Help! Just received a letter from Lowell's - 3G

[Shieldsman]

Hello everyone. I'd be most grateful for any advice on the following matter.

I've just received a letter from Lowell Portfolio I ltd regarding a 'three' mobile telephone contract which I cancelled 4 years ago. I did this over the telephone giving a month's notice as was required - there was no outstanding balance on the account. A few months later I cancelled the direct debit with my bank.

Today I have received a letter from Lowell's saying that I owe them close to 200 pounds and that Red debt Collection Services have been appointed as collection agents to recover the debt.

I have contacted three requesting an explanation which as some of you may be aware can be quite a stressful process in its own right. They have confirmed that the contract was cancelled in July 2004 but there is close to 200 pounds outstanding! They inform the debt has been sold to Lowell's and therefore they say that they have all of the information so they cannot tell me what the outstanding balance is for.

I have had no correspondence at all from three in the last 4 years relating to this outstanding figure. I was living at my mother's house at the time and they are threatening to send 'licensed field agents' to visit'. Help!

[saintly_1]

Hi and welcome to cag

You could send lowells a prove it letter

Dear Sir/Madam

Account no:

You have contacted me/us regarding the account with the above reference number, which you claim is owed by myself/ourselves.

I/we would point out that I/we have no knowledge of any such debt being owed to (insert company name).

I am/we are familiar with the Office of Fair Trading Debt Collection Guidance which states that it unfair to send demands for payment to an individual when it is uncertain that they are the debtor in question.

I/we would also point out that the OFT say under the Guidance that it is unfair to pursue third parties for payment when they are not liable. In not ceasing collection activity whilst investigating a reasonably queried or disputed debt you are using deceptive/and or unfair methods.

Furthermore ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment amounts to physical/psychological harassment.

I/we would ask that no further contact be made concerning the above account unless you can provide evidence as to my/our liability for the debt in question.

I/we await your written confirmation that this matter is now closed. Otherwise I will have no option but to make a complaint to the trading standards department and consider informing the OFT of your actions.

I/we look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully



(Your Name) Print do not sign

and see what they come back with


saint

[Shieldsman]

Many many thanks Saint.

They'll receive that on Saturday morning.

I'll keep you updated!

[innocent_man]

[sapnas]

Originally Posted by Shieldsman

Hello everyone. I'd be most grateful for any advice on the following matter.

I've just received a letter from Lowell Portfolio I ltd regarding a 'three' mobile telephone contract which I cancelled 4 years ago. I did this over the telephone giving a month's notice as was required - there was no outstanding balance on the account. A few months later I cancelled the direct debit with my bank.

Today I have received a letter from Lowell's saying that I owe them close to 200 pounds and that Red debt Collection Services have been appointed as collection agents to recover the debt.

I have contacted three requesting an explanation which as some of you may be aware can be quite a stressful process in its own right. They have confirmed that the contract was cancelled in July 2004 but there is close to 200 pounds outstanding! They inform the debt has been sold to Lowell's and therefore they say that they have all of the information so they cannot tell me what the outstanding balance is for.

I have had no correspondence at all from three in the last 4 years relating to this outstanding figure. I was living at my mother's house at the time and they are threatening to send 'licensed field agents' to visit'. Help!

Hi, I have just recieved the same letter today 19/07/08 asking me to pay £264.90 and I haven't dealt with 3G mobile for YEARS!

Please let me know of any progress

[schrodingers cat]

hi
just beat lowells with their own incompetence do what saintly suggested and start with the prove it letter with all the usual things.
dont sign it with your signature,register it,admit nothing and never talk to them on the phone
S.C
if i`ve helped please click my scales i need the credibility

[Digit]

i recieved the letter on the 14th, according to the guy calling himself graham from lowell who just called.

the whole idea of being charged by these scammers and yet another company of their's three years after i unsubscribed and gave their phone back, to which they still tried to scam me more, having even sold the idea of a contract with them on false grounds, multiple breaches of trading standards.

they went to such extremes i couldnt even be bothered to report them to ofcom. it would have taken DAYS to fill out all the forms.

so as rediculous and laughable and utterly dismissable as it is, it is not at all surprising that they are calling around again with massively trumped up charges for absolutely no service rendered, nor any reasonable explanation for the charge's existence.

disturbingly ominous echoes of method used by lowell as was used by 3 and all the other companys i've had to deal with as they tried to scam more money outta me. one day, get called up, ... well, lets just say i've learned the most important lesson when dealing with these types of caller... to hang up. they are trained in those machiavelian dog-eat-doggist no respect for people n free will, here's how to hypnotise people over the phone, the whole manual. sickos.

[/rant]


well... i expect they'll try to call again.

[schrodingers cat]

hi
back in the old days of mobile phones and i mean before orange or any of them i had a phone off these people who called themselves uniqeair twas one of them housebrick size one`s
when i decided to give it back they wanted a years payments to end the contract,that was £2340.00 there was no CAG then i dont even think there was an internet so i just went for the ignore it tactic after many threatening letters they eventually opted for just pay us £45 and we`ll let you off.i didnt pay just moved house. never heard anymore.not really relevant i know but its a nice story eh
S.C

[MARTIN3030]

Will move the thread to the debt forums.Keep us updated on the response to your letter-although its possible they will pass this on or back where it came from.Theres no CCAs with these contracts and they know this-but maybe they DONT know that you are now informed of OFT 2003/6 guidance on dect collection.

