Hi Paladine I will send you an email with brief resume about my claim and CMC's etc. I have also been interviewed by the BBC1 although my bit was not on the TV, they did a blog on the BBC web site and also an article by TNOW which was published a few months ago in relation to CMC's in general and how I was treated. As you can tell I am actually working on this as it has really annoyed me and the horror stories that are emerging. Thanks Tuttsi

Hi Paladine, I have not been contacted by this company but I have by Cento Client Review, they called me on an x directory number and they knew all my personal details. Currently I have made a complaint to the MOJ and they are looking into where they obtained my personal data along with many other ways they are conducting their business. I do have my suspicians but no proof as yet and may have to call upon the ICO as if my suspician are correct they handled the stolen data claim back in 2007. I am fighting not only to get this information but I have many aspects of the way in which companies like this work and actually mislead the public. I can PM you if you are interested in my concerns. Thanks Tuttsi

Thanks Martin for your responses on this and hope that you make some good inrodes in your case and I look forward to hearing some good news for a change. I was not sure you were referring to me in relation to the above on this bit of your post, but the claim was with HSBC not NATWEST. My o/h had followed CAGS templated letters on business claim and had done the POC without the UTTCR's. Tuttsi

In light of the recent Barclays business charges cases that were thrown out by the Judges and costs to the claimants. Is there any way forward for these claims. My o/h has an HSBC one already stayed at court since the onset of the test case.

I will PM you as you suggested.

I am very interested in your post as we were just having this conversation elsewhere. Were you a CMC in your own right? and did you have your own MOJ authorisation number? or If you contacted new clients/referrals did you use your name with their MOJ authorisation number? The concept is very difficult to understand. Thanks

This happened with me with The Halifax with an 19 year claim. I have issued court papers and it has been stayed. Just sitting and waiting for the test case to be over. They did not defend the statute of limitations so we will have to wait and see. Others in the past have done it.... and so with the right POC, we should have a chance. All the best Tuttsi

They have had there authorisation suspended. Capital Plus LimitedWest GlamFinancial products/services, Authorisation Suspended02/07/2009

AA, please give me the link to your hardship claim thread so that I can give you the help that you need. Tuttsi

AA, If you are seriously suffering hardship you need to make your claim quickly What you can do in the meantime is just list your charges and dates and state on it + interest. Normally they do not pay the interest on hardship and they may only pay a percentage. Then you need to get together all your evidences to confirm your hardship under the FSA waiver rules. I mean by evidences confirmation from your mortgage/landlord that you are in arrears, repossession or suspended repossession order, arrears on utilities and or any court claims. You will also need to write a letter stating why you fall under the FSA waiver rules. ie Lost job, illness etc..... and enclose your evidential documentation. Sen it all ASAP to your bank for concideration. The FSA waiver is due to expire shortly, so I think if you are really in hardship the sooner you act the better. I am away for a few days but will look in on my return to help you. Tuttsi xx

Thanks Termi, There was a lot more that was said but the time was cut and the bare minimum was put in. The interesting thing is that the MOJ - have said that you should not be paying an upfront fee. Anyone who has been cold called by any claims management companies should complain to the MOJ. I will let you have my autograph, next time we meet? By the way when is the next London meet? Just to let everyone know I actually made contact with Loans.co.uk Director yesterday and he is looking into all my concerns with regards to the stolen data back in 2007 and hopefully he is going to help me resolve this matter, but only time will tell. Tuttsi x

Hi AA Have you started your hardship claim? Do you need any help? Tuttsi

Yep probably September/October when the HOl resume and then it is a guessing game.

Hiya Tilly I have a claim against Halifax going back 19 years. This is a tough one to crack as you will have to read up on cases like sempra v Inland Revenue - heavy reading + you have to have all your arguments. For hardship Abbey will only look at the 6 years period. The test case is still ongoing and I guess untill this is resolved the easiest way is to do advise them of youir 20+ claim and list all the charges and stat interest. If you went for compounded interest it would probably come into the many thousands. At the same time tell them about your hardship, here is my letter which I sent to their legal dept as my case was already stayed at the courts. But you can adapt it to suit:- ADDRESS TEL/FAX XXXXXXXXX EMAIL XXXXXXXXXX FOA: Mr Ronan Coyle Location Code TS6 D03 Abbey National PLC Abbey National House 2 Triton Square Regent Park London NW1 3AN DATE………….. BY RECORDED DELIVERY Dear Mr Coyle YOUR NAME ABBEY ACCOUNT NUMBER:- XXXXXXXX CLAIM NO:- XXXXXXX I am writing to you regarding my claim and my financial hardship situation which I understand meets the FSA’s recent update to the complaints handling waiver and their guidelines on financial difficulty. I would like to attach documentation in support of my hardship case which evidences my extreme financial difficulty, as follows:- 1 : An updated spreadsheet showing my claim value as £XXXXXXX with Abbey at the present time. 2 : A Joint personal budget sheet which shows a monthly deficit of £XXX 3. 4. 5. 6. HERE WRITE A DESCRIPTION AS TO WHY YOU FEEL YOU ARE A GENUINE HARDSHIP CASE AND THE EFFECT IT IS HAVING ON YOU/ AND YOUR FAMILY, ETC ETC…. Change these paragraphs to suit My husband and I are currently finding it very difficult to cope during the present economic climate coupled with the real threat of losing the residential home as a result of the suspended possession order. This financial situation is putting a terrible burden on both myself and my family, and I please ask that you reconsider my claim and my circumstances given the current waiver criteria and the banking code. I look forward to hearing from you shortly. Yours sincerely xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks Your Bank, you have given very sound advice, not just for Cento but any of the Claims Managagment Services. This is the interview which I had in the NEWS OF THE WORLD today. Families are being ripped off by dodgy claims companies | News | News Of The World Misty3, I am very sorry that were unable to research this company before parting with your money. Please let us know what the MOJ say when you write. Also, write a letter of complaint to Cento Client Review, tell them how unhappy you are that they misled you. Thankyou also for confirming the Loans.co.uk... I am still working on this and hope to be writing to the ICO and Watford Police in due course. Other people have returned the pack and have eventually got their money back. I would send it back by special delivery - signed for... and then nag them every day till the cheque arrives. It appears that they do not refund by credit card, which I find odd. If I can help any further please let me know - we are all in the same boat and the idea of our personal data being sold on again is a great worry. Tuttsi

