Hi everyone,

has anyone heard of BCW Group Plc?

I received a text message from them today asking me to contact them urgently on an 08444 no. and quoting my unique reference No. I suspect they are a DCA but would appreciate any confirmation of this.

Many thanks

Allswell

They are a DCA. Ignore them.

BCW and their 'URGENT' texts!!!

If it were so urgent why don't they have the minerals to ring you?

Or even leave a civil message telling you exactly what it is concerning?

Simply because your on a phishing list and as soon as you ring that number they'll snap that rod back and won't let you off their rusty paper clip of a hook...

**BB Waves to Guests**

Ignore these incompetent fools, they won't have anything interesting to say.

The reason for BCW wanting you to contact them is simple, a text costs just pennies to send, if you call the 0844 571 number that BCW ask you too, the cost is 5p per minute which they get a cut out of and thats not including the 2.5p connection charge.

Hope this helps but follow the golden rule and never speak to them on the telephone.

Many thanks, think I will just let them sweat it out.

Allswell

BCW still sending txts and phoning mobile and landline even after sending SB letter! Any advice on what to do next?

Allswell

If the alleged debt is statute barred and you have sent the letter advising them, then you need to report them to OFT and TS online via Consumer Direct

You could also request their Complaints Procedure, along with a copy of this:

Re: Harassment by telephone

ACCOUNT NUMBER: XXXX

Dear Sirs

I am writing in relation to the quantity and frequency of telephone calls that I have received from your company, which I deem to be personally harassing.

I have verbally requested that these stop, but I am still receiving calls. (Delete if necessary)

I now require all further correspondence from your company to be made in writing only.

I am of the view that your continued harassment of me by telephone puts you in breach of Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970, and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

If you continue to harass me by telephone, you will also be in breach of the Communications Act (2003) s.127 and I will report you to OFCOM, Trading Standards and The Office of Fair Trading, meaning that you will be liable to a substantial fine.

Be advised that any further telephone calls from your company will be recorded. (**Even if you don‘t yet have recording equipment!!**)

Yours faithfully,

[NAME HERE]

Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act

“S40 Punishment for unlawful harassment of debtors.

A person commits an offence if, with the object of coercing another person to pay money claimed from the other as a debt due under a contract he- harasses the other with demands for payment which, in respect of their frequency, or the manner or occasion of making any such demand, or of any threat or publicity by which any demand is accompanied, are calculated to subject him or members of his family or household to alarm, distress or humiliation; falsely represents, in relation to the money claimed, that criminal proceedings lie for failure to pay it; falsely represents himself to be authorised in some official capacity to claim or enforce payment; or utters a document falsely represented by him to have some official character, or purporting to have some official character which he know it has not.

A person may be guilty of an offence by virtue of sub-section (1) (a) above if he concerts with others in the taking of such actions as is described in that paragraph, notwithstanding that his own course of conduct does not by itself amount to harassment.”

Many thanks HS

Dont forget to put a complaint in about them ignoring your requests to Trading Standards via Consumer Direct, and copy in the OFT as well...

BCW are idiots. They just churn out rubbish for a few months, while ignoring letters. They then suddenly stop the contacts and a few months later, you will have another company sending letters, probably Mackenzie Hall or Aktiv Kapitol, ground feeders who buy old uncollectable debts.

Muck Hall have already had this, sent them the SB letter and they failed to acknowledge and passed it on to BCW:mad: This debt has not been acknowledged since 2001 so they certainly are the lowest of the low bottom feeders.

Then you really do need to make a formal complaint about them to consumer direct about this.

You must complain. Every complaint is another nail in their coffin.

Another demand from BCW today, reported them to TS and OFT dont know what to do next!!!

Just a quick question regarding the telephone harassment issue.

What is deemed harassment via telephone or text? How many calls is deemed to be within a certain limit for it not to be considered harassment? Thank you

Everyones interpretation of harassment differs, however the law is quite clear on the matter,

1 Prohibition of harassment

 

(1) A person must not pursue a course of conduct—

(a) which amounts to harassment of another, and

(b) which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of the other.

(2) For the purposes of this section, the person whose course of conduct is in question ought to know that it amounts to harassment of another if a reasonable person in possession of the same information would think the course of conduct amounted to harassment of the other.

(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to a course of conduct if the person who pursued it shows—

(a) that it was pursued for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime,

(b) that it was pursued under any enactment or rule of law or to comply with any condition or requirement imposed by any person under any enactment, or

© that in the particular circumstances the pursuit of the course of conduct was reasonable.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (c. 40)

As BCW are still harassing you for payment on a Statute Barred debt, I would send a formal complaint to their Complaints Department headed WITHOUT PREJUDICE and tell them that is they don't stop harassing you for payment on a Statute Barred debt you will take them to court for harassment and seek punitive damages.

At the bottom of the letter write "Cc The Office of Fair Trading Consumer Credit Licence Fitness Department" and send a copy to the OFT.