Advantis - debt collection - nuisance calls
Discussion
Has anyone else had dealings with this company? To my knowledge they are a debt collection company with questionable tactics...
I started getting calls about 4 weeks ago, and the conversations always go the same way. FYI, I am not late on any finance repayments. I have checked my credit report and everything is in order as I suspected.
Me: Hello
Them: Can I speak to Mr xxxx
Me: Speaking
Them: My name is 'Dave' from Advantis. To confirm you are Mr xxxx for data protection can you please tell me the first line of your address and postcode?
Me: Im sorry but I dont give out my details to anyone that just calls. I have no idea who your company is. If there is any issue can you please put it in writing and send it to the address you have.
Them: We have already sent you letters on (he gives me three dates during last year).
Me: Right, can say that without going through data protection?
Them: If you dont confirm your address we will take you to court!
Me: Can you put that in writing?
Them: Hangs up.
I've had 4-5 phone calls like this now. I have Googled the company and see I am not the only person who has had problems with this company, so my opinion of them upon my research is they are just pests.
The question is I refuse to give out my address to these people. Yet they are refusing to write to me (even though they have done so already apparently).
Short of changing my mobile number, how can I stop these nuisance calls?
Also, how serious could these people potentially be? (a friend of mine had problems with a used car. The previous owner had a loan with 'logbook loans' and one morning they turned up out of the blue, demanded his keys and took his car! He never saw his car again)
I started getting calls about 4 weeks ago, and the conversations always go the same way. FYI, I am not late on any finance repayments. I have checked my credit report and everything is in order as I suspected.
Me: Hello
Them: Can I speak to Mr xxxx
Me: Speaking
Them: My name is 'Dave' from Advantis. To confirm you are Mr xxxx for data protection can you please tell me the first line of your address and postcode?
Me: Im sorry but I dont give out my details to anyone that just calls. I have no idea who your company is. If there is any issue can you please put it in writing and send it to the address you have.
Them: We have already sent you letters on (he gives me three dates during last year).
Me: Right, can say that without going through data protection?
Them: If you dont confirm your address we will take you to court!
Me: Can you put that in writing?
Them: Hangs up.
I've had 4-5 phone calls like this now. I have Googled the company and see I am not the only person who has had problems with this company, so my opinion of them upon my research is they are just pests.
The question is I refuse to give out my address to these people. Yet they are refusing to write to me (even though they have done so already apparently).
Short of changing my mobile number, how can I stop these nuisance calls?
Also, how serious could these people potentially be? (a friend of mine had problems with a used car. The previous owner had a loan with 'logbook loans' and one morning they turned up out of the blue, demanded his keys and took his car! He never saw his car again)
I had a similar issue with Credit Experto (not right spelling) and I constructed a polite letter outlining that no debt due and I would not put up with this constant calling. I sent a copy to FOS with a note saying whilst I wasn't asking for any action, I wanted the letter noted if in future I made a formal complaint.
FOS were very good and other than a smarmy call from CE saying they had updated their records and saying "misunderstandings happen", I never heard again.
As it happens I did not owe a debt to their client and I was being pursued due to a mistake on their part
FOS were very good and other than a smarmy call from CE saying they had updated their records and saying "misunderstandings happen", I never heard again.
As it happens I did not owe a debt to their client and I was being pursued due to a mistake on their part
Had something similar years ago with Natwest.Went something like this:
Them:Hello can I speak to mr Laang please?
Me:Speaking...
Them:We need to verify this,can you give me your postcode and DOB please
Me:Err...not really
Them.If you do not provide these details then we cannot speak to you.
Me:Ok goodbye then...Click,Brrr.
Most pointless conversations I've ever had bearing in mind they called me not the other way round!
Them:Hello can I speak to mr Laang please?
Me:Speaking...
Them:We need to verify this,can you give me your postcode and DOB please
Me:Err...not really
Them.If you do not provide these details then we cannot speak to you.
Me:Ok goodbye then...Click,Brrr.
Most pointless conversations I've ever had bearing in mind they called me not the other way round!
Holy thread resurrection, I know... But this thread cropped up just now when I googled this "Advantis" shower, having received much the same style of phone call from them this afternoon. Three years on and they're still up to the same tricks, it seems!
"Can I speak to Mr Jonny?"
"Yes, speaking."
"I'm calling from Advantis regarding some personal business."
Alarm bells begin ringing...
"Oh yes, and what 'personal business' would this be?"
"We just need to confirm some details sir, before we can discuss it."
