Thanks Rory. New letter sent

I have just had a call from Ruthbridge, they left a message. they have received the CCA request and in it i have said i do not acknowledge the debt. she says they have a recording of me acknowleding the debt to one of her colleagues on the a couple of weeks ago over the phone. I dont think i acknowledged it, but i was very flustered at the time to say the least. I might have said it sounds like it could be me, but that's about it i think. It is still more 6 years after the last payment or acknowledgement in writing made by me, so is it still statute barred? Have i screwed up, did i restart the clock? I am sure it will be bully boy tactics again, but need some assurance. Is the answer to send them a letter asking for proof? I have previously asked them to not contact me by phone, so I should add some bits about harrasment, and the OFT guide lines on calling. Argh!!

This is the name she is using on the phone, the name on the bottom of the letter is Jason Evans. another work of fiction i am sure

Absolutely DO NOT set up a direct debit. A direct debit allows them to request a sum from you, and they may get it. it's variable agreement that a DCA will take advantage of. If you are going to pay them, then use a standing order. this is a fixed sum you will send them on a regular basis, that you have total control over. you send the money to them. A DD is a pull from them and puts the control with them.

I figured it would be really powerful when she calls again despite all the letters she has chosen to ignore thanks

Genius Gingerhied, pure genius

Rory's point is a very good one. that sounds like theft to me

One thing I did forget to ask is. Did I miss anything? Is there another action i can take to make sure i am in the right legally?

I like the flushing the loo idea

French, I am in the same position with a slightly older debt that has been through the exact same route. They will claim to have proof on the phone, but they will not be able to provide anything in writing. Once they go past the 12+2 days that the CCA gives them they haven't a leg to stand on. Do send the statute barred as well You are probably dealing with the same delightful woman I am. They don't even use their real names, they are ****.

I moved house in mid Jan, and picked up mail from my old address last weekend to find three official looking letters from Ruthbridge Ltd. They said I owed Cabot Finance Europe £3k, who I had never heard of. The latest of the letters threated to make me bankrupt. Panic set in. I made the mistake of calling them on the Monday to discover it was an account from many years ago that i had forgotten to tell them my new address, it had been sold on since. My last payment was in 2000, it defaulted in Feb '01. The charming Miss Jones from Ruthbridge told me a payment plan was unacceptable the full amount was the only way out. It was really frightening. Now panic really set in, as I tried to think of ways to come up with £3k in the three days she told me i had until i was declared bankrupt. All I had said was it sounds like it could be mine on the phone. I spoke with a friend who works for the legal services commission and she calmed me down and told me there was help out there. I called the national debt help line the following day. They were brilliant, they took me through the whole thing and laid out my rights, and the fact that Ruthbridge were full of sh1t. They were not a bankrupcy agent like they claimed to be, they were merely a debt collector. they had not issued a statutory demand, so could not make me bankrupt. As i had not made made any contact or payment in more than 6 years it was unenforceable as it was statute barred. I cannot stress enough how good they were, and how much better they made me feel. their number is 0808 808 4000, it is free, confidential and you can call back any time. I have since sent them a letter to say it is statute barred, and they cant chase me. I then discovered this website and the good people who contribute. Thank you. All of you. I have just sent a CCA to them to put them on the other side of the law in a month's time. Removing any leg they think they can stand on. I know it is not over yet, as the b@stards have my number and they will call back. I know i need to be strong when i speak to them and I now know that they are just debt collectors and they are **** of the earth. They can't do any of the things they claim to be able to do. I know from this site that they don't even use their real names in their communications with me. Understandable, but still pathetic. The advice I would give, is call the national debt helpline, they will go through your specific case with you. They know exactly whet they are talking about and it will calm you down. Knowing your rights is incredibly powerful. the DCA's rely on you not knowing them to get their way. Secondly, read the advice given on this site, it will give you strength not only from what is being said, but also knowing that you are not alone, and there are things you can do. That really helps. Thirdly, don't let 'em win. They are ****. All they are trying to do is frighten you into paying up when you don't necessarily have to. They are on commission, that is their job, how they sleep at night is another matter. Part of me is looking forward to the next phone call, after i have specifically asked them in writing not to call me. I am thinking of suggesting that the only reason the charming Miss Jones is calling is because she must have a bit of the thing for me, and we should perhaps go for a drink. Another bit on me is dreading it.

Your credit file has a list of address's linked to you. basically, when you inform a creditor/bank etc of your change of address when you move, they send a message to the reference agency of this change and it links your name at these two addresses. the list of previous addresses then builds as time goes on. It's why you have to enter previous addresses in credit agreements, to ensure they pick up the right person, and it help them to establish whether your application might be fraudulent A DCA can use it to establish whether they can link an address they have now back to an address where they have you in the past.

Checkout intheknow's reply's to various threads about ruthbridge, he knows it from the inside. They are trying to scare you into paying when they are breaking the law by not responding to your requests that you are legally entitled to make. try not to speak to them on the phone. I made the same mistake by giving them my phone number, and I am getting daily phone calls from a Susan Jones. i know know from this site that it is not her real name and more importantly the whole company operates by fear. Tell them you will only deal with them in writing when the call and put the phone down, don't entertain the idea of speaking to the ****. you are better than they are. Try to be strong, it is hard i know, as i am getting the calls as well. look t the advise on this site, it helped me so much. You are not alone W

Thanks to both Cj and Rooster for your replies. I am at the start of a fight that i intend to win, and the moral support offered here is brilliant

This website helped me enormously with great advice about being chased for debt by a disgusting bunch of cowboys. It would be a pleasure to set someone else at ease in the way this website has in the last few hours