Odd credit card activity...!

sourcrates

Cabot will not be particularly bothered about you not been the debtor, as far as they are concerned, they just want paying, and they are not really that bothered who pays, as long as someone does.

If you want to complain about this, you must complain to Cabot first, and follow their complaints process, only once that is exhausted can you escalate the matter to the financial ombudsman service.

Going straight to the ombudsman will only result in them informing Cabot they have a complaint to deal with, which won`t be a bad start to be fair.

As for them having teeth, well yes and no, occasionally companies don`t abide by FOS decisions, and whilst the majority of them are honoured, a company risks enforcement action by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) the regulator, if they persistently disobey FOS decisions, this can be anything from a slap on the wrist, to a full blown, root and branch enquiry, unlimited fines, removal of consumer credit license or suspension of said licence, an order to remove directors, re-train staff, re-brand the company name, they have very wide ranging powers to deal with such matters, so Cabot will play ball, without a valid consumer credit licence their business is defunct overnight, so yes, the teeth are there.

AdrianMessenger

I have made direct complaints to Cabot, and it does sound as if their business model includes ignoring initial denials.

I first had advice from CAB who were useful. I've sent a lengthy complaint email - headed 'letter before action', following a template from a debtline website- CC'd to various contacts within, including:

...If you fail to resolve my complaint within eight weeks from today's date, or if matters are not settled to my satisfaction, I will have no alternative but to escalate my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service...

The FOS have an open case for me awaiting the Cabot response. A few weeks to wait.

sourcrates

Err, a "letter before action" refers to a possible court claim, ideally the word "Complaint" would have sufficed, but I`m sure it will do.

AdrianMessenger

A small response received - an acknowledgement of an error, from the card company. I hadn't mentioned this, as it was TMI, but at one point, a second debt firm, (additional to and separate from Cabot), was referred to, by a 'director', saying I should contact them, to arrange payment - which significantly muddied the water.

Now, a small apology from them - he was mistaken. Just sloppy and random work by them.

Otherwise, business as usual. Having heard nothing from Cabot for a while, I'll leave matters until the deadline.

Emmia

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82018757#Comment_82018757

Anyone can claim to be a "director" doesn't mean they are one, or even if they are, have any knowledge.

AdrianMessenger

I only mention this character, because of his arrogance - saying "you must pay this account" after I had stipulated the relevance, here, of statute barring.

The individual is identified as Director of Operations (his capitalisation), which I thought odd - he appears in the CC company's board of directors list but has no direct email contact.

I thought it odd someone would make the mistake he did - mentioned the wrong DCA - if they are involved at board level. It speaks of unprofessionalism, and arrogance towards the consumer.

sourcrates

There was a documentary on the telly quite a while back, all about a debt collection company based at the old Biggin Hill airfield, in Kent, I can`t recall their name, but it showed you how they operated, and it was quite interesting.

They worked from various offices within this building, and the telephone was their preferred weapon of choice, this was before auto dialler, so dates it to around the early 2000`s, basically a office full of students, single mums, and school leavers, almost all under 25, spending 8 hours a day calling up debtors trying to get them to pay their debts.

They were each given a list of numbers to call, and a script to stick too, most deviated from this script within a very short space of time, as their ego`s got the better of them, lets be clear, very little in the way of training was given to them, and non of them had a clue about the legalities of what they were saying to people.

It was quite an eye opener at the time, and due diligence has improved greatly since then, but when folk were describing being "hounded by a debt collector" in these forums at the time, those doing the hounding had only been out of school a few weeks, which gives credence to the thought that debt collection is 10% truth, and 90% bluff.

ManyWays

Uncle Buck, the payday lender, was based in Biggin Hill. Their debt collection methods were not at all funny.

sourcrates

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82026635#Comment_82026635

Uncle Buck, that was it, they were a payday lender with questionable debt collection practices.

AdrianMessenger

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82026694#Comment_82026694

This is intriguing. 'They', or someone owning the UB name, has an active website, apparently since 2022 (and previous firm being in administration). New one is questionable - no phone number I can see. Just the usual contact form; physical address now in Leicester.

Their mission statement says they've operated for 'over five years'... Another states 'many years'. Who, and since when?

Another company I would never touch with a bargepole. It's the wild west for consumers.