Hello Everyone.

[Thebhoy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thebhoy
So what about a DCA chasing someone for a debt that IS NOT THEIRS?
If I come across anything like this, I'll send the account to be re-traced and verified.

Threats by letter and telephone.

Failure to abide by OFT guidelines.

Failure to properly investigate disputed debts.

Failure to comply with CSA code of practice.

Failure to comply with Data Protection Act 1998

Is that acceptable IN YOUR OPINION?

How would you address a situation like that?
Don't know what you're trying to get at here, if you can explain a little more, I'll happily answer.


RA - In reply for an explanation.....

Personal situation.

Being harassed for debts that are not mine but for someone with a similar name (Different spelling of surname and they have a middle name), same DOB but live some 350 miles apart.

DCA has been informed verbally and in writing that they are contacting the wrong person and that I dispute ANY debts with their client.

They have also been informed of the suspected location of the true debtor (I have had this information from other DCA's chasing other debts for this person and have had his defaults /ccj's added to MY credit files - now cleared through CRA's, my MP and a government ministers involvement).

They have my telephone number as I contacted them when I received their first letter and gave them my number - they now use this to telephone me at home at all times of the day and evening.

They continue to send demands and threats demanding money and threatening bankruptcy etc in direct violation of the OFT guidelines re disputed debts.

They have failed to properly investigate my dispute or verify the location of the debtor as had they done so they would be aware I have trackable address and emploment details for the past 20 years in my current home and some 18 in my previous home - neither of which are anywhere near the debtors location.

The CSA - CODE OF PRACTICE (of which they have signed up to) clearly follows the OFT guidelines in relation to 'correct debtor' and disputed debts - these are ignored.

Data Protection Act - they have no authorisation to store, access, process or share any personal data relating to myself as I am not a customer of their client, their selves nor have I given them authorisation in any format, implying consent for them to do so.

I trust this will give you an inkling of my situation and reasoning behind my questions but please feel free to ask for more if needed.

[robinalexander]

Okay, this may not be the 'correct' answer, but this is the procedure in place and is what I would have to do in this instance. Although I know where you're coming from, all I could do would be to send it back to the Trace department for them to re-trace. If/when it comes back on to the collectors in the call centre, and it says 'target still at address - pursue' (for example), and the same story is relayed again, it gets sent back to Trace again.

Obviously, it's a bit of a crap answer to say the least, but I can only really answer questions that I deal with in the call centre; so any litigation questions, trace questions, complaints questions etc, I'm not going to be able to give you your answers. Sorry that I couldn't answer any better than that.

[Thebhoy]

Originally Posted by robinalexander

Okay, this may not be the 'correct' answer, but this is the procedure in place and is what I would have to do in this instance. Although I know where you're coming from, all I could do would be to send it back to the Trace department for them to re-trace. If/when it comes back on to the collectors in the call centre, and it says 'target still at address - pursue' (for example), and the same story is relayed again, it gets sent back to Trace again.

Obviously, it's a bit of a crap answer to say the least, but I can only really answer questions that I deal with in the call centre; so any litigation questions, trace questions, complaints questions etc, I'm not going to be able to give you your answers. Sorry that I couldn't answer any better than that.

Cheers..........

it just confirms how c*** the system is when the person never lived at my address and has a different spelling of the surname and it is only when it goes to a DCA they link it to me.
Well, 5months of harassment so far and it looks set to continue - of course, I suppose it will depend on the outcome of my complaint to the FOS.

THEBHOY

and, six months later - the case continues

[babybear39]

Good luck thebhoy.

It's cases like yours that should be passed to the media without delay...

Remember poor Mrs Brazier and her family

[pcah9]

Originally Posted by robinalexander

Okay, this may not be the 'correct' answer, but this is the procedure in place and is what I would have to do in this instance. Although I know where you're coming from, all I could do would be to send it back to the Trace department for them to re-trace. If/when it comes back on to the collectors in the call centre, and it says 'target still at address - pursue' (for example), and the same story is relayed again, it gets sent back to Trace again.

Obviously, it's a bit of a crap answer to say the least, but I can only really answer questions that I deal with in the call centre; so any litigation questions, trace questions, complaints questions etc, I'm not going to be able to give you your answers. Sorry that I couldn't answer any better than that.

As you have stated "personal attacks" are ok in this thread:-
1.What useful information have you actually given....please quote.
2.What persuaded you to work in a debt collection call centre,do you have a problem with your IQ?
3.Surely it is more viable to move the call centre to india,then the likes of robinson way can try for more profit.
4,Call centre staff...Are they really so thick that they have to have a script in front of them to read from.
5.What are your promotion prospects? Get a couple of dodgy debts settled and go up the ladder to Lowells?

[robinalexander]

As you have stated "personal attacks" are ok in this thread
Please show me where I said that, if you would be so kind.

1.What useful information have you actually given....please quote.
This thread is for asking questions about DCAs, if you want to look at my posts, feel free to do so.

2.What persuaded you to work in a debt collection call centre,do you have a problem with your IQ?
For one, the salary is quite good, and (although this will probably rile people up), so are the bonuses. Second, the company I work for is actually (from an employee perspective) a very good company to work for, in terms of actually progressing etc.

