Provident Collecting??

[bsj]

Hi, at the moment no. Once I have the full info I will though... i am quite sure that many people would just panic in this situation and sign up. Especially when they throw in the mention of court. That shouldnt be allowed to happen.

 

 

This is my concern too.

 

Thanks JGJ for posting the address,i feel bad now i did'nt think to post it up, sorry (embarassed).

[uiop]

Morning all, I have spoken to the two companies involved and although there was limited information that they could give me (due to the length of time since the accounts were closed) I have been able to work out that both debts are well over the Statute Barred time.

 

So, I am now in a position where I can give Provident the appropriate letter (will search for the template shortly). That will be sent today or tomorrow. This should mean that I can stop them from chasing me for the debt while I try to find the paperwork, cheque stubs etc to work out/prove if I cleared the accounts way back when.

 

Before I also contact the OFT etc I was wondering what peoples advice was on the following...

 

Normally I would send the letter and that would be the end of it, but in this case it seems that the lines of communication between Provient main office and the local door person will not exactly work well. The standard advice is not to do anything by phone but should I call the door person and say that this is statute barred, dont come back.

 

What I want to avoid is them coming round when I have friends or relatives in, not something I want to be discussing when they could hear. Especially if the collection guy wants to start an argument. I'm also pretty sure my neighbours would be able to hear that... something I again want to avoid.

 

So, do I call and tell him about this being statute barred, regardless of whether its owed or not? And then hope that they dont return?

[Huff&Puff]

You can do, the only reason we normally say not to call, is that it gives an opportunity for them to try and bully you. In this case it sounds safe enough to call a doorstep collector though. You can point out that it can be a criminal offence to chase a Stat Barred debt after they have been told that you won't be paying.

[freethemice]

No, wife got same offer for GUS catalogue debt.

Have taken up the offer to clean up credit file.

 

You my friend are exactly the type of vunerable person we are trying to help here. What Provident are doing is illegal and immoral. If the debt was valid don't you think the catalogue company would have asked for the money years ago!

[FunkayMunkay]

Hi there, Sorry if this is not relevant to this thread, but approx two years ago I had a similar situation with the now defunct London Scottish, who showed up at my door one day attempting to collect a British Gas debt. The collector, who we had an account with (a two hundred pound loan -which we were paying off normally) stated that I had to pay them for the BG debt. Now I naturally asked them what proof they had and they responded that it was given to them by their head office to collect. I promptly told them that I would continue to pay them the debt that I owed them, but as far as I was concerned the British Gas debt was 1) None of their business as they were not a debt collecter and 2) It was a fictional debt as I had changed suppliers and BG thought that I should still pay them. This went on for several months until I told the collecter straight (whom with I'd previously had good relations) that okay, fair enough, collect a so called debt for BG, but it will come out of my normal weekly payment and I will not pay a penny more. It's up to them to divide up the money. Funnily enough, after that, there was no mention of the so called BG debt. Anyway, I'm sorry if this seems gibberish or not relevant to the Provident, but a doorstop collector for the Provident or Greenwoods has no legal right whatsoever to collect on another companies debt, regardless of what they may say or imtimidate on someones doorstep. Just CCA them (God knows the "Provvi" has enough trouble keeping hold of their own CCA's) and tell them straight to provide proof. Again, sorry if this is not relevant, I'm only speaking from my own personal experience

[FunkayMunkay]

Curses, sorry for the wall of text. I havent figured out how to work the forum yet. (I apologise )

[longroad]

It would be worth me checking on wether they have.That did'nt cross my mind.

 

I'm of to have a dig:-D

 

Public Register

 

This is their license. I think it covers them but I havnt got a clue about any of this really. It does say debt collecting though.

[The GodMother]

strange i just google fresh start and got a church organisation.

 

Home as well as cosmetic surgery, donated computers, child sex abuse and farming.

 

basically everything but provident and wescott.

[sillygirl1]

Fresh Start Finance keep ringing me up, insisting that CCCS gave them my details - funny but I've never been in touch with CCCS....

 

I told the phone person they were wasting their time as I wasn't interested in either claiming back PPI or wiping out my debt in one hit. They wanted to know why and I told them it was none of their business.

 

If they are the new arm of Provident then their interest rates will be extortionate and the admin side atrocious.

[JGJ]

Hello all,

 

I e-mailed the OFT and this is their response re Wescot/ Provident

Edited August 8, 2009 by JGJ

[JGJ]

[JGJ]

So they still have a consumer credit licence to ply their evil trade, reading between the lines I think they the OFT already have a file awaiting more complaints from consumers, before they will act. I will press on and give them my consent.

 

"EXEMPLO DUCEMUS"

[The GodMother]

yes they look at the file after so many complaints or even when there licence comes up for review.