Hiya Knelly Still waiting for my scarf............ Yep the House of Lords next Tues, Wed and Thurs.... so we will see. Not sure how long the house of lords will take to make their decision, but I guess we have waited two years..... another 2 months is not the end of the world. Tuttsi xx

Alex, I am really pleased that you pursued it further and that Abbey have finally agreed to help you. Let us know when they finally pay you - I suspect it will be the 65% which is what they paid most people. Also the hearing at the House of Lords is not too far off - 2 weeks time. Tuttsi x

I only did Director reports which showed many of the directors are also directors of the various MBNA companies. Both MBNA and Loans.co.uk are part of Bank of America Corp USA the ultimate holding company. for instance -Ian Craig is also a director of MBNA funding Company Ltd John Sullivan O'Doherty - MBNA Funding, MBNA Europe, Marlin House and Holdings. etc etc.... Let us know how you get on. Thanks Tuttsi

Unfortunately my interview was not shown, but this is the blog from the BBC web site. Ministry warns on debt write-offs By Brian Milligan Business reporter, BBC News Mr Sharrock says he paid a fee but received no service The Ministry of Justice has warned consumers about the dangers of trying to get debts written off. They say hundreds of claims management companies are charging large up-front fees, and making misleading claims about the chances of success. Steve Sharrock, an oil engineer from Manchester, received a phone call from one such company, out of the blue. They told him there was a 99.9% chance that they could get his credit card debts written off entirely. This was because the credit card companies may have made mistakes in the paperwork which would breach the Consumer Credit Act. 'Con' But after paying an upfront fee of £275, Mr Sharrock never heard from the company again. "It's just a [problem]," he told the BBC. If there is a genuine issue about debt, the right thing is to talk to your lender first, not to find some other way of wiping your debt Kevin Rousell, Ministry of Justice "They're obviously only concerned about getting money off you as quickly as they can. It's a con." The company that approached Mr Sharrock wasn't licensed by the Ministry of Justice. But even amongst more legitimate claims companies, consumer groups say the assertions they make in their adverts are often misleading. Typically one company claims on its website that "80% of all credit agreements may be unenforceable". In other words, the chances of getting your debts written off are high. 'Talk to lender' But the Citizens Advice Bureau believes such figures are completely unrealistic. Sue Edwards, the CAB's head of consumer policy, says the chances of getting any debts written off in this way are "probably quite slim." The Ministry of Justice has already issued two warnings about such claims. But with new companies springing up every week, the ministry is struggling to keep up with them. Kevin Rousell from the ministry suggests consumers should never pay any money up front, and they should find other ways of getting rid of debt "If there is a genuine issue about debt, the right thing is to talk to your lender first, not to find some other way of wiping your debt," he said. The Ministry now has a team of 34 enforcement officers in the Midlands, including five new recruits. Their job is to crack down on misleading claims, and, if necessary, remove operating licences. 'Angry' But it isn't only people with credit card debt who are being targeted by the claims companies. Denise Silverstein, from north London, was surprised to receive a phone call in April, from a company offering to wipe her mortgage debt of £3,000. In fact she had paid off the mortgage some time ago. She was asked to pay £50 up front, but "found out at a later stage that they would take another 20%". She was also upset that she and her husband had been cold-called, on an ex-directory number. "I feel very angry," she added. A judge at Chester Crown Court has estimated that as many as 100,000 people may now be trying to get their debts written off via the courts. So even if some of them are eventually successful, it will take a long time for their cases to be proven.

