strange tactic - scott & co??

[henna]

hi, OH got a strange letter from scott and co today. We thought they disappeared as we hadn't heard from them in two years but, here is what they said. (sorry but typing on moby phone.) "As part of our normal AUDIT procedures you are asked to confirm that your balance printed below is correct. If it is please sign against the appropriate statement at the bottom of this letter and RETURN THE WHOLE LETTER in the enclosed pre-paid envelope. There is normally a few days delay before payments are made to the collector are processed to your account. If having allowed for this you believe that there is a difference in your balance, please record the latest details FROM YOUR PAYMENT CARD in the space provided. Please then sign against the appropriate statement at the bottom of this letter and RETURN THE WHOLE LETTER in the enclosed pre-paid envelope. If there is a difference which we are unable to reconcile we may telephone you or write to you asking you to send us your payment card to help us resolve the difference. Thank you for your co-operation. Yours faithfully, L. Bews internal auditor" their capitals not mine. Then it has a column that says "Account Records" date 0/00/00 amount .00 balance 67.53 then TOTAL OUTSTANDING: 67.53. Well, last time they wrote they said they had been to visit but nobody was here. (yea right?) and that we owed like £1200. Why don't we hear from them for two years and now say we only owe 67.53? Why do they ask twice in capitals to RETURN THE WHOLE LETTER? Are they making us an offer here because they know we have no assets to seize or wages to arrest and know we are unlikely to pay them anything more? Anybody else get a letter like that? My instincts tell me to keep the letter they want back.

[dundeelaw]

Sounds like a weird letter to me. It seems that they have a crisis in their office and have lost alot of their paperwork and account iinformation.

 

I would not bother to sign anything as you would be agreeing that some balance does exist and that you do have an agreement with them. If you have been disputing any aspect of the agreement at any point, I would either just leave it or write to them saying that you do not owe them anything.

 

It also sounds suspicious that they want you to send them your payment card (Yeah Right...As If anyone would do that).

[WelshMam2009]

By signing and returning the letter you are acknowledging the debt as far as I can tell. This would then start the clock ticking again as regards statute of limitations (6 years - no payment/acknowledgemnt then they can't take court action for this.)

My simple advice would be to ignore them.

[henna]

thanks for the replies. Yea, i find it a very strange letter. I have a thing about 'ignoring' things like this. Seems to me it puts the ignorer in a dishonourable position. However, i will not return the letter nor sign anything or send payment card. We do not have a payment card. I think we will just send off a letter saying we don't owe anything and have no payment card. This should keep it clear in view of the statute of limitations act and how can they now claim we owe anymore than £67.53 in future if I have a letter saying that is what they think we owe?

[badfelafel]

Note - in Scotland its 5 years not 6: the Prescriptions and Limitations Act - they either have to raise it in court or you have to acknowledge it as a debt