Past Due Credit Solutions - Debt Letter Received
Discussion
Looking to resolve this quickly to reduce any more undue stress.
My Fiancee has received a letter from a company based in Glasgow called Past Due Credit Solutions - some form of debt collection agency.
The letter claims that she owes British Gas £390 odd, for an address that she lived at (before we even met) over 5 years ago.
She has also told me that she had a similar letter arrive a few weeks ago but phoned British Gas to enquire about it - they had no record of monies owed.
The letter is quite official-looking and threatens a CCJ within the opening paragraph.
We have not been provided with evidence of this debt, I'm not calling the number given on the letter from a mobile as I imagine it will be bloody expensive. Googling the company brings up shed-loads of results from similar stories but there's no short-hand version of how to make them go away.
I've been asked to deal with it now as it's stressing her out quite a bit.
What immediately made me think this was a bit of a fishing attempt was that the letter gave a deadline of 7 days to make this payment before 'further action and additional charges' would be made!
Please help PH massive!
My Fiancee has received a letter from a company based in Glasgow called Past Due Credit Solutions - some form of debt collection agency.
The letter claims that she owes British Gas £390 odd, for an address that she lived at (before we even met) over 5 years ago.
She has also told me that she had a similar letter arrive a few weeks ago but phoned British Gas to enquire about it - they had no record of monies owed.
The letter is quite official-looking and threatens a CCJ within the opening paragraph.
We have not been provided with evidence of this debt, I'm not calling the number given on the letter from a mobile as I imagine it will be bloody expensive. Googling the company brings up shed-loads of results from similar stories but there's no short-hand version of how to make them go away.
I've been asked to deal with it now as it's stressing her out quite a bit.
What immediately made me think this was a bit of a fishing attempt was that the letter gave a deadline of 7 days to make this payment before 'further action and additional charges' would be made!
Please help PH massive!
not being a legal beagle my advice could well back fire and drop you right in it but
I would ask British gas to provided to you in writing that they have no record of any outstanding debts and that they have not sold any debt to a recovery agent.
then I would respond to said debt collecting agency inviting them to take you to court where upon I would turn up with the evidence from British gas and ask the court to award costs to yourself.
I doubt however it would get that far scamming chancing b
ds
I would ask British gas to provided to you in writing that they have no record of any outstanding debts and that they have not sold any debt to a recovery agent.
then I would respond to said debt collecting agency inviting them to take you to court where upon I would turn up with the evidence from British gas and ask the court to award costs to yourself.
I doubt however it would get that far scamming chancing b
dsI had this with my rental property, BG had my details of who to send bills to when the property was empty, instead the made a new account under the name 'occupier' which my new tenant ignored. I made a visit six months later and was given a 'few letters' they were laughable, the debt was £35.00 they threatened this, they threatened that, then they asked if they knocked off 10% of £35.00, would that be ok for a quick payment. I rang BG asking why they did not send the bill to me, it's the computers fault they told me and cancelled the debt, and sent my a cheque for £00.14p. So let's all change over to BG not pay then get offered 10% off F.F.S.
citizensm1th said:
then I would respond to said debt collecting agency inviting them to take you to court where upon I would turn up with the evidence from British gas and ask the court to award costs to yourself.
I doubt however it would get that far scamming chancing bds
IIRC there's something about debts timing out after 5 years but if you contact the debt collection agency about it (even to deny the debt is legit) you reset the clock?I doubt however it would get that far scamming chancing b
dsooo000ooo said:
IIRC there's something about debts timing out after 5 years but if you contact the debt collection agency about it (even to deny the debt is legit) you reset the clock?
It's 6 years. And contacting them or debating the validity has nothing to do with it. What would make a difference is if you paid some money to them. Don't know the correct legal mumbo jumbo at this time of night, but you then restart the 6 year clock. OP - I had a similar situation to you. I sued the company (who sold my details involved for a reasonable some of money (a nice holiday) for a breach of the DPA, and they settled out of court.
Debt company are really simple. Email them a letter of complaint. State that you want it recording as an official complain, and that you will be going to the FOS in 8 weeks time unless you get in writing that they will not pursue this and will not sell the account to any other company. Promise it will work - letting this happen costs them £550 in costs alone (and you nothing), if there are any negative markers on the credit file demand these are removed as well. Again they will do this.
I did give poorcardealer the same advice with regards to his partner. It would be good to hear how he/she got on.
I will get a letter drafted up, as we just want it to stop.
We had a similar issue a couple of years ago with a debt collection agency trying to extract money from an unpaid mobile phone bill, even though my Fiancée had never had a contract with said company. That was for a very low amount of money and the letters eventually stopped coming.
This time though the 'alleged debt' has a more realistic backstory, as she did once live at the address they have and the value is considerable. She maintains that she always paid the bills and had a letter from BG stating that her account had been closed / paid in full after moving out. Is it still worth her trying to find this letter?
We had a similar issue a couple of years ago with a debt collection agency trying to extract money from an unpaid mobile phone bill, even though my Fiancée had never had a contract with said company. That was for a very low amount of money and the letters eventually stopped coming.
This time though the 'alleged debt' has a more realistic backstory, as she did once live at the address they have and the value is considerable. She maintains that she always paid the bills and had a letter from BG stating that her account had been closed / paid in full after moving out. Is it still worth her trying to find this letter?
C.A.R. said:
I will get a letter drafted up, as we just want it to stop.
We had a similar issue a couple of years ago with a debt collection agency trying to extract money from an unpaid mobile phone bill, even though my Fiancée had never had a contract with said company. That was for a very low amount of money and the letters eventually stopped coming.
This time though the 'alleged debt' has a more realistic backstory, as she did once live at the address they have and the value is considerable. She maintains that she always paid the bills and had a letter from BG stating that her account had been closed / paid in full after moving out. Is it still worth her trying to find this letter?
The letter is very important. If you want a copy of the letter I used to get rid of the debt collectors then please let me know. Also please do check her the credit file as this is important. We had a similar issue a couple of years ago with a debt collection agency trying to extract money from an unpaid mobile phone bill, even though my Fiancée had never had a contract with said company. That was for a very low amount of money and the letters eventually stopped coming.
This time though the 'alleged debt' has a more realistic backstory, as she did once live at the address they have and the value is considerable. She maintains that she always paid the bills and had a letter from BG stating that her account had been closed / paid in full after moving out. Is it still worth her trying to find this letter?
photosnob said:
Debt company are really simple. Email them a letter of complaint. State that you want it recording as an official complain, and that you will be going to the FOS in 8 weeks time unless you get in writing that they will not pursue this and will not sell the account to any other company. Promise it will work - letting this happen costs them £550 in costs alone (and you nothing), if there are any negative markers on the credit file demand these are removed as well. Again they will do this.
Go to the FOS with what? Promise what will work? Letting what happen will cost them £550?+1 For Official complaint - the only way I got a similar crew off my back after British Gas did a similar "The occupier" thing on me for the period my house was empty before I owned it. BG were useless and the "debt" people just ignored my letters telling them it wasn't my debt - until I used the magic words about official complaint (which I found somewhere on their website)
y2keable said:
Go to the FOS with what? Promise what will work? Letting what happen will cost them £550?
Doesn't cost the op a penny. It costs the debt collectors. Do you think they are going to spend that and possibly lose? Remember even if fos finds in their favour they are. 550 down and they can never get that back. Can't claim it against the op. So for a small debt yes I am sure it will work.
Also when or if the fos finds in the ops favour he will explain the stress upset and upset this has caused him, all the sleepless nights etc... Then they can award compensation.
Just last week I got a £150 from my bank for my upset and hurt feelings after I complained about the attitude of a member of staff. This was just to stop be going to the ombudsman with my complaint.
Just last week I got a £150 from my bank for my upset and hurt feelings after I complained about the attitude of a member of staff. This was just to stop be going to the ombudsman with my complaint.
photosnob said:
ooo000ooo said:
IIRC there's something about debts timing out after 5 years but if you contact the debt collection agency about it (even to deny the debt is legit) you reset the clock?
It's 6 years. And contacting them or debating the validity has nothing to do with it. What would make a difference is if you paid some money to them. Don't know the correct legal mumbo jumbo at this time of night, but you then restart the 6 year clock. OP - I had a similar situation to you. I sued the company (who sold my details involved for a reasonable some of money (a nice holiday) for a breach of the DPA, and they settled out of court.
Debt company are really simple. Email them a letter of complaint. State that you want it recording as an official complain, and that you will be going to the FOS in 8 weeks time unless you get in writing that they will not pursue this and will not sell the account to any other company. Promise it will work - letting this happen costs them £550 in costs alone (and you nothing), if there are any negative markers on the credit file demand these are removed as well. Again they will do this.
I did give poorcardealer the same advice with regards to his partner. It would be good to hear how he/she got on.
They (Lovell) have so far not responded to an email so she sent them a recorded delivery letter a week ago and is still waiting to hear back.
Sounds very much like a text scam by another firm who want you to contact them urgently with regards to a BG account. Who calls me records many other cases of other folks getting similar texts from same firm alluding to debts from Skye/ BG ETC. I take a simple approach- don't reply, but report to ICO.
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