[ajax95]

If they are the new arm of Provident then their interest rates will be extortionate and the admin side atrocious.

 

I can believe that, it was six weeks before Provident even bothered to collect my payments

[cerberusalert]

A few years ago my wife had a Provi loan which she paid off. A few months down the line she received a letter from their head office demanding the balance due. There was no balance due & she had the payment book to prove it, yet they insisted that £xxx amount was due & unless payment was received etc., etc.

 

Anyway, after several letters, emails & 'phone calls from yours truly they 'told' me to send the payment book to them to be audited......as if. 'No chance' was my reply, although not as succinctly as that & embelished with a few well chosen Anglo-Saxon expletives. If they wanted to audit the payment book they could get their sorry asses here & then they could do it. Literally within the hour a manager turned up at my door & after examining it decided that it would need to go to head office. As it happened I had already scanned the book onto a 'floppy' and that's what the sorry soul left with.

 

A few days later I received an apologetic letter saying that there had been an 'administrative error' and my wife had in fact overpaid by £xx amount & please find enclosed cheque. The irony was that the agent involved was never seen again (she used to collect from my daughter too & suddenly stopped).

 

The moral of the story....check those repayment books with a fine toothcomb & no matter how nice they may seem trust collection agents as far as you can throw them.

[The GodMother]

Fresh Start Finance keep ringing me up, insisting that CCCS gave them my details - funny but I've never been in touch with CCCS....

 

I told the phone person they were wasting their time as I wasn't interested in either claiming back PPI or wiping out my debt in one hit. They wanted to know why and I told them it was none of their business.

 

If they are the new arm of Provident then their interest rates will be extortionate and the admin side atrocious.

 

 

Fresh start finance are a mortagage company Remortgages - Impartial Remortgage Broker - Free Quotes and Mortgage Advice

 

They also state the following FRESHSTARTFINANCE.COM does not partake in cold calling and does not make outbound calls. There are other firms with similar names who may make cold calls, for further information please see the FSA Register here.

[uiop]

HI all, just wanted to post an update on my situation. On Monday I called the guy who did the home visit and informed him that I would be writing with/dealing with head office. Short story is that after a bit of "discussion" he accepted this and I havent heard from him since... Will let everyone know what head office responds with, if anything.

 

I'll give them a week or so, then I am adding to the OFT case files with or without the Provident response.

[bsj]

Great,the more complaints the better.

 

I have heard nothing from provident since the agent called,hopefully it stays that way.

 

No response from TS or OFT.

[JGJ]

This is the response I received from Provident after sending them the bog off and no doorstep visits letters.

[uiop]

That is an interesting letter... for me the Provident guy said that the debt was owned/bought by them from Wescot. Your letter seems to indicate that they have passed it back to Wescot, or never owned it?

 

I wonder if that means the guy I deal with wasn't exactly truthful... also the letter states that they wouldnt send someone round without arranging with you first, not true. My home visit was unnanounced.

[bsj]

At least they had the decency to reply to your letter JGJ,mine was ignored and they sent an agent without my consenting to it.I would not have agreed to them sending someone round,my letter to them stated this.

 

So it seems provi are collecting on behalf of wescott.

 

If provi are not purchasing the debts do they have the right to collect?

[cerberusalert]

This activity smacks of a breach of OFT guidelines where a debtor should not be encouraged to take on more debt to pay off others. I can just imagine the scenario;

 

Provi: I've come to collect XX on behalf of Wescott.

Customer: I'm sorry I can't afford to pay I've no money.

Provi: That's o.k I'll put my Provi hat on now & lend you some money.

 

:rolleyes:

[JGJ]

bsj

 

uiop

Don't forget I sent them the letters to bog off and no doorsteping, in the first instance that their begging letter came through the letterbox.

 

Unfortunately some people will be co-erced into taking on the debt and paying it back with what looks like favourable terms, that is their way in, once they have you on their books and you obtain a fresh start as they call it, the actual pay back rates are without doubt (IMHO) extortionate and against the regs of the OFT guidlines and that is another reason why Prov. do not like the sound of court papers dropping through their letterbox.

 

"EXEMPLO DUCEMUS"

Edited August 13, 2009 by JGJ
ADDED TEXT

[bsj]

Your letter was a good call,i have to agree with the extorionate rates they charge,the main reason i would'nt touch a loan from them no matter how sweet they try and make it look.

 

I now know why they backed off,they won't want TS and OFT sniffing around let alone a court.

 

Seems they get away with their high interest rates though:sad:.

[The GodMother]

Rolex do they only send agents to ur door at request.

 

They have been sending agents to our doors begging ppl to take out loans with them. That is deffo not a request for a visit.