MACKENZIE HALL or J2...Who are they??

EscapedFromTheUK

Hi there.
I have lived in the USA for 2 years now and 2 days ago my son contacted me telling me that a company called J2 called him in relation to some debt with the Halifax Building Society. Apparently they said that the debt related to a property I owned some 20 years ago. I under no circumstances owe any debt to the Halifax as when I sold the property 20 years ago the Halifax were paid off. Who on earth are these guys???

JohnInDebt

They are a company that seem to specialise in tracking down statute barred debts. They pay pennies for them and try to bully people into paying debts that cannot be enforced through a court. Unfortunately some people get bullied into paying them.

There are template letters on here regarding statute barred debts. For loans/credit cards etc.. it's 6 years, but with mortgages it's 12 years without acknowledging the debt. 20 years far exceeds this, they know they have no chance with this.

Do a search for 'MacKenzie Hall' and you'll see plenty of horror stories.

If you have not had any communications with them for 12 years send them the letter and they wont bother you again.

rog2

Hi EFTUK - J2 Solutions are a part of Mackenzie Hall, who are a really nasty bunch of cowboys who think that they have written the rules about debt collection.
You must be about the 20th new poster asking about Mackenzie Hall this week. Obviously they are back from their annual holidays and are 'scamming' like mad in order to 'earn' their Christmas Bonuses.
This odious rabble operate a well known scam in which they trawl the dustbins of financial institutions looking for debts which they know that they can no longer legally pursue, and they 'buy' these 'debts' for peanuts.
Mackenzie Hall are PERFECTLY aware that the majority of these debts are covered by the Limitations Act, 1980 and are statute barred, providing that the debtor has made no payment toward the debt, or acknowledged it in writing for a period of 6 years (12 years for property related debt).
Once a 'debtor' has told the creditor/dca that he/she will not pay the 'alleged debt' because it is statute barred (the ONLY reason that a debtor need give) they can no longer pursue the debt through the courts, and should cease pursuing the debtor.
Whilst Mackenzie Hall are perfectly aware of the legal status of any such debt, they rely on the fact that the overwhelming majority of debtors will not be aware of their rights, and will, simply pay up.
The ONLY thing your son needs to do is to send them the template letter, which he will find on the following link:

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/temp/7044_54861.pdf

For more information and advice, have a look at the following thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=114858

Hope this helps.