3.Surely it is more viable to move the call centre to india,then the likes of robinson way can try for more profit.
If you would like to put that suggestion forward, feel free to do so to the appropriate DCAs.

4,Call centre staff...Are they really so thick that they have to have a script in front of them to read from.
We don't use scripts at all in the DCA I work for.

5.What are your promotion prospects? Get a couple of dodgy debts settled and go up the ladder to Lowells?
To quote a document published by The Credit Services Association:

Promotion, in the first instance, is usually from collector to section leader, managing a small team of debt collectors. From there promotion can lead to collection manager, senior collection manager, or eventually director in the agency or a branch.

Debt Collectors can move into other areas, such as sales, debt counselling, credit management, or bailiff work.

There are opportunities for self-employment, either running a debt collection agency or as a field debt collector.

[berrylover]

So once you have applied for a CCA from the OP and nothing is forthcoming, how long do you give them to send a CCA to you, before you start hassellling people again to pay a debt that isn't enforcable, or sell it on to an even scuzzier bunch of reprobates, fully knowing that there is no CCA and that the debt in unenforcable?

[robinalexander]

When I send a request for a CCA to the OC, it holds the account for 5 weeks. The idea is that, by then, the OC has either sent us one or told us they don't have one, and if they did give us one, it'd be sent out within that time. If there is no CCA, you'll probably get a standard letter saying something along the lines of 'just because we cannot obtain a CCA doesn't mean you don't owe the money', and thus, you are pursued again.

If you are totally disputing liability and that's the reason you wanted the CCA, the account is placed on permenant hold while a complaints manager looks into it further. I can't say what happens there, because I simply do not know.

[pcah9]

But if you have been assigned the debt and it is now payable to you then why have you to apply to the oc for a cca,if you have bought the debt ALL the paperwork you should have.

[pcah9]

But in your greedy haste you bought it for peanuts and had it electronically transferred ,so you have not got ALL the paperwork have you?

[robinalexander]

Okay, well imagine this. We load 100,000 accounts from a creditor and they all have CCAs 3 pages long, and statements covering 100 pages each, plus all the account notes covering 30 pages. That's almost 13.5 million pages of documents, of which we might only need 100 CCAs totalling 300 pages.

The point is, we don't need all of the paperwork most of the time. Hardly any of our customers actually request a CCA, so the OC keeps it, and then we request it from them if need be.

[pcah9]

We contact the oc to ask for a cca,sorry your "so called debt" and ALL its relevant paperwork is with the dca.
OH but the dca is contacting you for the paperwork.
You do not know what you are doing .

[robinalexander]

That has already been answered in post 56:

Originally Posted by emmaf01

do you just get a list of names and (alleged) debts, or do you get a file with the paperwork etc?
Kinda in between. We will generally be given the name, address, phone numbers, balance, last payment date, last payment amount, account open date, default date, credit card number (if applicable), and sometimes, the goods ordered (if applicable). If we need a CCA, statements etc after we've bought the debt, we send to letter/email to the OC to request it. Once we receive it, we file a copy and send a copy out.

[fuzzybobble]

Does a DCA actually check that the CCA they send is actually enforceable, or do they just assume it is?
I've had this where Moorcrofyt have insisted it is enforceable, when I very much doubt they've even looked at it or have a copy themselves.
The document I did get was totally illegble to the point of being laughably bad. I even CCA's the OC and got an exact illegible duplicate.

6 months later and they're still sending me demands for payment. They must know it's unenforcable otherwise they would have taken me to court by now. But they haven't.

So why the constant breaches of OFT guidelines of trying to demand payment on an account in dispute? Surely it's a waste of money, time, and resorces to persue after all this time?

[pcah9]

"We don`t need all the paperwork most of the time".
So you have a totally incomplete database.is that correct?

[rednik80]

Hello community. I'm new to this forum and to be quite honest I'm not sure how to use it but I can only try my hardest. I' like most others, have joined this forum because I have various consumer issues that I'm unsure about. One such problem is fairly new and with reading other people's stories I know that they've also been cheated as well. I'm talking about CarCraft of Sheffield which I went to in May to get a family car. Basically I ended up buying an 04 plate Picasso Diesel and £1000 for my car. I was given finance at 12.9% APR with Black Horse paying £100 a month over 5 years. Although it isn't a lot of money I'm just wondering why I would've got finance when I haven't even got enough disposable income to get a loan with? I was sent home with a car with no tax which I questioned 4 advisors about and all of them said it was legal as long as it was taxed as soon as the Post Office opened. They then couldn't give me a temporary cover note and said that they'd do it for me. I agreed but upon phoning them I was told that it was my responsibility to tax and insure (yes I was gullible and taken in by them). My main question however is that how I got the car loan in the first place when I can't afford it. Shouldn't checks be made to make sure I have enough money. Thank you in advance and sorry for the long drawn out text. It should've been condensed much more but I have so much to say and still have. Thank you.

[pcah9]

Why do debt recovery companies have a problem when the debt they are after is statute barred?