Unfortunately my interview was not shown on the BBC 1 news yesterday morning but this is the blog from the BBC website. Ministry warns on debt write-offs By Brian Milligan Business reporter, BBC News Mr Sharrock says he paid a fee but received no service The Ministry of Justice has warned consumers about the dangers of trying to get debts written off. They say hundreds of claims management companies are charging large up-front fees, and making misleading claims about the chances of success. Steve Sharrock, an oil engineer from Manchester, received a phone call from one such company, out of the blue. They told him there was a 99.9% chance that they could get his credit card debts written off entirely. This was because the credit card companies may have made mistakes in the paperwork which would breach the Consumer Credit Act. 'Con' But after paying an upfront fee of £275, Mr Sharrock never heard from the company again. "It's just a [problem]," he told the BBC. If there is a genuine issue about debt, the right thing is to talk to your lender first, not to find some other way of wiping your debt Kevin Rousell, Ministry of Justice "They're obviously only concerned about getting money off you as quickly as they can. It's a con." The company that approached Mr Sharrock wasn't licensed by the Ministry of Justice. But even amongst more legitimate claims companies, consumer groups say the assertions they make in their adverts are often misleading. Typically one company claims on its website that "80% of all credit agreements may be unenforceable". In other words, the chances of getting your debts written off are high. 'Talk to lender' But the Citizens Advice Bureau believes such figures are completely unrealistic. Sue Edwards, the CAB's head of consumer policy, says the chances of getting any debts written off in this way are "probably quite slim." The Ministry of Justice has already issued two warnings about such claims. But with new companies springing up every week, the ministry is struggling to keep up with them. Kevin Rousell from the ministry suggests consumers should never pay any money up front, and they should find other ways of getting rid of debt "If there is a genuine issue about debt, the right thing is to talk to your lender first, not to find some other way of wiping your debt," he said. The Ministry now has a team of 34 enforcement officers in the Midlands, including five new recruits. Their job is to crack down on misleading claims, and, if necessary, remove operating licences. 'Angry' But it isn't only people with credit card debt who are being targeted by the claims companies. Denise Silverstein, from north London, was surprised to receive a phone call in April, from a company offering to wipe her mortgage debt of £3,000. In fact she had paid off the mortgage some time ago. She was asked to pay £50 up front, but "found out at a later stage that they would take another 20%". She was also upset that she and her husband had been cold-called, on an ex-directory number. "I feel very angry," she added. A judge at Chester Crown Court has estimated that as many as 100,000 people may now be trying to get their debts written off via the courts. So even if some of them are eventually successful, it will take a long time for their cases to be proven.

I was interviewed yesterday by BBC1 in respect of my intrusive phone call from Cento Client Reviw (another company that operate from a call centre in Swansea) and how they knew all my personal details, this should be shown on Saturday 6th June 7am-9am. I share the 2.5 minute slot with 3 other, another consumer who actually paid £265 to one of these claims management companies, The Ministry of Justice, The Citizen advice. If for some reason it is not shown, they tell me if more pressing important news comes in the slot can be reduced or cut completely. There will be a piece on their web site. I cannot stress enough how wary you have to be giving UPI or any of these claims management companies any more of your personal details or your money. Since doing my research I have come accross a few horror stories and I believe a lot of these companies will disapear before to long with your money. My advice to do proper research, find out who you are dealing with! how long have they traded, do they have a track record, can you find any information on consumer sites such as CAG good or bad. Google the name of the company find out everything about them. Also, if they know so much about you..... credit card details, bank and mortgage accounts, I personally would want to know how they got this information.

Yep thats right, not long enough to have accounts and or have a track record and certainly not been trading for 3 years. They are also linked to to another company called mysimpleclaim Ltd. http://c-pages.co.uk/simple1/contact.html Good luck Tuttsi

I did a TV interview today with BBC 1 which should be shown all being well on Saturday 7am - 9am other interviewees include the Ministry of Justice, Citizen advice and another consumer who actually paid £265 to one of these companies. There is also press release to day on another on of these companies called UPI Ltd who I believe use the same call centre as Cento and who who have been fined fined a lot of money. Please google UPI Ltd and Cento Client Review and do some more research. Please read this about UPI http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2009/06/upis-bank-charge-claims-dont-s.html#more I wish you luck with your quest and please keep us posted. By the way the company called Forbes Douglas that Cento call their solicitors are only a claims management company and are definately not solicitors as Cento claim that they are. Also from all the company searches I have done so far none of the companies have been trading long enough to have accounts. Tuttsi

The number I have for Ian Craig a Director from the FSA site is always goes on to an answering machine for someone else. I have left messages but no one ever returns my calls. I have triied every which way to contact Loans.co.uk and speak to a director. But now I have all the directors home addresses so I will write to them at home, since it is impossible to contact them by phone and MBNA are not very responsive. Ian Craig - 51 Wedgewood Gardens, St helens, WA9 5GA. I have all the other directors addresses as well. Good luch, let me know how you get on. Tuttsi

Hi Elizabeth Loans.co.uk are connected to MBNA who in turn is ulimately owned by the Bank of America. I have done a full and thorough search of each directors at Loans.co.uk, many of them are also directors of MBNA's different companies as well as many other companies. Not one of them are connected as directors to GE Money. But I do know for sure that GE Money is also connected to MBNA as part of the same group and I fully intend to do a full director search on GE Money to see where else there directors are based. Tuttsi xx