Mortimer Clarke Solicitors unresponsive

goldfishdude

Good day

I am hoping for some wisdom from someone - otherwise we will have to defend in court against Mortimer Clarke Solicitors

This is situation:

• We have been on a DMP with Step Change - it has gone well and we have 3 payments left to clear all our debt.  It has taken 4 years to pay off all our debt.
• One debt was settled last year May (2024) - Step Change had made all the payments on it.  At a certain point one debt with Cabot was handed over to their so-called solicitors Mortimer Clarke - and that was settled - no problems.
• However, my wife's debt - with the same company that Cabot had bought/were collecting was also moved by Step Change - with an incorrect reference number.  I did not know that this had transpired - I thought that Cabot had informed Step Change.  The debt was subsequently settled last year May.
• Cabot started sending letters claiming that they had not received payments - I sent them correspondence (by email) that explained the situation. 
• Effectively, Mortimer Clarke solicitors are sitting with £357 - unallocated and probably in a suspense account. 
• We have complained and this has gone back and forth between Cabot and ourselves, and finally we received a letter from Mortimer Clarke Solicitors threatening legal action.
• I contacted Step Change who have tried to resolve the issue - Mortimer Clarke refuse to talk to Step Change - their payment team have all the details of the payments.  This can be easily resolved!!
• I have written 5 emails to Mortimer Clarke Solicitors since mid April, today I found an email address to make a formal complaint.  I now await their response.  We refuse to communicate telephonically - my wife is not going to be bullied over the phone and I know that they will claim we owe the money.
• I am pretty certain that if this were to go to court, we would be able to show the court the unprofessional and unethical behaviour from Cabot and Mortimer Clarke - and prove through the statements from Step Change that the debt is indeed settled, and with all the correspondence and probably a letter from Step Change, show that these firms have refused to deal with problem.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to resolve this?  I will go to the Financial Ombudsman and the SRA to complain.  The service has been appalling.  The firm wants you to phone them - they don't want to respond to emails.  This is completely wrong - I saw on Trust Pilot that a deaf person was having issues with their demands to phone them. Step Change have tried to resolve this and Mortimer Clarke have been appalling.

Grumpelstiltskin

Have you received any letters by snail mail from them?

If they are going for a CCJ they must send you a letter before action by snail mail, so don't panic about that.

fatbelly

They are a glorified debt collector. Complaints to FOS, CSA and SRA are the way to go.