Link Financial - not sure what to do

[deliverance]

Hi everyone, I found your site after googling these cowboys, I've had a read through plenty of threads and though there's lots of great advice I haven't been able to work out what I should do.

 

A few months ago I received a letter from Link Financial asking me to get in touch to discuss a credit application that had been made in my name. I can't recall the exact wording but I took it to mean that someone had attempted to claim credit in my name, and I assumed Link were a credit company.

 

To cut a long story short, I phoned and confirmed my date of birth and gave my mobile number. The guy I spoke with professed to know not much about the matter (a different dept, apparently) but said he'd send details in the post.

 

Then nothing for a few months until they sent a 'statement of account', with a balance of several hundred pounds. Not many other details, some dates which don't mean anything to me. Nothing to indicate who the debt originally belonged to, it just looks a bit like a bank statement. I ignored it as some sort of [problem], never having heard of them.

 

In the last couple of weeks I've been getting calls on my mobile every few days. Each time it's from a private number, and the caller just leaves a message asking me to phone a number - no company name or anything else left. I've been ignoring these too, assuming it's another (unrelated) [problem].

 

On Friday I'd had enough and phoned the number, and asked who they were. The bloke I spoke with was very evasive, and refused to even say which company he was with, insisting I gave my name (I didn't). He eventually told me it was Link but added 'you can play games if you want, we've got your number' and hung up!

 

It hadn't occurred to me that the letters and calls were related, but now I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm not aware of any outstanding debt but did have a loan that was paid off in 2006, it's the only thing I can think of that might be the cause of this. I moved abroad in 2004, but continued to pay monthly via DD from my UK account until the final payment. I'm back in the UK now.

 

I'm certainly not going to talk with these jokers on the phone and shall just ignore the calls. Should I ignore them altogether or write and ask for more information? If I ignore them and they do have something on me, what's their next move likely to be?

 

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any suggestions.

[huggys boss]

Firstly send them this letter http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?428-General-debt-letter-if-you-know-nothing-of-the-debt and see what you get back.

 

Then, if the debt looks like yours send them a request for a copy of your consumer credit agreement. You need to send a £1 postal order and send it by recorded delivery. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?414-CCA-request-letter.

 

Also send them the telephone harassment letter and the telephone recording letter, both in here http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?71-harassment-library

 

Send the first letter and the two harassment letters together. Use recorded delivery £1.15p at the moment, so that you can track the letter and prove delivery if they ever deny it.

 

Never speak to a DCA on the phone, they will try to bully you into making payments so that they can meet their targets.

 

Never sign a letter to a DCA just print your name, it is not unknown that they have in the past copied and pasted a signature onto a document.

 

Never, Never, Never fill in an income and expenditure form for a DCA, they have no right to that information. The only time you need to divulge your personal finances, is when ordered to by a court.

Edited October 11, 2010 by huggys boss
added a bit :O)

[Bazooka Boo]

TBH and IMO it really does depend on whether you want to entertain these fools in a very long game of letter tennis.

In reply to your 'No debt acknowledged' letter they will send you the bare minimum, maybe a few dates, and figures, with your name and possibly the name of the alleged company.

 

It's only when you send them a CCA request will they provide what they purport to be an enforceable agreement, and even then, this will more than likely be reconstituted.

 

Check your credit file (CRF) with one of the credit agencies (CRA'S) and have a look if anyone has been searching your files, you'll need to ask all three of the CRA's, Experian, Call Credit, and Equifax.

http://www.experian.co.uk/

http://www.callcreditcheck.com/

http://www.equifax.co.uk/

 

As for the spotty phone drone, and his hilarious "You can play games if you want, we've got your number" sketch, that would be a red rag to a bull for me, and I wouldn't rest until I knew he was back in his old job of flipping burgers.

 

Here is the very unprofessional companies email address to make your initial complaint [email protected] inform them that as they have acted in an unprofessional and threatening childish manner, you are escalating your complaint immediately to the CSA and the FOS for investigation, and you will be having nothing further to do with an organisation that threatens people over the phone, if they insist to correspond with you after this time, except to inform you that disciplinary action has been taken against the individual, you will keep a diary of events with a view to reporting them to the Police for the criminal offence of Harassment.

 

As they are members of the CSA, here are the guidelines in which they purport to uphold.

Members should:

 

• Conduct business lawfully
  
• Conduct dealings with debtors in a fair and reasonable manner
  
• Maintain a high standard of business practice
  
• Compete in a fair and reasonable manner
  
• Ensure all staff are provided with adequate training
  
• Not discriminate
  
• Protect the reputation of clients
  
• Remit monies collected regularly to clients
  
• Not knowingly misrepresent qualifications, experience and abilities
  
• Handle debt cases in a fair and reasonable manner
  

http://www.csa-uk.com/media/editor/file/Code%20of%20Practice%202009.pdf

And here is the CSA complaints form to download and send in;

http://www.csaconsumers-uk.com/media/editor/file/complaints%20form-%20word(1).doc

 

http://www.csaconsumers-uk.com/page/i-have-a-complaint

[deliverance]

Wow - thank you both for your advice, this is very helpful. I think I'll try the unknown debt letter first and see what they say. Having read around these forums it seems that jumping straight in with a CCA request is almost an acknowledgement of the debt.

 

I'll keep you posted, thanks again.

[dx100uk]

dont send anything

 

it'll just get you markers that say 'mug awaits fleecing'

 

ignore totally now

 

dx

siteteam

[deliverance]

Hi dx100uk, completely ignoring them was my first intention, but without any concrete details I'm a bit worried that they may have something on me that I'm unaware of. If I refuse to deal with them and there's a case to answer, where can they take it?

 

Their practises so far suggest a very dodgy company - I really thought the phone messages were just a premium rate phone [problem]. I'd imagine that if it was a bona fide debt they'd at least mention the original creditor? On the other hand none of the threads I've read here suggests they're out-and-out fraudsters, despite their underhand methods.

[huggys boss]

Just had a quick look on their website and it looks as though they buy debts. So if they do have anything on you, chances are they have paid peanuts for it.

 

If you ignore them for long enough, they will probably start writing offering you huge discounts (I had one kind DCA offer me 80% off an alleged debt - unlucky for them that I am a member of CAG and knew it was stat barred!).

 

If you decide to contact them, be strong. If the account is yours and not stat barred, it is up to you how you pay it off, do not be bullied into paying more than you can affored.

 

I have to agree with Bazooka, check your credit files for searches and also for your agreements. All 3 offer a 30 day free trial, but if you have already had a free trial in the past 12 months, it will only cost you £2 for a statutory credit report. Equifax and Callcredit are instant online if you want them that way, Experian send a password through the post which takes about 5 days if you want online access. Don't forget to cancel, if you go for the 30 day free trial.

 

HB

[dx100uk]

Hi dx100uk, completely ignoring them was my first intention, but without any concrete details I'm a bit worried that they may have something on me that I'm unaware of. If I refuse to deal with them and there's a case to answer, where can they take it?

 

Their practises so far suggest a very dodgy company - I really thought the phone messages were just a premium rate phone [problem]. I'd imagine that if it was a bona fide debt they'd at least mention the original creditor? On the other hand none of the threads I've read here suggests they're out-and-out fraudsters, despite their underhand methods.

 

you give them too much creedence

 

ignore

 

dx

[Bazooka Boo]

Yep Ignore the fools, if they had anything they would have told you who you owed at the beginning, playing charades gets them nowhere, you'd think that if someone owed you money, you would tell them exactly what it was for, and give them all the necessary info in the hope they cough up what is owed.

These complete buffoons seem to think that by playing Jedi mind tricks people are just going to roll over and pay without question.

Well more fool them, the reason why you are ignoring them is because of the evasive methods they employ, and the lack of any competent staff employed on the phones, who merely like to threaten people, if they really want to pursue this, you will gladly welcome any legal action which you will defend vigorously and counter sue for damages.

[deliverance]

Right, having taken on board everyone's advice, I'm going to ignore the buggers. If they really had something on me they wouldn't need to be so vague about everything, they'd just be upfront with the details of the debt.

 

So I'll ignore them altogether now, but I'll report back if things develop at all.

 

Thanks very much for all your advice, it's really set my mind at ease.

[deliverance]

Meant to say (one final question!), I'd already checked my credit rating etc with Experian recently and there was nothing untoward. I'll check with the other two as well, but what am I looking for? A credit search from Link? And if there are signs that they've checked my credit history, what significance does it have?

[huggys boss]

Check your Equifax file, and look on the Table 1 searches, if Link have registered an unpaid debt search in Table 1 you can have it removed. Table one is for searches in connection with credit applications only. I know this because 1 DCA has just paid me £150 for recording their search in my Table 1. Table 1 is seen by potential lenders.

 

Any searches by Link should be in table 2. Table 2 is only seen by yourself.

 

Also check for any defaults on your file. My Equifax file now states Credit Card from Cabot as a default. I am kicking up a fuss because it is misleading!

[deliverance]

Right, I've checked out my credit report with all three agencies and they're as clean as a whistle, and no sign of any searches from Link. Therefore I shall stick two fingers up at them