Threatening letter from debt collection agency

elsanto

Today I received a letter from a debt collection agency. it said:

- That I have not contacted them to discuss paying my debt

- So they are sending an agent, to my address to discuss the payment

- That they will add £100 + VAT to my debt for the agent's costs

- They do not tell me when they are sending him.

Circumstances:

- They and their client have been sending me reminders and threats for 2 years saying that they will have to take the matter to court, etc. but never do it.

- They have not sent me a pre-legal action letter with the figures and evidence.

- Before the debt collection agency got involved, I wrote to their client, twice, explaining that I objected to their unjustified charges, I explained why and I told them that if they took the matter to court, I would make a counterclaim for the money they had already extracted from me.

- As I had explained their client already, I do not feel any obligation to deal with the debt collectors. I have never answered any of their letters.

- I am a pensioner.

Questions:

- Is that letter part of their tactics to intimidate people, make them panic and reach for the cheque book to pay them their demand for money?

- Are they entitled to send their bully boy to a private address without agreement from me?

- If they are not telling me when he is coming, is it to keep me in panic that he may turn up at any moment?

- If the agent turns up, am I entitled to call the police to report the intimidation of a pensioner? Of course I will not open the door.

- Would the agent be breaking the lockdown rules by wanting to talk to me face to face?

- Or would I be able to make claim from them for harassment of a pensioner like me?

Thank you

sourcrates

Hi,

Debt collectors have a range of standard template letters on file, they run through them with every client on a regular basis.

The "collection agents" are just self employed people who get paid on a commission basis, they have the same rights of implied access as anyone else, such as the postman for example, you can withdraw that right of access at any time by writing to the creditor and informing them of such.

The reality is that due to covid, I doubt anyone will be knocking on your door, but if they do, you are free to ignore them, tell them to scarper, actually filming them through a window is just as effective, they are not bailiffs, and have no more power than you or I do.

I`m not sure what you could or could not claim, they are just doing there job, if you dispute the debt, you should tell them so, in writing, and ask them to prove your liability, otherwise this will just continue.

elsanto

sourcrates said:

you can withdraw that right of access at any time by writing to the creditor and informing them of such.

Thanks for the feed-back. However, I do not need to withdraw the right of access from them as I never gave it in the first place.

[Deleted User]

elsanto said:

sourcrates said:

you can withdraw that right of access at any time by writing to the creditor and informing them of such.

Thanks for the feed-back. However, I do not need to withdraw the right of access from them as I never gave it in the first place.

You do if you want them to stop calling. You don't need to give permission to specific individuals for them to knock on your door.

nyermen

Hi OP - Don't confuse right of access indoors with implied right to outside space (hence reference to postie being able to walk up to the door, etc.)  I believe what they mean is that you can withdraw is their right to even walk on your driveway/pathway etc, ie. they can never reach the front door.

elsanto

nyermen said:

Hi OP - Don't confuse right of access indoors with implied right to outside space (hence reference to postie being able to walk up to the door, etc.)  I believe what they mean is that you can withdraw is their right to even walk on your driveway/pathway etc, ie. they can never reach the front door.

Thanks but I will call the police instead (or record them) if they come. If I reply, they will see they are getting somewhere with their threats. I actually think that they would be encouraged because they got a response from me for the first time.

User_060921

Absolutely not a police matter.

adamp87

If they turn up they’ll only ask to speak about it or post a card through the letterbox. They have jobs like us at the end of the day, just be nice and send them on their way.

Back to your complaints to the original lender did they reply or respond? 

elsanto

adamp87 said:

If they turn up they’ll only ask to speak about it or post a card through the letterbox. They have jobs like us at the end of the day, just be nice and send them on their way.

Back to your complaints to the original lender did they reply or respond? 

No, that is the thing. They did not reply to my two letters answering to my challenge to them; they went to the debt collection agency despite the fact that they are solicitors! This is why I think they are just trying to scare me into paying. If they were so sure they had a case, it is supposed to be easy for solicitors, who specialise in litigation, to take the case to court themselves.

elsanto

GeordieGeorge said:

elsanto said:

nyermen said:

Hi OP - Don't confuse right of access indoors with implied right to outside space (hence reference to postie being able to walk up to the door, etc.)  I believe what they mean is that you can withdraw is their right to even walk on your driveway/pathway etc, ie. they can never reach the front door.

Thanks but I will call the police instead (or record them) if they come. If I reply, they will see they are getting somewhere with their threats. I actually think that they would be encouraged because they got a response from me for the first time.

You are going to call the police and say that you are unhappy at being pursued for money that you owe?

That’s an interesting approach.

It appears that I got a response from somebody who works for a money collection agency going to harass people at home
You really make me laugh assuming that I owe them the money just because it is a debt collection agency doing this.

baza52

elsanto said:

GeordieGeorge said:

elsanto said:

nyermen said:

Hi OP - Don't confuse right of access indoors with implied right to outside space (hence reference to postie being able to walk up to the door, etc.)  I believe what they mean is that you can withdraw is their right to even walk on your driveway/pathway etc, ie. they can never reach the front door.

Thanks but I will call the police instead (or record them) if they come. If I reply, they will see they are getting somewhere with their threats. I actually think that they would be encouraged because they got a response from me for the first time.

You are going to call the police and say that you are unhappy at being pursued for money that you owe?

That’s an interesting approach.

It appears that I got a response from somebody who works for a money collection agency going to harass people at home
You really make me laugh assuming that I owe them the money just because it is a debt collection agency doing this.

why do people always assume that someone that disagrees with the OP or has a different view must work for the company or a similar one lol.
Its just a classic response when they don't like a reply