[Shieldsman]

Hi, just a quick update. I posted the letter suggested by Saint almost two weeks ago by recorded delivery and as yet, have not had a response, although I am expecting one I know for a 100% fact that this contract was terminated in accordance with 3G's T&C's with NO outstanding balance. Due to 3G's ineptitude, I did receive 2 further bills in the 2 months following the termination of the contract. Upon contacting them I was informed that they were admisnistrative errors, nothing to worry about and to ignore them. That was almost 4 years ago and I've had absolutely no correspondence from 3G since.
When I inevitably get a response from Lowells/Red Debt, I'm unsure as to how to argue my case as they are going to say I have a debt when I know it is down to an administrative error on 3G's behalf.
Any help with next steps would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[palomino]

You have to ask them for a current statement of account to see where these charges originated.

[m_meakin]

Hi All

I'm in the same situation,


I had a phone with 3 but ended contract in 2005, recived a letter out the blue from 3 over three years later on the 14/07/2008, saying they had sold my debt of over a £100 to a DCA, same day had a letter from Lowell's saying they had bought the debt.


I checked my credit report witch showed the account as settled. And no default!!
so I called Lowell and explained that I settled with 3 in 2005, they said they would look into it.


I also spoke to 3 who say there is no outstanding balance.


got another letter today from RED asking me to prove I paid it. I've looked through all my paper work and have no proof. I'm now starting to wonder if I did pay it?


So I called Red/Lowell (same phone number) told them what 3 had said, they say that it will show as no outstanding balance as they settled it when the bought the debt. Is this right?


The guy at Lowell reckons it could be for calls and text's after I ended the contract. Can they charge for this??


Think I will send in the letter posted by Saintly- Thanks saint


Could I send in a data protection request (Subject Access Request) to 3?


sorry for hi jacking your thread




Thanks Mike

[saintly_1]

Originally Posted by m_meakin

Hi All

I'm in the same situation,


I had a phone with 3 but ended contract in 2005, recived a letter out the blue from 3 over three years later on the 14/07/2008, saying they had sold my debt of over a £100 to a DCA, same day had a letter from Lowell's saying they had bought the debt.


I checked my credit report witch showed the account as settled. And no default!!
so I called Lowell and explained that I settled with 3 in 2005, they said they would look into it.


I also spoke to 3 who say there is no outstanding balance.


got another letter today from RED asking me to prove I paid it. I've looked through all my paper work and have no proof. I'm now starting to wonder if I did pay it?


So I called Red/Lowell (same phone number) told them what 3 had said, they say that it will show as no outstanding balance as they settled it when the bought the debt. Is this right?


The guy at Lowell reckons it could be for calls and text's after I ended the contract. Can they charge for this??


Think I will send in the letter posted by Saintly- Thanks saint


Could I send in a data protection request (S.A.R - (Subject Access Request)) to 3?


sorry for hi jacking your thread




Thanks Mike

The onus is on the DCA to prove the debt not for you to disprove

[Jesteruk]

I think Lowell's have done a mass purchase of 3G dormant accounts - i and a number of friends recieved the same letters around the same time.
I too have replied (Via EMail) and still waiting for a reply

Good luck!!

[optrex]

Originally Posted by Jesteruk

I think Lowell's have done a mass purchase of 3G dormant accounts - i and a number of friends recieved the same letters around the same time.
I too have replied (Via EMail) and still waiting for a reply

Good luck!!

I have exactly the same problem. 2 letters from lowell and red. They also have sent a spreadsheet detailing the bill from 3. However as with the other people on here it detilas the incorrect billing that arrived after the account was closed with NIL balance.

We now have a final demand for 7 days notice. I've heard nothing from 3 sice Jan 2005 after they agreed to zero the account due to their administrative errors.

[swizz101]

exactly the same as what happened to me. took the phone back to the shop the day after i had it in 2003 (because it was an awful phone - never even used it!) , started receiving bills after a few months from 3, phoned them up, they said it was an administrative error and not to worry about it. then yesterday, FIVE years after all this, recieved a letter out of the blue from lowells demanding £304!!!

I spent all day on the phone yesterday trying to get to the bottom of it. phoned Lowells up - they said i had to pay or provide proof that i didn't. They also said that i couldn't phone 3G anymore because the debt was with them and 3G wouldn't want to speak to me about it! I told them I was going to phone 3G anyway, and i did.

I spoke to three different people at 3, got very cross with one of them. the system seemed to be 'down' whenever i wanted information about where the total of £304 had come from. the 2nd person i spoke to found the information, sayin that i had been charged 30 odd pounds every month since june 2003 until the account was closed some time later. I told them i cancelled the account the day after i had the phone! they said i needed to contact the place where i had the phone from for proof. I couldn't remember where i had it from, but they told me it was phones4u and gave me the number to ring.

spoke to phones4u, they had no record of my name, address, or anything. not even any informatio