getting annoying now

[labrat]

ok in laws keep getting debt collection letters for old resident of the address

 

each time they have phoned up and been told its been taken off the system only to get another letter less than a week later from a differnt debt collection agency

 

now theyve had enough

ive had a poke through the letters for them and there appears to be several differnt ammounts suggesting several creditors

 

only one of the letters lists what the debt is for, and they are going to phone them directly, the others either dont list what the debt is for or simply lists the previous collection agency

 

whats the best way to proceed

[harrassed senior]

Well the obvious answer is to not open the letters if they are not actually addressed to them, and just write, not known at this address and return to post office, poking around in other peoples' mail is never a good idea! If you then telephone about the matter, this make the DCAs just think they have reached the right person, who is now just trying to wriggle out of it.

[unclebulgaria67]

I have been in this situation. I don't think it makes much odds whether they send these companies a letter or make a phone call. They will continue to receive letters. Best to just not to open the letters and put back in the post, marked ' addressee no longer resident at the address, return to sender'.

 

Eventually these companies will find the debtor at their new address and your in laws will not be inconvienced any more. This could take a year to happen.

[Bazooka Boo]

I open 'everything' that comes through my door, as I'm the one who lives here, if it's for a neighbour and simply put through the wrong door, I drop it off personally and apologise for opening it.

If it is for the previous tenants, who have loads of debt, according to the deforestation that lands on my mat, I just file it away under ignore, I've grown tired of writing RTS Not known at this address on them now, I spent well over a year doing it when I first moved in, if they haven't got the message by now or have'nt succesfully traced the previous tenants then they are clearly in the wrong vocation!

[labrat]

is there any way of finding out which company the debt is origionally with to write direct to them?

[Bazooka Boo]

Well in a real world, they would state this in their hilarious letters, but as they flout the OFT's guidelines then you are forced to eek this info out of them.

You could try sending the no debt acknowledged letter first and this will hopefully get them to do what they should be doing from the off, and divulgeing the correct info.

Reall does grate me that they still act this way, you need to make a formal complaint about this to the OFT/TS via http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/contact

 

In sending the morons this letter, you will of course be deluged with more deforestation and nonsense.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/resources/templates-library/86-debt-collectors/573-general-debt-letter-if-you-know-nothing-of-the-debt

 

Out of interest who are the DCA's? This will tell you how likely they are of having any enforceable documents, and how easy it will be to get rid if them.

[labrat]

trying to think one of them was c.s.something and i cant remember the others

 

one of origional debts is littlewoods catalouge, the rest havent been listed

[Bazooka Boo]

catalogus are the easiest to get off your back as they ver rarely have any documents to legally enforce collectio activity,so a F&F offer of payment will appeal to them even if it is only 1% of the total they say is outstanding.

[jimbo45]

Just write DECEASED in big large red letters on the envelope with RETURN TO SENDER.

 

Then junk it in the mailbox.

 

Cheers

jimbo