Debt Question

[Scouse]

I've recieved a letter this morning from a debt collection agency ('Lowell') informing me that they have bought off my owing debt and wish to recover it. Now I can't remember ever having the debt and the only possibility of any dates back to the late 1990's (according to the credit company/bank I'm supposed to owe). The said bank/credit agency suggests that they cannot discuss any details and that I should contact the debt people and let them contact the bank and sit and twiddle my thumbs.

Now apart from the mystery of wether I owe this debt or not. If I do, isn't there a cut off/deadline period for when they should of tried to recover it? I've never had any form of contact/knowledge in the past 8/9 years until today.

[pa_broon74]

Yup.

6 years is the limit but only from when the organisation you owed the money to last contacted you. For example, I have debt from 12 years ago, but they've sent letters on average 4 or 5 times a years since so its still an active debt.

Go to Experian's website and request a credit report on yourself. I got a free one not so long ago, (grim reading for sure .) Do a web search, you might be able to get a free too. You can atleast check if the debt is on your file, if it is and you beleive it isn't yours (identity theft or sumsuch,) not entirely sure on what to do after that...


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Didn't catch anything.

[Scouse]

Sorry forgot to add that it doesn't show up on my credit report. There hasn't been ANY form of contact over this until today, hence me not knowing I even owed.

It's been longer than six years too.

[D O G]

I wouldn't have thought there woudl be a cut off, if you never paid it back, declared yourself bankrupt or entered into an IVA then the debt will still be yours. It may be that the bank wrote it off themselves, taking the opinion that it would never be recovered and stopped hassling you, but the debt still existed.

If this company has just bought tranches of written off debt from the bank then they will have paid a small proportion of it, and their 'profit' is the amount over what they paid which they recover from you.

If you believe the debt is very old, then I would personally ignore this first letter. Should they keep hassling you, do not repsond to them before consulting citizens' advice. If they know you exist, and that they have your correct address, they will persue you harder than if they recieve no response.

[pa_broon74]

I'd agree with the damofo...

But 6 years is the legal limit in civil law, if they don't actively pursue a case with those 6 years it becomes null and void, they just can't chase you for it.

If its not on your credit history, the bank probably never reported you to Experian any other credit reference agency.

so:

[WildGoose]

This kind of stuff really irks me, I've had a few dealings with this kind of thing over the past few years.

I really struggle with the legitimacy of the whole thing. For example, if you can't remember or have no evidence ...what's to stop a random company pitching up, banging on your door claiming you owe them money?

Whats to stop another crowd doing the same thing, with the same debt, but claiming its something different, where does it end?

If you are a subscriber of anything for an easy life these days, like many are, then you could bend over several times and cough up several times unfairly when you needed only do it once, or not at all.

It doesnt seem to be regulated very well at all, and the original people involved seem to think its ok to wash their hands of it, flog it to a debt collection agency with no interest in compassion, so when you ring the originals they will just fob you off, leaving you do deal with the brainless muppets attempting to smash down your door and rip out your house.

The whole credit culture of the last few years, and the ever increasing size of the "fuck it, i'll just declare bankrupt" brigade. Just makes the whole thing more intolerable for those that are stuck in the middle, wanting to do the right thing without being taken the piss out of. Nobody seems to give a monkeys about the value of anything anymore, or hold any responsibility.
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[Davo]

Chances are the debt collection agency is fishing. It's quite a common tactic to send a letter to everyone with the same name in the area in the hope that they get the debtor (or anyone that will pay it) to cough up.

If your certain the debt isn't yours you could send them a letter along these lines.

[Scouse]

[Itchy]

[yambabe]

Hmm, one thing that you said has jumped off the page at me Scouse.

You are, IIRC, 23 now? So if you incurred a debt "in the late 1990s" as they have suggested to you there is no way at that time that you would have been over 18 and their debt is therefore not recoverable anyway as they cannot enter into a any kind of credit agreement with a minor. Or rather they can but the risk is entirely theirs as it would not be legally recoverable under any circumstances.
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[Scouse]

[thegubner]

Me and the missus had a debt collectors letter a while ago for a debt we were certain was bollocks.

Contacted the debt collectors who were no help, contacted the company the debt was supposed be from and they knew nothing about it.

My missus was talking to the debt collectors which was going nowhere, so I got on the phone and said bollocks we owe you fuck all, now do one you prick (lost it a bit) never heard from them again.

A friend of mine had the same thing happen, he did pretty much the same thing and never heard back from them, seems there may be yet another scam doing the rounds.

[garyd]

Davo has the answer but ......i would play safe and get it sent from a mates address ,they cant touch his stuff and you still hide without an address
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CRF230 all you need

[Scouse]

[pa_broon74]

[garyd]

Scouse,the way i saw it was if you write from YOUR address,it wont be long before the door banging starts,as they know where you are,but i take your point as to how you got the letter ,i was presuming it could have been passed on to you by ex wife /mum etc still at that address,if you are /have been living at someone elses and you DO owe then they could not take that persons items to sell to recover debt,as said elsewhere they are chancing their arm ,ignore it you are nowhere to be found,but if its for £1000s then expect them to do a proper job till they do catch up ,good luck whatever
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CRF230 all you need