Those alarm bells became deafening. Cue ten mins' back-and-forth, me repeatedly telling this guy that it had SCAM written all over it and that he was getting no more details until he told me exactly who Advantis are and what it was about, him telling me that it was "on behalf of a client" and that he could tell me no more - not even who this "client" is - without taking my details for "data protection".
Anyway, googling "Advantis" revealed the firm to be a nefarious firm of debt collectors evidently quite well-known for their fishing expeditions. So I've reported them to Action Fraud, informed the FCA, and phoned Advantis' complaints line - where some snotty woman spun me the same line that she couldn't give any details without first taking mine (which naturally I refused), and eventually agreed to send me it in writing... "We'll send you another letter"
"Another? As in, you claim you've already sent one? When?"
"We can't tell you without going through data protection..." Etc, etc.
So I suppose we'll see if this letter ever materialises.
Two things struck me as strange: they called from a mobile number, and at no point during either conversation with Advantis did they ever mention the word "debt". I'd also had a text from them last week with the same vague line about "some personal business" which I dismissed as spam.
As a precaution I've checked my credit info on Noddle (all good) and even phoned HMRC, as apparently they've used Advantis in the past, to make sure I don't owe them anything (I don't). As far as I'm aware I have no debt beyond the mortgage (which I'm actually overpaying, certainly not missing payments) and the credit card (paid off in full every month).
Other than continuing to refuse to provide any further personal information, and insisting they send any request/demand/threat in the form of a letter to whatever address they may already have on record, is there anything I should be doing/not doing in order to stop these clowns pestering me?
"Can I speak to Mr Jonny?"
"Yes, speaking."
"I'm calling from Advantis regarding some personal business."
Alarm bells begin ringing...
"Oh yes, and what 'personal business' would this be?"
"We just need to confirm some details sir, before we can discuss it."
Those alarm bells became deafening. Cue ten mins' back-and-forth, me repeatedly telling this guy that it had SCAM written all over it and that he was getting no more details until he told me exactly who Advantis are and what it was about, him telling me that it was "on behalf of a client" and that he could tell me no more - not even who this "client" is - without taking my details for "data protection".
Anyway, googling "Advantis" revealed the firm to be a nefarious firm of debt collectors evidently quite well-known for their fishing expeditions. So I've reported them to Action Fraud, informed the FCA, and phoned Advantis' complaints line - where some snotty woman spun me the same line that she couldn't give any details without first taking mine (which naturally I refused), and eventually agreed to send me it in writing... "We'll send you another letter"
"Another? As in, you claim you've already sent one? When?"
"We can't tell you without going through data protection..." Etc, etc.
So I suppose we'll see if this letter ever materialises.
Two things struck me as strange: they called from a mobile number, and at no point during either conversation with Advantis did they ever mention the word "debt". I'd also had a text from them last week with the same vague line about "some personal business" which I dismissed as spam.
As a precaution I've checked my credit info on Noddle (all good) and even phoned HMRC, as apparently they've used Advantis in the past, to make sure I don't owe them anything (I don't). As far as I'm aware I have no debt beyond the mortgage (which I'm actually overpaying, certainly not missing payments) and the credit card (paid off in full every month).
Other than continuing to refuse to provide any further personal information, and insisting they send any request/demand/threat in the form of a letter to whatever address they may already have on record, is there anything I should be doing/not doing in order to stop these clowns pestering me?
Jonny_ said:
Other than continuing to refuse to provide any further personal information, and insisting they send any request/demand/threat in the form of a letter to whatever address they may already have on record, is there anything I should be doing/not doing in order to stop these clowns pestering me?
You could tell them to stick their head up a dead bear's bum.If they can't/won't send you a summons they can hardly sue you for anything!
Funny this should pop up as they have just started contacting me regarding a DVLA sorn fine dated last month from a car I sold 3 years ago and have the letter confirming ownership had changed at that time.
They point blank refuse to accept this as a reason and say it is impossible for this to be overturned or appealed.
They call from mobile and landlines, no idea how they even got my number nor have I received any postal correspondence from either the dvla or advantis in regards to this.
They point blank refuse to accept this as a reason and say it is impossible for this to be overturned or appealed.
They call from mobile and landlines, no idea how they even got my number nor have I received any postal correspondence from either the dvla or advantis in regards to this.
Yil said:
I have had a letter from these people stating they are collecting money I owe from a company I've never knowingly had any dealings with. Do I ignore?
You would be best advising them but be warned they will put pressure on you to pay the amount they believe is owed 'until the issue has been cleared up'.Gassing Station | Finance | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff