Trading Standards investigating Littlewoods

[mistycat]

Hi all.

 

I have been running a catalogue for around 8 years now and Addtions Direct have gone through various name changes. In all that time I have never had a Credit Agreement with them.

Got into financial trouble November 2006 by March 2007 things had escalated, so wrote to all creditors including Additons Direct informing them of the situation.

They don't want to listen.

Sent request for CCA 11th June 2007 to Addtions Direct recieved a statement showing interest and charges. 12+2 + 30 calendar days and not CCA, of course I didn't expect one because I never signed one.

Keep recieving statements with interest and charges then letter from NDR (National Debt Recovery) informing me I must make payments on the account. Sent letter to Addtions Direct as complaint, no CCA recieved and interest and charges added to the account and account passed to NDR without been informed first. November 1st 2007 received a `final response` from Shop Direct Financial Services on behalf of Addtions Direct, will not remove interest and charges and enclosed was a document perclaiming to be CCA, top of the document reads `copy to us` the rest does not contain any inform need for a CCA.

Problem is they have copied my signature and name and address onto this document. I know how they have done this, I sent an order in through the post at some point and had to fill in my name, address and signed the enclosed cheque for the goods to be delivered to me.

November 27th 2007 I contact Trading Standards, as these are clearly committing a serious offence. I explained that I do not have a CCA and they have digitally scaned my details and signature onto this document. I sent all the documents to Trading Standards who have been looking into this since November 2007. To this day I do not know what is going on and cannot get any info from Trading Standards-they just don't seem to be able to get the info out of Littlewoods.

In January 2008 Additions Direct sent me a letter informing me of the increase in interest and on the statements which, yes, I am still recieving, the new interest rate has been applied and the charges are still going on. So far they have added nearly £1,000 in charges and interest. Trading Standards are aware that they are continuing to send statements with charges added and that they will not take my advice and hold action on the account until the investigations are complete.

I was hoping someone may have some advice as to what I should do next. I feel this one is really getting out of hand.

[42man]

It might be worth writing/visiting your local MP.....I did with mine on another matter and he was very good....or you could even write to the guy featured in the letters in this thread (below) from the government....Gareth Jones MP....you could even write to the Director General of Trading Standards too...start at the top !! if you get passed down I guarantee you will get noticed !!

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/debt-collection-industry/133653-consumer-credit-agreements-letter.html

[mistycat]

Thanks for the advice 42man.

 

I have just got off the phone with Trading Standards and it appears that Littlewoods do not have the information TS have requested, TS are going to give Littlewoods until the end of the week to come up with certain document then take some action. what ever that will be. TS told me littlwoods excuse is they have been moving round their departments over the past year and cannot locate the paperwork. I don't think TS even believe that one.

I think i will wait until Monday, then if TS don't have any info I will take your advice and write to the Director of TS and see if this will move things along.

On reading your thread i am sorry to hear of your forced bankrupcy, is it all sorted out now?

Thanks

Mistycat.

[surprise]

I had the same thing happen to me. My signature was scanned on a credit agreement. I went to TS last May and I was advised that the local TS had visited Littlewoods and I requested that TS ask to see the original agreement but TS were told that they don't keep original agreements because they outsource these to a company who scan the original agreement and then the original was destroyed. I was told by TS that it was very difficult to prove that I had not signed the document. However, I did point out to them that if this went to Court then they would have to provide the original agreement and they did agree with this.

 

I wrote to the Chief Executive and finally they wrote the debt off but it went on until November before it was finalised.

 

Good luck

[The GodMother]

i am still waiting for my cca from them since LAST october.

 

They have sent me a cca with no signature and even asked me to sign and send back the other half which is there copy. I ahve recieved the same letter about interest rates going up and i have not recieved anything from NDR since i wrote to them saying bog off.

 

The last statement i recieved was dated december 07 which l recieved jan 08.

 

I am writing to the necessary department in the near future

[dpick]

Hi Littlewoods have tried the same with me but they made a mistake the address the put on my "agreement" is the address that I now live at not address I lived at when account started. This has been reported to TS and FOS etc. Even though I received one of their we will not pursue debt letters they sold it on to iQor and placed two defaults on account. Got rid of iQor with a no agreement get lost letter, Littlewoods have removed one record from the CRA files but are fighting the other seems they cannot read section 87(1) of CCA 1974

 

all the best dpick:)

[mistycat]

I had the same thing happen to me. My signature was scanned on a credit agreement. I went to TS last May and I was advised that the local TS had visited Littlewoods and I requested that TS ask to see the original agreement but TS were told that they don't keep original agreements because they outsource these to a company who scan the original agreement and then the original was destroyed. I was told by TS that it was very difficult to prove that I had not signed the document. However, I did point out to them that if this went to Court then they would have to provide the original agreement and they did agree with this.

 

I wrote to the Chief Executive and finally they wrote the debt off but it went on until November before it was finalised.

