LOWELLS Financial Services - Campaign against unfair policies of DCA's

[kernow247]

Have now received third letter in chain from red debt collection services and photo signatured Andrew Bartle - Chief Operations Officer.

Action taken by me - Filed with other two letters!

Any other threats will be dealt with as they occur

 

For info am now watching this thread with interest and whole-hearted support for getting Watchdog involved

[zeppelin63]

Looks like there are a lot of people out there that have recently recieved letters from Lowell. I have just recieved the first letter so no doubt will recieve another 2 letters. I dont have a clue what they are after as the first letter says, can you call and update details of your address.

[tupty]

This present campaign of Lowells which involves a load of UNENFORCABLE debt they purchased from Barclaycard on 14 Dec last really needs to be highlighted in the media. Goodness knows how many folk have fallen for their threats and distortions of the legality of the debt and coughed up.

 

 

Can I just say I have been in touch with the OFT, if you ring them on

 

0845 04 05 06

 

They WILL pass your complaint onto trading standards who HAVE to act by law.

 

This company are committing a criminal offence by their actions THEY CAN BE PROSECUTED

 

1. Demanding money by Menace

2. Harrassment

3. Obtaining money by Deception

 

 

The OFT also suggested the Financial ombudsman is interested in this company.

 

Their number is 0845 0801800

 

Please the more of us complain the quicker this gets dealt with

[kernow247]

For all those that have these letters to hand I strongly suggest and recommend a call to the OFT on 08454 04 05 06 (Sorry tupty - wrong number shown!!) Wheels are in motion from Cornwall.

Am advised that alerts/notification will be sent to Local Trading Standard office/s - To add benefit to what WE can all read on the internet, would suggest letting the local Citizens advice bureaus know as well.

Am taking myself there now.

[ODC]

Tupty you cannot complain to the FOS until you have made an official complaint to Lowells and they have given their final response.

[renegotiation]

Subscribing. They sent me a stat demand for stat barred debt, Maybe they thought 'Hey the word 'stat' seems to apply here! Can't be bad. Let's get some letters off.' Who was the donkey that came up with 'Red' lol? I took it to mean don't pay. Red = stop! Ha ha ha. Pillowks. Punish them ODC. :)

[ODC]

Did you go for a set aside on the Stat Demand

[renegotiation]

I'm riding my luck that the wallies won't push for a B.P.. I should have done I guess. Just didn't have the spirit in me at the time. Does a stat demand expire?

[Curlyben]

This company are committing a criminal offence by their actions THEY CAN BE PROSECUTED

 

1. Demanding money by Menace

2. Harrassment

3. Obtaining money by Deception

 

Please the more of us complain the quicker this gets dealt with

 

Everyone please remember that it is acceptable for a DCA to request payment for a statute barred debt, but once this fact is made known to them and you will not be paying because of this fact, they MUST back off.

 

Their current tactics are in breach of a number of OFT collection guidelines namely:

 

2.7 Dealings with debtors are not to be deceitful and/or unfair.

2.8 Examples of unfair practices are as follows:

a. sending demands for payment to an individual when it is uncertain that

they are the debtor in question, for example, threatening debt recovery

action to 'the occupier' or sending a payment demand to all people sharing

the same name/date of birth as a debtor in the hope that contact with the

correct debtor will be made.

b. disclosing debt details to an individual when it is uncertain that they are

the debtor in question, for example, disclosing details to 'the occupier' of

an address.

 

The OFT Guidelines can be found here: http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/consumer_credit/oft664.pdf

[renegotiation]

But they shouldn't be sending out stat demands for stat barred debt should they? That's a bit more than a 'request' for payment in my book.

[ODC]

Have you informed the idiots that the debt is Statute Barred

[renegotiation]

Getting round to it soooooon. I'm very particular about things. I got many companies I need to inform of this fact. I will do it all at once. I got to get all my paperwork together. Been so overwhelmed dealing with the debts of another it has left me a bit drained and bewildered. Plus, I just started on my Cabot C.C.J..

[MrTWS]

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[MrTWS]

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[MrTWS]

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[ODC]

Mr TWS

 

A lot of folk on here never had any contact with the DCAs until they registered with Ezperian. The DCAs and the CRAs are very closely connected and share information. I would advise being very careful as members here have had DCAs contacting them out of the blue, not to mention being innundated with offers of Credit Cards and Consolidation Loans.

[renegotiation]

Noooooooooooooo. Not Experian again. :confused: I can't live a day without Experian in my face.

[kernow247]

I take it that evne for a 30 day freebee that Experian et al is a No No?!!

[ODC]

A definate NO NO. They and their DCA buddies gain more from the deal

[MrTWS]

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[MrTWS]

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[ODC]

Have a read of this thread sometime and you might have a different view of the CRAs http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/debt-collectors-debt-collection/112671-cag-cra-r-club.html#post1106584

[Curlyben]

As ODC has pointed out be VERY wary of using the CRA's services.

It has been found that once you view your file, alot of "things" start to appear out of the wood work.

 

For a quick and FREE overview of your credit file have a look at these people: Free credit report, credit check - annualcreditreport.co.uk

 

Don't bother with paying as the mail options is pretty quick.

[kernow247]

This may be - just a. n. other question - for any legal eagles out there.

 

How can XYZ Ltd or plc et al (in the UK) sell on to another company what in the majority of our current readers of this thread, appear to be statute barred debts imaginary or otherwise account/credir card details, last apparent known addresses - under the 'protection of data acts'

 

Anyone have any ideas?

[Welshwoofs]

I fully support a campaign against this shoddy company.

 

I got Lowelled and am on my 3rd set of letters, now from Red Debt. To date Lowell have:

 

• Placed a search on my credit file without my authorisation
  
• Phoned to confirm if I lived at an address I've never heard of
  
• Sent me 2 demands for repayment of debts totallying nearly £4k for 2 Barclaycards I've never owned
  
• Ignored a CCA request I've put on them and continued to send threats for payment

Now I know I don't owe this money because I've never owned a Barclaycard before last year (and the balance on that is zero). I'm hoping they will send me some documentation in reply to my CCA request as I have a feeling that, if they do send me details of somebody else's debt, they'll be in breach of the Data Protection Act for discussing details of an account with anyone but the owner of that account. If this transpires I'll be more than happy to roast their 'gentlemens assets' on a spit over an open flame.

 

If they don't send me details in response to the CCA request I'm going to send them a Statue Barred template and if I get a single mail after that I'll be on to the OFT.

 

What I think will work with these clowns is a viral campaign. If they phone, record them and upload to YouTube under their name. Register a domain (e.g. "AntiLowell.co.uk"), put all these stories on there with recordings and scans of their letters and then email every national newspaper around with the URL. If there's enough evidence of harassment in one place the papers would jump all over it... and them. I'd also write to your local MP if they ignore CCA requests or Statue Barred letters - they're pretty much obliged to write to Lowells to see what's going on and having to respond to an MP letter always rattles cages in companies.....and if they keep coming in again and again and again.

 

There are perfectly legal ways to make this company's life as miserable as they make other's lives. We should start doing it. I'll have a wee think about the best way to go about it.