MORETON SMITH e-Dunning

wok_boy

greg123 wrote: »

I have received one today. I had a dispute with bulldog 2 years ago after which it was settled, final (adjusted) payment was made and I left. I have not clicked on the link but would like to report them for data protection (due to info on the list of my details being available to others who click on it.

I think we ALL who received email should report them for Data Protection violation.

Does anyone have a good idea how to do this?

Greg.

Try this site as a starting point:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

fermi

wok_boy wrote: »

Try this site as a starting point:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Yep. And more specifically:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/complaints/data_protection.aspx

Dicky

I've been looking into this, as all I had to do was alter the numbers and I saw other peoples statements, with the full details displayed. Sadly if you now click the link all you get is:

Could not find a part of the path "C:\Inetpub\eDunning\/templates/cableandwireless/".

So it looks as if they have sorted this.

AaronD_3

I just tried clicking the link in the email I got - it gives me that error even on the page that I'm supposed to go to myself now too.

So is this a phishing thing, or is it a genuine (but wrong) claim? And whats the best thing to do in either case?

greg123_2

Looking at that form (thanks) it says if the evidence IS online you can submit electronically, looks like as now no evidence (and I didn't get a screen shot of it) nothing to complain about.

I don't owe them any money, this is all very tedious and around the 3rd time that Bulldog tried to set debt collectors on it's customers (previous) myself included. Each time previously I contacted them and told them to go away, which I did.

This time maybe I should just ignore it, looks like they can't even manage to email properly.

Greg.

AaronD_3

Well, I have emailed as many people as I can about this, attaching the confirmation of my account termination (which is dated BEFORE the date that they say I owe money from). I have also sent it to watchdog too.

norfolkbroad101

I left Bulldog fifteen months ago and I too received this email last week. Foolishly I clicked on their link but their option to tell them I'd already paid didn't work - so I sent them an email with a flea in their ears as I didn't owe Bulldog anything.
I've downloaded a Data Protection Act complaints form from the ico website already mentioned AND I've emailed capital.letters@guardian.co.uk - their Tony Levene tackles consumer issues in Saturday's Guardian. If several people contacted him he could well take it up as an "issue".
Norfolkbroad101

bigmaddrongo

Those of you who have cancelled Bulldog contracts may want to double check with Bulldog that the account is actually up to date. I have emailed Bulldog (not mentioning Moreton Smith) and have now received confirmation from Bulldog that I do owe the amount the Moreton Smith have been chasing.

I have written back to Bulldog to find out how this has happened since my account was always paid by Direct Debit and I have never previously been asked for a final payment. Since most of us seem to have cancelled our accounts within a similar time period perhaps Bulldog have finally noticed that they were neglecting to take final payments?

It is worth noting also that I have not seen any default from Bulldog on my credit score and they have never written to me before Moreton Smith did.

AverageTony

Well, looks like I'm another in the chain of people that have received said email.
I cancelled my Broadband 18months ago, and now I'm livid to find that aparently my payment is overdue. Hmm.... Does anyone else feel that this is unacceptable? Bulldog could have sent me an email to request any funds that were outstanding at the time, and sure as the Gent I am, I would have paid. To have passed it on to a Debt collection Co 18months later with ZERO contact in between, this angers me. [I would like to add at this point that Moreton Smith had no problems emailing me, strange].

Out of curiousity, does anyone have a tel no. for Bulldog? I would like to speak with them.

Thanks Guys.

AaronD_3

no - if you try and contact bulldog direct, they told me that I was not one of the customers who now belonged to pipex, but my details were still owned by Cable&Wireless and they gave me a number to call. So I did, and there was just a recorded message saying that C&W no longer owned Bulldog and that I should phone the number I was just told I wasnt allowed to use. I phoned Bulldog back a second time, and the guy on the end of the line said they were aware that number didn't work any more (it actually said it on his screen!), and gave me an email address. So I emailed them, and the email bounced back with an 'unknown address' error within seconds.

The other thing I was told when I was on the phone to the first person was "I'm afraid I cant deal with your query, because your details are not owned by Pipex. They are still owned by C&W. Infact, the only reason I can even see the details about your account is that we got given a database of old customers that we shouldnt really have, but we're using it anyway".

If thats the case, can anyone say Data Protection Act. Again.

And having read the rules governing the conduct of debt collection agencies as set out by the Office Of Fair Trading, there are a number of points:

Point 2.6:
Examples of unfair practice are as follows:

a. use of official looking documents intended or likely to mislead debtors as to their status, for example, documents made to resemble court claims.

I dont know about anyone else who did click the link, but from what I remember, the 'claim' page it bought up looked very much like it should be a court claim letter.

j. acting in a way likely to be publicly embarrassing to the debtor, either deliberately or through lack of care, for example, by not putting correspondance in a sealed envelope and putting it through a letterbox, thereby running the risk of it being read by a third party.

Emails are not secure. My girlfriend/housemate/some of my friends have access to my computer, and therefore my emails. It could easily have been read by any of them. Also, having details of the claim posted up on the internet on an insecure website strikes me as a complete violation of that part of the code of conduct.

Also, the only means by which they give to pay is actually on the page that the link in the email takes you to. If I now click mine, it gives me the error:

There was an error in the application:

Could not find a part of the path "C:\Inetpub\eDunning\/templates/cableandwireless/".

That happened the day after I got the email, which means I can no longer pay even if I actually wanted to.


I have emailed bulldog, cable and wireless, moreton smith (and BCC'd watchdog as well!) last friday with an extremely straight (but nice) email, but havent heard anything back from any of them.


I am going to phone the Citizens Advice Bureau tomorrow and get them on it too.