BW Legal have sent me a letter

Orangeclouds

Hi people,
I'm a newbie here so apologies if I'm posting to the wrong place. Basically I'm trying to improve my credit score and wondering why it won't seem to budge from 'very poor' despite making sure I'm doing all the things suggested to increase your score over this past year. .. then hang on a minute!  what's this letter I've just opened - a company called BW Legal are claiming I owe then £188 for a talktalk debt. ..Ok I get it!  Bingo! is this the reason my credit score refuses to budge? But on googling BW Legal I come up with an astounding amount of VERY bad reviews. Basically I now don't trust this company and so I'm very reluctant to pay the £188. 
What do I do peeps?? Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hailey

2021BJ

Ignore your score.  The data on your file is what is important.

Does this debt appear on your credit files at all? If it doesn't, it's not whats causing your issues.

As far as their reviews go, well, they're a debt collector. Do you really expect them to get glowing reviews?  Do you actually owe TalkTalk £188 or not?

PRAISETHESUN

Check your credit file from all 3 CRAs - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. There's probably a default on there somewhere which is why the debt collectors are going after you. Do you actually agree that you owe the money though? If so, contact them and arrange to pay it off ASAP. If not, and you think it is fraudulent then complain to them. Send them a "prove it" letter and challenge the debt, and push for it to me removed from your files.

[Deleted User]

Your credit history will be impacted by missed payments/defaults and perhaps even a CCJ from this debt
Check all three main companies (MSE Credit Club for Experian, Clear Score for Equifax and Credit Karma for TransUnion) and see where this debt comes from.

Paying off your debt will probably make your score go down as they always react to changes on your credit history but it'll be this debt that is making your credit rating poor

sophj

Also sometime is take a month or two for your file to be update a friend on mine had a ccj and it took 3 months before it shown up on her Experian report 
contact talk talk and see if there is anything there in your name they can also tell you who “bought the debt” so you will get a name of the company as well.

sourcrates

sophj said:

contact talk talk, they can tell you who “bought the debt” so you will get a name of the company as well.

BW Legal bought the debt, they are a debt purchasing/recovery law firm, so its really handy to handle litigation "inhouse".

OP send them the PROVIT letter, available from the sticky thread on the DFW board.

A DCA must provide evidence of your liability when asked to do so, ignore the reviews, deal with them in writing only, and in a business like manner.

Allotment_Lad

Old thread I know...  I was in Country Court this week, up against BW Legal who had bought a "debt" from TalkTalk.

I won! A very sensible judge could see right through them, and was absolutely scathing about TalkTalk's "Customer Service" and their debt collection company - I wrote to them to cancel the account, (twice!) and TalkTalk failed to do so and kept it running accumulating costs. During my period of corresponding with them to sort it out, they sold this "debt" on to JC Acquisitions / BW Legal. They submitted lies and incomplete documentation to the court too. 

After BW Legal had scuttled out of Court, I had the pleasure of chatting to the District Judge off the record and he said that firm like BW Legal should not be in business - he didn't have very high regard for them, and had come across them 'too many times' he said. It was good to chat to him and made me realise that they are on the side of the little man who falls victim to sharp practice.

He did say several times during the hearing - "You should not be in County Court for wanting to cancel your broadband service"

Whilst this doesn't help, I turst it gives you some hope against these t**ts - I walked out of court feeling very happy and with a big smile on my face.

sourcrates

Yes they are well known for alleged "sharp practices", they operate on a similar basis to all DCA/litigant companies, its all a numbers game to them, they push the same lame accusations enough times, some will cave in, but others will fight them, and often their case falls apart at the first hurdle.

The low level of legal knowledge the bar is set at, is quite shocking, and its not beyond the capabilities of the average person in the street to take these companies on and win, as you have proved today.

If the wider population actually knew how inept these folk really are, they certainly would not fear them.

y3sitsm3

Allotment_Lad said:

Old thread I know...  I was in Country Court this week, up against BW Legal who had bought a "debt" from TalkTalk.

I won! A very sensible judge could see right through them, and was absolutely scathing about TalkTalk's "Customer Service" and their debt collection company - I wrote to them to cancel the account, (twice!) and TalkTalk failed to do so and kept it running accumulating costs. During my period of corresponding with them to sort it out, they sold this "debt" on to JC Acquisitions / BW Legal. They submitted lies and incomplete documentation to the court too. 

After BW Legal had scuttled out of Court, I had the pleasure of chatting to the District Judge off the record and he said that firm like BW Legal should not be in business - he didn't have very high regard for them, and had come across them 'too many times' he said. It was good to chat to him and made me realise that they are on the side of the little man who falls victim to sharp practice.

He did say several times during the hearing - "You should not be in County Court for wanting to cancel your broadband service"

Whilst this doesn't help, I turst it gives you some hope against these t**ts - I walked out of court feeling very happy and with a big smile on my face.

None of this makes any difference.

As a DCA they get handed whatever "turd" they're sold.  The amount of information they're given is generally minimal.

That you defended a case where you cancelled makes little difference to the OP, or to anything at all really.  Nor are the DJ's comments relevant either.  If they were they'd be sitting in a court that could at least set precedent.

I suppose, at least, they're one step above a magistrate.

penners324

So you're following the guidance of the credit score providers and opening lots of credit cards but haven't looked at the report behind showing the actual data....