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Company demanding money from us

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Long story short, a recruitment company approached us a few months ago and offered to send us suitable candidates for a vacancy we had. They assured us they had approx 20 candidates on their "green light." This meant they were current and actively seeking employment. I was a bit skeptical but signed up on that basis. They sent me 5 candidate Cvs, 2 of which were completely unsuitable. I contacted the other 3 but none responded, which confirmed my original concerns. A subsequent Google search produced damming Trustpilot reviews where others have been conned. I refused to pay and now I have received a letter from Thomas Higgins Solicitors demanding payment. I would welcome thoughts on how to proceed.
Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.
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When using recruitment companies we normally would use them on a contingent/success basis... we hire from them we pay them a fairly notable fee (contractors would be 15%-20% typically) and we dont hire from them they get nothing for their efforts. Others work on a retainer or T&M basis where the fees are lower but you pay irrespective of the results.
If you sent them a clear specification, and you can easily show a court that the candidates they sent didn't meet the specification, then in the absence of any contract terms stating the degree to which the candidates need to meet the specification, I would expect a court to side with you. You are likely to need professional legal advice before you contact them again.