Mackenzie Hall Help Please

Tease_2

We have received two letters in the post this morning from Mackenzie Hall, both addressed to my husband. They looked like P60's or wage slips.

When I opened the first one it said:

"Please call 015**** no later than 11th April 2008.
This is not a circular or junk mail.
We need to speak to you urgently.
Regarding reference no M*******.
Thankyou."

The second then said:

"You have previously been written to but no response has been received.
Please call 015******** quoting ref M******* immediately to avoid action being taken against you. Should we fail to receive a response to our communications, we shall have no further alternative to pass this account to our field collectors who will call within the next 7 days.
Regards, Thomas Lloyd."

These are the first two letters that we have had from them. As far as we can recall we have no debts and have not been contacted by anyone else regarding any outstanding amounts. They do not say who the debt is for or how much.

Should we respond to these? If so, How?

Many thanks.

RAS

Tease

Firstly, field collectors have all the powers given to a newspaper delivery boy - none, if they turn up which is incredibly unlikely.

Secondly, do not under any circumstances telephone this mob as they are likely to be really unpleasant and will not take no for a answer.

What MH do is to buy up very old debts and then write to anyone with the same or a similiar name and hope someone bites. They are not particulalrly worried whether or not you are the person who originally owed the money or whether the debt is unenforceable, so do not ring them.

fermi

I agree. They are "fishing" for someone, and that sounds as if it isn't even you.

There is no reason to call them or write to them at the moment.

If they should get in contact with any concrete details of "alleged" debt then it's best to deal in writing only. Also pop back and post here, since we are more than familiar with these people.

Tease_2

Many thanks for your advice.
My husband does have a popular name, and normally uses his middle initial because of this. This has not been used on either of these letters.
We will ignore the two letters we got today unless we receive any further information from them.

elliemae204

£55
Mr A Lowe
MACKENZIE HALL LIMITED
2ND FLOOR
30 THE FOREGATE
KILMARNOCK
AYRSHIRE KA1 1JH
10 Apr 2008

My Invoice for my 4 telephone calls to you on 10th April 2008 IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND AS STATED…. This is a personal matter. YOU MUST RESPOND IMMEDIATELY.

Dear Mr Lowe
I am M7802987.
As you know, you are in breech of the Data Protection Act AND you are not adhering to your voluntary codes of behavior. Your staff use intimidatory tactics.
All this you know.

Today, I called your office, and did need to call again 3 more times as your staff would not provide any evidence of the £10.28 debt on any of the four calls.
After retrieving the information myself, I now know there is no debt and that your client DID recall this ‘job’. (Obviously, I will also consider reporting this to the Strathclyde and Lancashire Police as suspected Fraud as Virgin Media DID RECALL AND CANCEL THIS MATTER with your company).

So, in order to conclude this business, I verbally (to John) offered to accept a ‘proper and sincere’ apology from your operative ‘Siobhan’ by 14th this month. OR proof of a £50 payment from you to NCDL Dogs’ Trust, Registered National Charity by 16th of this month along with a written apology for behavior not appropriate for your profession..

Failure to resolve this matter as stated above by the dates specified will result in my invoice as follows:
Please quote reference TTJJiLLL555589368iyewgk, your full name and Siobhan’s full name in any correspondence. Thank you.

4 calls to you £40
1 call to Virgin Media £10
This Letter £55 (special delivery)

TOTAL £105 (an opportunity to pay within 7 days will be offered)
Late payment fee of £2.50 per whole 7 days from your receipt of my bill

Additional possible charges
Answering calls from you £4.50 per 6 minutes or part thereof.
Collection of small claims form, materials and related costs £20
Actual small claims fee (variable on your speed of response, obviously)
All additional letters £35 each
All additional phone calls £10 each from landline, £12 from mobile
Small claims retrieval of overdue amount via my Solicitor (£168 +VAT per hour)
Any additional legal costs
My loss of earnings to attend Court or Solicitor’s office (based on £80,000 salary) £45 per hour lost plus traveling costs.

YOURS VERY VERY SINCERELY,
(all telephone calls will be recorded)

fatbelly

Great stuff!

Invoice them, and when they fail to pay, use a DCA to chase them for the debt!

lowellcrooks

Do not ring them UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
SEND THE 1973CCA/£1 letter if they contunue to harass you, and state that whether the ALLEGED debt exists or NOT you haven't entered into any written dialogue reagrding it or made any payments in respect of it in the last 6+ years thus it would be statute barred regardless.

Then invite them to summons you at their expense if they should like to see this fact confirmed by a county court.

Any further letters, do what I do;
1.write down their address and use it on an UNSTAMPED envelope,
2.use the said letter as a substitute for lavatory paper, refold it,
3. SCRAWL over it in black felt tip "alleged debt not legally enforcable NO payment(s) will EVER be made regarding it"
4. Return in the unstamped envelope marked 'full legal settlement enclosed" (i.e. sod-all)

SORRY SORRY SORRY!!
Please do 2 and 3 above the OTHER WAY AROUND!!