Marston Group

fromtheshires

Hi all
Not sure where to post this so I'm going to post here hoping someone will have had experience of this group.

The previous owner moved out over a year ago and has been raking up parking fines etc. which have all been returned to sender. I came in and opened some post without checking the address and they have received a letter from Marston.

I called them and explained that they were no longer here but they said the only two ways to get the address removed was to either send in a my council tax bill with all my details on or to have them send someone round to my address to verify that I am not the person on the letter.

I'm not prepared to do the first as I don't want them to have my details but any other company I have had to deal with has just accepted the fact it was a previous occupant. Is this normal practice or do I need to be very wary here?

CIS

fromtheshires wrote: »

Hi all
Not sure where to post this so I'm going to post here hoping someone will have had experience of this group.

The previous owner moved out over a year ago and has been raking up parking fines etc. which have all been returned to sender. I came in and opened some post without checking the address and they have received a letter from Marston.

I called them and explained that they were no longer here but they said the only two ways to get the address removed was to either send in a my council tax bill with all my details on or to have them send someone round to my address to verify that I am not the person on the letter.

I'm not prepared to do the first as I don't want them to have my details but any other company I have had to deal with has just accepted the fact it was a previous occupant. Is this normal practice or do I need to be very wary here?

It's quite common for the enforcement agents to ask for council tax bills etc as evidence.

Exodi

fromtheshires wrote: »

I'm not prepared to do the first as I don't want them to have my details but any other company I have had to deal with has just accepted the fact it was a previous occupant. Is this normal practice or do I need to be very wary here?

I'd say you're being over-cautious. From Marstons side, they have someone that has called them up to say the debtor no longer lives at the address but refuses to say who they are - you can understand the suspicion. Hell, from what you've said, even I think you're the debtor!

If it was acceptable to call up and say 'doesn't live here, byeeeee', I don't think any debt would ever be paid.

CIS

Exodi wrote: »

I'd say you're being over-cautious. From Marstons side, they have someone that has called them up to say the debtor no longer lives at the address but refuses to say who they are - you can understand the suspicion. Hell, from what you've said, even I think you're the debtor!

If it was acceptable to call up and say 'doesn't live here, byeeeee', I don't think any debt would ever be paid.

Yep. A good test is always to turn the issue around - if you thought a person owed you money would you ask for proof they didn't live there or just take their word for it ?

fatbelly

There's no magic wand for this. Organisations that are owed money will start at the 'last known address'

What I would say about collectors and bailiffs is that it's worth going back to whoever instructed them. If it is your local council, they should have a record of who lives at your addess and, if they are less than helpful in calling the dogs off, you have a local councillor who makes decisions about their wages and may have more clout than you.

Find who that is at:

https://www.writetothem.com

[Deleted User]

If you are a home owner, just tell them to look at land registry! Over in a flash! One time I don't know why I let it effect me if I had known what details the above register gives out! Wasn't until I was the receiving party being debt chased very recently that actually if they look hard enough they will find want they need.

Had my fair share of having to go into the likes of local recruitment agency before now with attempts to return mail before (well past 4 years...) when the previous occupier still hasn't bothered to update address. No idea why people mind p60/p45 going to address which isn't theirs and they are then reliant on someone else trying to get it returned. Just makes me want to shudder at such important info not redirected/rerouted.

I wrote a stern letter to one of the debt collectors for his ex partner who racked up every debt possible before they left, also not living here last February if memory serves me right, just a letter written was enough to get them to stop. Never heard from again. (Gosh I would have been appreciative of my important copy piece of paper from the recent added costing of £240 back then I can tell you, no bog roll uses here for whatever debt collectors send me personally thank you very much!!) I've never been pursed for long for debts other then genuinely mine only.