Should I reply to a BW legal voicemail message?

Northernmonkey71

Have used the search function and cannot find a specific answer to my question, of course I Have read plenty of threads relating to this organisation.

For the last few months, my wife and I receive voicemail messages on our landline stating we must contact BWL with urgency regarding a specific legal matter. They never use a specific name in these messages.

We are fortunate to be debt free, cutting our suit according to the cloth, as my dad used to say and have no known unpaid parking fines (seems that BWL have a raft of these to chase).

When we moved to this address 3 years ago, we were given a phone number by SKY; during the first 18 months of residing here we did receive a number of calls regarding an individual who clearly owed money. Having bought the property from the original owners, we know that the individual had no association with the property. Our assumption was that we had been given this person's recycled telephone number.

I have no desire to make any contact with BWL at all, having never received any letters or other written correspondence and am naturally loathe to supply them with any personal information via a telephone call.

Should my wife and I continue to ignore the calls and voicemails? Will they just give up? Does BWL fish for information with these calls? Our thought is that unless something is provided in writing, specifically naming one or both of us in relation to some (fictitious) debt, then we have nowt to worry over.

We are contemplating asking BT our current landline provider to change the number and of course we do register with the TPS, which will, I hope, resolve the issue.

Thanks in advance.

maninthestreet

Have you received any letters from BWL?

Northernmonkey71

We have received nothing in writing from BWL at all.

The v/m messages are only left on the landline. Neither of us has ever been contacted on our mobiles.

[Deleted User]

Northernmonkey71 wrote: »

I have no desire to make any contact with BWL at all

I agree that's likely the best way to proceed. In addition, I wouldn't be wasting money having your telephone number changed. A new number will not put an end to spam calls/texts regardless of being TPS registered.

Do you regularly use voicemail on your landline? If not, it can easily be made unavailable by your provider without charge.

Northernmonkey71

We don't use the messaging function on the landline. We have the landline purely to save our mum's having to call our mobiles as they are both PAYG. We may occasionally use it for calling numbers not covered by our mobile call plans. Neither of us actually know the number without looking it up, such is its general lack of use.

Wasn't aware there would be a charge for a number change.....doesn't surprise me of course, lol.

Ignorance is bliss.....we shall leave these folk uncontacted unless something written arrives in the mail. We never answer calls from numbers we don't recognise so all calls will go to v/m ad infinitum and then be consigned to 'file 51'

peter_the_piper

Ignore them, its just a fishing expedition. If they really had anything on you they would put it in writing.

MothballsWallet

BW Legal represent some of the Private Parking Companies (PPCs) in pursuing unpaid parking invoices (see the Motoring board's Parking section for more details), but I think they're easily beatable.

But first they need to provide the particulars of claim - and a phone call is not sufficient, this has to be done in writing, even if they're acting as a debt collection agency.

Northernmonkey71

Thanks for the replies.

Tenacious as they seem, nowt in writing confirms my suspicions as to this being a fishing exercise.

I do wish these companies would desist in such tedious activities.....

missile

Can you block their number?

Northernmonkey71

Don't believe so on a landline. Mobile yes, they fortunately don't contact via those.

societys_child

Check with your landline provider, some definitely can block numbers for you.