Disabled Veteran Harrassed for 4yrs by DCA for debt of unknown person

[stu007]

Hi Caggers

 

Need some advice to help disabled veteran who has being getting harrassed for 2yrs by numerous different DCA for a debt of someone they have never heard of or known all because these imcompetant DCA cant do there job and keep calling his home phone number.

 

They cannot change his phone number which would solve this as his phone line is linked to the hospital due to his medical needs.

 

Now these DCAs keep asking for a ZOE McCUE, of CANNIESBURN ROAD in GLASGOW which after 2years of harrasement they have let details slip. My friend does not live anywhere near that address and has never known or heard of this individual.

 

Now today at exactley 0822am this morning i was with him and took the call asking for this same individual, asked what company told LOWELLS FINANCIAL SERVICES the telephone number was 0113 308 6000, then when asked by myself why they are the 8th DCA to call this number refused to confirm they were DCA until I pointed out his refusal to answer my question just confirmed they were a DCA as there is no law which prevents them giving me that information, but they still refused. When asked for there CEO and contact detail as they were harrassing a Disabled veteran who may now sue them for harrassment and also go to the Press.

 

I then questioned what investigation work they had done to check the telephone number before calling it and low and behold couldnt get of the phone quick enough.

 

1. Who can these companies be reported to for harrassement?

2. Can we write to this DCA and demand to know who the Client is i.e which bank,card company etc

(The reason i ask this is i think these DCAs are for a better way of putting it committing som type of fraud - why well the way i see it they have either been given the debt to chase by client or purchased this debt therefore the should be carrying out a proper investigation which if they had done so they would find out this home phone number belongs to some one else at a totally different address a Disabled Veteran, so they are being paid by the client for actually not doing there job just opening a folder with the wrong phone number in it lets be completely lazy and get paid for it and not check its correct just call it.

3. Is there a strong worded letter i could send to them.

 

To be honest my friend who is a Disabled Veteran has had enough of this constant harrassment and he wants to go to the press and open a can of worm and i dont blame them.

 

any help much appreciated

 

Thanks All

[stu007]

Hi dx100uk

 

I know that sounds good,

 

just amazes me how these so called DCA Companies can get away with harrassing someone for 2yrs for someone elses debt without doing the proper investigation work i.e. check the phone number on file matches address and check electoral roll oh no they dont have to do it just call and harrass the person again and again oh its great getting paid for doing eh nothing. Wonder if the Client they are work knows this is how they operate by doing nothing and being paid for it.

[stu007]

Hi citizenB

 

As we have found out through the course of 2yrs the individuals debt file is just passed from company to company and all they are going off is the telephone number and asking for this same idiot as the addreess stated in first post is whats on file but Disabled Veteran doesnt and has never lived at that address or known this individual.

 

He has checked his experian credit file and its all ok and not one bit of detail about this individual they are chasing.

 

They have just had enough as all they are doing is passing this persons debt file from company to company with the incorrect phone number which belongs to Disabled Veteran after being told and told and as the debt is not theres understandilby they wont discuss anything else so hard to stop harrassment by them for there complete incompetence i.e. Not Doing a Proper Investigation.

[stu007]

Hi

 

Now although this debt is nothing to do with the Disabled Veteran but he continually gets harrassed by these DCA Crooks and as he has the name and almost full address of the individual could they write to the DCA requesting the Clients Details (not the individuals who debt it is)so they can write an Offical Complaint to there Client on this DCA action.

 

The only reason i ask this is how is the client they are working for to know of there actions and that they are actually paying them for not carrying out any work.

[stu007]

Hi citizen

 

Yes got names and address of all 8 DCAs classic is the first DCA that called was the one that gave the address away as i well that was after almost 2hrs of me keeping them on the phone asking question after question when i realised who was calling heck i wasnt paying for the call and must admit i am a person not to be cagey with on the phone as i will just keep asking question until i get the answer well it must have worked.