 

Good luck

 

I had no idea littlewoods had be so active with this. As you say they scanned your signature and although it is difficult to prove, if TS get enough of these kind of complaints then some legal action can be taken against littlewoods and the so called company who they use to scan documents.

Just a question for you suprise, did the document appear to look like a credit agreement?

The reason i ask is the one they sent me had `copy to us` as the header and none of the important stuff which relates to a running account consumer credit agreement. This is not a true credit agreement. But the thing that worries me is they are scanning peoples signatures and puting them on documents pertaining to be a legal contract. Surely this is fraud is it not?

Do you happen to have the address for the Chief Executive?

Good luck to the rest of you with your case.

mistycat

[surprise]

The chief Exe and address

Mr M Newton-Jones

Chief Executive

Littlewoods

Shop Direct Group

Kershaw Avenue

Crosby

Liverpool L72 0F

I was advised by Tomterm to head Possible Fraudulent Activity.

The agreement, according to TS, contained all the prescribed terms but was improperly executed as they had not dated it. To have enforced it they would have needed to go to court. I urged them to take me to court but they wrote the debt off.

[The GodMother]

thanks for that suprise.

 

Will be on to them in a few weeks.

[mistycat]

Thanks for the address `suprise`. I will make sure I head the letter Possible Fraudulent Activity, and hope I receive a reply telling me they will write off the debt.

You have been of great help:D

mistycat

[mistycat]

Hi

 

I have just got off the phone with TS, she has told me that TS in Liverpool have been basically going round in circles with Littlewoods. The fact that they took 4 months to sent a copy of CCA, they get let off because they did send it to me. The agreement, although i am still stating i did not sign it, is apparently an agreement, it follows their terms and conditions as stated in their catalogue. Appearently littlwoods supply the catalogue and by ordering from it you have basically a contract. They don't need a CCA to be able to add interest and charges on the account.

So legally I don't have a leg to stand on. Even though I cannot get them to answer any of my letters, i am advised by TS to get the CAB to write to them to get some kind of communication going and to see if CAB could get the charges and interest removed to the point of my request (June 07). I know they wont, as i have already asked them.

Does anyone have any advise, i am so worried about this. I feel asthough i am being cond into making the interest and charges and the copying of my signature on an agreement is so unfair. It doesnt seem to matter to the TS that i have been running the catalogue for 8 years and the doc they send me is 2004.

Please Please somebody help.

[surprise]

Its more or less what I expected from TS, waste of space really. Its difficult to tell you what to do because Littlewoods are a law onto themselves. I think the court route is the only way to go forward now.

[mistycat]

Any suggestions on how i may compose a letter to the director of littlewoods to inform him of my disagreeing with the validity of the cca and how to suggest that it goes to court to get them to provide the true copy, or write off the debt.

 

Sorry but i am rather stuck.

 

Thanks.

[mistycat]

I have been unsuccessfull with a complaint to FOS, as i tried this before TS, they said they are not registered so cannot help. i cant find littlewoods registered with any regulatory body to write too.

[surprise]

Thats the problem I'm afraid, all regulatory bodies are a waste of space. Court action is the only way forward.

[The GodMother]

but as a good result you can get back the costs of any court action from Littlewoods.

 

TS gave you more of a response than l got.

[mistycat]

How do i start the process?

 

Please.

[The GodMother]

well you will need to have fully gone threw tere complaints procedure and a independant companys complaint procedure first.

[mistycat]

well you will need to have fully gone threw tere complaints procedure and a independant companys complaint procedure first.

 

 

After Additions failed to comply with my request for CCA, i sent a complaint and received a final response from Shop Direct Financial Services in November 2007, this also contained the questionable agreement and was their final response.

I then complained to TS and it has taken from 27th November 2007 with them investigating littlewoods.

Do you think i should send another complaint but this time directly to the Director of littlewoods catalogue first?

Maybe i could tell them i am disputing the validity of the agreement and invite them to take me to court should they be unable to send a 'true signed copy'.

Any ideas would be appriciated.

Thanks again.

[mistycat]

Oh i forgot to mention. I opened the account at my previous address, not the current one i am residing at.

Will this make any difference that they have put my current address on the agreement?

[The GodMother]

YES it does.

 

it is obviously wrong if they have done that a clearly unenforcable agreement.

[mistycat]

What should i do now?

 

Do i still write to them to tell them i am disputing the debt due to the wrong address, scaned signature?

 

Or should i just ignore them?

 

I am rather confused and don't know what i should do if anything.

 

All advise is appriciated.

Thanks.

[gni03349]

You would need advice from people here as to how to word your claim, but maybe you should think about instigating court procedures against them.

 

The ace up your sleeve is that they provided this so called "valid agreement" with your old address on it. Once you have judgement against them, you could possibly think of reporting them to the relevant authorities. They would then possibly have a criminal charge to worry about. Having said that, the knowledgable ones may advise against it, but they will certainly help you.

 

If you send a PM (private message) to a site helper or moderator, they will come in and see this thread, and then advise you.

[MARTIN3030]

Dealing please be a little patient