The TRUTH about "MCS", "Metropolitan Collection Services Ltd"

[andrew1]

Hi there, I've just been listening with interest at the phone calls to MCS. I've had some good advise from another member on another thread but I thought I'd ask the guys on here as well.

HSBC are chasing me for £2000 worth of CC debt which I already told them I couldn't afford to pay, but so much for that they demanded it back anyway. So I'm getting threatening letters from MCS.

The other member told me to send a letter with a postal order requesting some info (I didn't quite understand it) they hadn't got the letter up to yesterday.

I am going to pay the amount but can't afford to pay the majority till the end of the month. (I'm having to borrow it from a friend)

I have a couple of questions:

My mum thinks I should call and explain that I will pay them a lump sum now and the majority by the end of the month (But the other guy told me not to call them under any circumstances) Should I call?

Can they charge me more than the £2200 I owe in interest? Will I owe them or will my account go back to HSBC (They wont discuss it with me)

I am worried and confused about all the stuff I have heard about them not being governed by the British rules and regs.

It's very confusing that they are owned by HSBC yet are threatening me with Bailiffs!

do you think I should send the partial payment and a covering letter as oppose to ringing them?!

Somone helpppppp me pllllllease!

 

 

Lee is right, start a thread in the debt collection forum and take a read through here too http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/debt-collection-industry/84273-oft-debt-collection-guidance.html

 

 

Take no twaddle off these people, stay in control ( or get in control! )

 

A1

[Rusty1948]

Here's a recent line of communication in progress with Metropolitan.

 

Mr. AB & Mrs CD Madeupname,

Dun Payin,

123, Bilkers Crescent,

Debtford Road,

Suckerborough,

Insolventshire.

DM1 – 2BB 6th February 2010

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Your ref: 1234567

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: METROPOLITAN COLLECTION SERVICES.

With reference to your demand for payment of a purported debt on behalf of HSBC – received here today - we would inform you this concerns a mis-sold PLP insurance policy product that is currently under investigation by the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Authority.

Thus while such is under adjudication we have informed HSBC this matter is in FORMAL DISPUTE and have suspended any and all further payments until the FOS’s decision is given.

In keeping with directives from the FOS we are instructed to pass on all demands and communications from HSBC , or its contracted / affiliated collection agents, to their offices.

All further communications from yourselves, including the most recent of the 30th January 2010, will thus be directed to their offices.

Further to this, and contrary to the time schedule mentioned in your demand, we received a Default Notice from HSBC on the 3rd February 2010 informing us we are required to pay what they claim is an outstanding amount by the 22nd February – whereas you are threatening legal action if the purportedly outstanding sum is not paid within seven days from the date of your letter – the 30th January – dated ‘a full seven days’ before we received your demand.

With regard to Metropolitan’s repeated and incessant phone calls that commenced at 8;45 pm on the evening of the 4th February from your listed offshore South-East Asian 0500 992299 number to the personal and private mobile phone of Mrs. CD Madeupname – a new phone and number never provided to HSBC – and also to our home landline - these repeated calls constitute harassment and as threats have been made by verbally aggressive call centre staff regarding the disputed responsibility for payment of the outstanding loan premiums, these calls have been recorded and the matter reported to OFCOM and our local Suckerborough Police Service for investigation and action.

We thus call on Metropolitan Collection Services and their contracted call centre agents to Cease and Desist forthwith pursuing this medium of constant psychological harassment.

On speaking with Metropolitan’s listed 0500992299 phone number we were met with an automated message of "Thank you for calling Metropolitan Collection Services Limited” but were surprised to find we were not connected to your listed Birmingham office but rather passed to a call centre operator in the Philippines - who then informed us we would have to call back later - when the supervisor was on shift (8 hour time difference).

Disturbingly this person had access not only to our names and addresses and dates of birth etc but also our bank account sort code and account number – but amazingly was not aware who they were actually working for – stating they were employed by – to quote – a ‘global service company’.

With the Republic of the Philippines being renowned for a culture of graft and corruption which permeates their society and all levels of a government system that has historically constituted no more than a series of calamitous Kleptocracies, we question the sagacity and due prudence exercised by HSBC and their Metropolitan Collection Services department regarding the security of HSBC client’s personal details and affiliated data protection by the very fact they employ the services of unregulated Third World agencies.

Thus we consider it unsafe to communicate further with this call centre at the number provided by Metropolitan as the Philippines is in no way bound by UK data protection laws or banking standards and regulations.

Further, given that this 0500 992299 connects to a most dubious overseas-based call centre, we could well be speaking with a Nigerian 419 [problem] operator.

According to Companies House records ‘Metropolitan Collection Services Ltd’ is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the HSBC Group and not an independent service company as perjuriously professed and maintained by the call centre supervisor.

To close, if this initial representation by Metropolitan Collection Services is a prime example of HSBC’s ‘Customer Service’ policy, then we have seen better organized riots.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Arthur Madeupname Mrs Chlamydia Madeupname

cc : Financial Ombudsman Service

: Financial Services Authority

: Office of Fair Trading / Consumer Direct

: Consumer Action Group

: Sue, Grabbit & Runne, Solicitors

: Ian Hislop – Private Eye magazine – ‘In the Back’ business section

[Col45]

This thread has been really helpful for me - thanks to all the Companies House geeks!

 

HSBC have told me that my loan has been passed to MCS and that I should make repayments to MCS and correspond with MCS. Is this not a bit daft given their relationship with HSBC? I imagine any benefit they hope to get from this nonsense depends on MCS being seen as a separate DCA?

 

I think I read somewhere that MCS were actually easier to deal with than HSBC and would negotiate ...

[purplepaws]

Here's a recent line of communication in progress with Metropolitan.

 

THAT LETTER IS AWESOME!!!

 

Well done - can't wait to read their reply!

[chelsea101]

purplepaws

You could be waiting a long time,he sent it over a year ago