hello,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me any help or advice.

My boyfriend received a letter today from tocatto ltd stating he owes £37.91 outstanding balance from a 3 mobile contract phone he had 5 years ago.

4 years ago this debt went to a Debt collection agency, I think it was moorecroft I cant quite remember, and he agreed to pay £10 a fortnight until it was paid. This debt was paid as I myself went to the royal bank of Scotland and paid the £10 a fortnight until it was all paid.

About 2 years later we were sorting through paper work and thought we would no longer need the payment receipts from this debt so decided to throw them away.

A year later , about this time last year, we received a letter from another DCA informing my boyfriend he still owed the outstanding £37.91.

He phoned them and told them that he had paid the debt to which they asked for proof of payment. When he told them he had non as the receipts had been thrown away they told him as far as they were concerned without any proof of payment the debt was still owed.

The person he spoke to was very rude and unhelpful and didn't give a damn and kept insisting he must pay. My boyfriend quite bluntly told them that they would not receive any money from him as the debt was already paid. The conversation kept going round in circles eventually the guy from the DCA put the phone down on him.

We received another couple of letters and each time he phoned the company and told them the same thing. The debt has been paid and they will not get any money. Again they told him without proof then he still owes it.

After about the 3rd letter we never heard from them again or any other DCA concerning this account until today.

My partner hasn't rang Tocatto yet and we will probably hear the same cock and bull story from them.

So I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how to get rid of them once and for all without having the pay the debt a second time.

Any help would be very much appreciated

Thx in advance

Bec

firstly

NEVER EVER phone a DCA!!

they have NO LEGAL POWERS

to do anything bar send threat-o-grams

pers i would ignore the fleecers

i would suggest you do a bit of reading in this forum

you'll soon get the idea

as this has been paid-off anyhow

this shows what typically happens in the case of these 'phantom' mobile phone debts

it goes straight to the DCA's pocket without any record being place against your name on the phishing list

it get sold on & the next one tries their luck as you've proved to be a soft-touch.

the debt [if it ever existed] would have been written off against tax by the OC years ago

thats why the OC have neber asked themselves for the money!

well you've learned now - don't get caught again!

never ever believe what these fleecers say!

dx

I have been reading stuff but not quite sure as to what to read or where to start. there is just so much information. Any payments we have made since to anyone we have since kept proof of payment and will do so for a very long time and so far so good with the rest of the debts. Just this one keeps cropping up like a bad aftertaste

Send them this; http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?428-General-debt-letter-if-you-know-nothing-of-the-debt

I know it can be a PITA but you should keep records of payment for six years after which time any claim would be Statute Barred.

Hi Bec,

Rant continued....

Moorcroft work as follows.....mobile phone company pass your details to moorcroft, they contact you to say hello out-standing amount please pay, you pay, moorcroft say Here you go mobile phone company and thats it....BUT on the occasions were that they/moorcroft "Buy the Debt" they do not sell it on again to a third party.

Hope this helps!

Hotmamma

Hi Bec,

Please take this advice...."DO NOT PAY THEM".....understand! You both know that you have paid and you can either print of statements from your bank via the internet or pay your the bank for copies which will show your payments and even ask the bank to supply you with a copy of the "in full and final settlement". confirmation of the closure of this debt.

Know think of it this way, this and it is a [problem], if this company chases 10 people at what seems to be the average amount of £30,that equals £300, so times that by 100, 1000, 10000.... get the picture, nice little earner. And because it is such a small amount, most people would pay it. But not us, we are out to screw them. Now, Don't forget if they contact you TELL THEM to prove that they own this debt and that they have "12 WORKING DAYS NO LONGER TO SUPPLY THIS" .....OR....THE DEBT IS UNENFORCEABLE!!!!!!

Check out all that has been said about this [EDIT - PLEASE REFRAIN FROM PERSONAL ABUSE]hole of a company and if they are rude to you on the phone, stand up, take control and threaten them, i told them to feck off, but that's me!

Oh, and when i spoke to Moorcroft, the guy told me that this sounded very odd and to be aware it could be a [problem] and to call ofsted! what's that telling you???? Keep us all posted, but for your own piece of mind get proof from your bank, also call moorcroft and give them any details regarding the phone contract they should be able to locate it in the past history they number is: 0161 4752858.