, mention that the ombudsman is involved, and as Redux says, they will most likley return it to Vodaphone post haste !!!!

quaybab

As stated in this thread, you can take your complaint about Vodafone to the ombudsman after 8 weeks .
I'd say your being messed about by the ombudsman if they have not taken on your case yet. Its website says that all cases are sorted in 2 months.
The corporations have all the balls in their court and the debt collector’s bully people. I'd probably pay off the debt and take the company to court for breach of contract (if I could find one with no get out clause) but that’s just a personal option.