Hi all

Can anyone give me advice re Moorcroft Debt Recovery tactics please?

My mother has opened a letter from Moorcroft Debt Recovery addressed to my father who died last year. They are demanding money allegedly owed to phone company 02. It appears that even though my brother informed 02 that my father had died a few days after his death and my mother no longer wished to continue the phone contract the 'debt' which is claimed is almost £500 has been passed to Moorcroft. My father did not owe a penny so I have no idea how this sum has been reached.

I have advised my mum not to worry as the letter is not addressed to her, but the letter is threatening court action/baliffs. Had I seen the letter, I would have returned it unopened marked 'deceased' and 'not at this address'. Advice please as mum is in no position to pay such a large amount, even if dad owed it in the first place.

My advice would be to send a letter, does not really matter whether from you or your Mother informing Moorcroft that the person to who the letter is addressed died a while ago and further inform them that the OC (o2) had been informed at the time.

Should they insist by writing any further, come back onto CAG and there will be further assistance available.

http://www.thebereavementregister.org.uk/

Add your fathers details onto the bereavement register also.

Contact O2 and tell them in no uncertain terms that unless they call off their chosen third party threat monkey, you will seek legal advice with a view to suing for damages against both O2 and Moorcr@p.

As you say IF there were any liability owed, then they should have put in a vested interest when Probate was being granted, as they didn't they lose. tough cheddar.

Hi,

I am the brother mentioned by the O.P. We entered dad's details onto the bereavement register a few days after he died - almost a year ago now. As Dad's estate consisted largely of their home and very little else, we were advised that there was no need to go to probate as Mum was the sole beneficiary, and as far as we knew he had no debts. However it strikes me as strange that they have taken until now to try and reclaim the "debt". Do you think they are "trying it on"?

I'd give the usual customer service routes one chance to sort this after that I'd try their Press Office http://mediacentre.o2.co.uk/Contacts/Contacts-d7.aspx

My sincere condolences to you and your family. You've been through enough without dealing with this.

Press office a very good idea, if they have one. You should mention other DCA blunders, the most sick one I've heard about was the case of Beryl Brazier.

DCAs chasing deceased people is not uncommon. They're amazing at what depths they will sink to.

My personal reply would be to write to Moorcr@p and give them my relative's new address Not to everyone's taste of course. (Please exscuse my SOH but I've had a bit of a run in years ago with these bunch of numpties).

Have you had a read of this? - I am sure you have, but just as a reference point:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10013093

Hi there

Please don't take this in the wrong way as it's not intended to belittle the serious nature of your post at a distressing time -- however with DCA's like moorcr@p it's always worth "Baiting" them.

In addition to the suggestions outlined in previous posts such as harassement etc also send their letter back with a statement saying that the person concerned DOES NOT LIVE at the this address any more so please in future address all correspondence regarding this matter to her current address C/O "The Holy Ghost, Heaven" and then let them get on with it.

Knowing moorcr@p with their "pre-pubescent teen" and other "divisions" they will probably try to send it to that address too.

Cheers

jimbo

St. Paul has better things to do than to take a sack of mail to the Almighty

The big GR is busy as well, or at least he was when I bumped into him in February

Thanks, I didn't expect such a response to my question. I'll get together with my bro in a couple of days and devise a suitable reply to Moorcr@p & Co. I'll keep you posted if there are any further developments.

PD x

That's what CAG's here for to help people tackle unjust situations.

Hopefully the next development will be a letter of apology from 02 together with confirmation that this has sorted once and for all and that Moorcroft have been told to close the file.

Update as promised. Moorcr@p have now left a message on Mum's answerphone asking my dead father to ring them. I rang explaining he was deceased but was told they couldn't discuss anything with me as it was a 'data protection matter' and they needed to speak with the person concerned. Doh, dimwits! Mum was distressed at first but has decided that if they ring again to take babybear and jimbo's advice and give them the cemetary address.

Well that is cause for a major complaint.

OFT/TS/MP/PRESS/BBC Watchdog.

OFT&TS Via http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/contact

Local MP Via http://www.writetothem.com/

The Press Via http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/article240522.ece

BBC Watchdog http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/

Credit Services Association (of which these fools are members) http://www.csaconsumers-uk.com/page/i-have-a-complaint

If they continue to ring, report them to your local Police station for harassment. P.S. they don't know how to spell data protection least of all understand what it entails, morons..

Absolutely. This's outrageous.

When you write to 02 I'd get them to investigate this has they'll no doubt have a department which liaises with DCA's and I'm sure they'd be interested in this astonishing ability to act with such insensitivity.

Utter disgrace.

Awww I can't get into their website without a reference number Was going to see if they had a press officer and was going to tell them that I'm a journalist. They're no fun...

Awww I can't get into their website without a reference number Was going to see if they had a press officer and was going to tell them that I'm a journalist. They're no fun...

http://www.moordebt.com/contact/enquire.asp

[email protected]

 

http://www.moordebt.com/contact/enquire.asp

Dare I ?

Here's 2 people from Moorcr@p you can contact via email (Trust me these work as they emailed back when I refused to deal with them in writing)

[email protected]

[email protected]

They are compliance officers. I would not phone them if they will only speak to somebody that's dead (Which is vile and nasty)

EDIT: Dunno why the space is in the first addy

Here's 2 people from Moorcr@p you can contact via email (Trust me these work as they emailed back when I refused to deal with them in writing)

 

[email protected]

 

 

[email protected]

 

They are compliance officers. I would not phone them if they will only speak to somebody that's dead (Which is vile and nasty)

 

EDIT: Dunno why the space is in the first addy

The site does the space thingy...

When I'm bored I might email them later

Another thing I advise? When you do email them? ALWAYS request read receipts where possible and if you have to? Keep emailing. I did to they probably got fed up.

Is all good. I'm patient, you have to be if you're a journalist

It's no secret about who I am anyway

Result! Wrote to 02 and emailed Moorcr@p. As suspected, no reply from latter but received an apology for the distress caused from 02 agreeing account was closed at the time of my father's death so there is nothing owing. Hmm, they may not have heard the last of me though. My mum was really upset by this and apology or not, I'm still angry.

As indeed you should be.

Glad to hear it's resolved to a point.

Be nice to have an explanation as to why it happened in the first place - did they offer one at all?

I think that as well, because what they've done is ... inexcusable.