[stu007]

Hi uncle

 

thanks for that you just jogged my memory there just remember that these calls only started after he had changed phone supplier and given new number which is the number the DCAs are all calling.

 

Did question this with phone provider and it was confirmed in writing that the phone number he was issued had been out of circulation for 20 months before being issued to him.

[stu007]

Hi Brigadier

 

Thanks for that he does know about these organisations but is very stubborn and feels in his words time for payback and trust me he will as when he gets a bee in his bonnet you dont want to be on the other end.

 

Best way to put it a local authority done something they shouldnt have and he pursued it for 6yrs won his case which in turn changed the local authorites polices at the same time

[stu007]

Hi Bazooka Boo

 

Great thanks for advice he is all fired up about this as in his words how can these DCA Companies get away with not only harrassing innocent people but are their clients that thick that they dont realise these DCA are actually not doing the job their being paid for.

 

Then again it could be these DCA companies have some closed door policy to just keep passing onto each other sit back and watch the profit roll in

[stu007]

Well

 

off to bed and thank you to everyone for your valuable advice will keep you update

[stu007]

Hi All

 

Well just an update which yous are probably going to be shocked at

 

1. contacted Informatin Commissioners - Response nothing to do with us

2. contacted Financial Service Ombusman - Response nothing to do with us

3. contacted Office of Fair Trading - Response nothing to do with us please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and Consumer Direct on 01851 822401

 

So contacted:

1. Action Fraud - Response nothing to do with us.

2. Consumer Direct - Response nothing to do with us but will pass it onto your local Trading Standards.

 

 

Did also and I know i shouldnt have but phoned Lowells since they also left a text message on my house phone wil all the Debtors details and a nice reference number. Demanded to speak to manager, individual laughed at me on phone that was until i reminded them they had just broken the law by laughing at me and to put a manager on.

 

Was very sympathetic and appologised and promised to remove my phone number from this individuals file.

 

Do you really think I believe this will happen NO they will leave it there and just sell the file/debt on and get more calls.

 

So what this comes down to is that the Debt Collection Agencies are protected by Government Acts to harrass INNOCENT people for debts of someone they have never known or met and the protection that the INNOCENT VICTIM has is absolutely NONE.

[stu007]

Hi

 

Bazooka Boo

 

Thats the thing i did ask them whos responsibility it actually was and got passed to the next contact in my post they just kept saying nothing to do with them contact such and such and they done the same. So these crooked debt collection agencies are not only protected by government acts but also by the government department supposed to help the consumer.

 

Uncle

 

Did speak to Lowells who were actually very sympathetic and appologised and promised to removed the home phone number from that person file but and this is a big but, the previous seven other debt collection agiences that called as i have now been corrected by the Disabled Veteran has been over 3years not 2years as i had initially stated have all made the same false promise and whats happen 3-4 months later another debt collection agency is calling for the same person

 

Ultimately I believe that Lowells will just pass the sell the file on like the others did and the same will continue to happen.

[stu007]

Hi all

 

Thanks for all your assistance and support

 

it just angers me that i know that there are probably hundreds if not thousands of people in the same situation all because these Debt Collections Agencies are just totally incompetent, see a fast way to make money and best of all they dont even have to check all the details given to then about the debtor is correct so in turn harrass innocent people get paid for it and get away with it.

[stu007]

Hi again

 

thanks ghost for the assistance and do see you point of Consumer Direct and Trading Standards and wait and see what comes of it.

 

My concern is that innocent people are being targeted by these DCAs not doing there job and they all have a websites with no enforcement that they have to display who innocent victims complaint too about there action?

 

That really is the main point these DCAs who maybe accidentlly lets say target the wrong individual constantly, that person checks ther website and low and behold there is no information on how to report them for contacting the wrong person WHY?

 

Next as in my main post all those different Government Departments I was tolds to call with not actual help but pass the buck WHY?

 

The exact information or process that an innocent victim should follow should be regulate and made law that its availble on these cowboys websites and if they phone that person they must automatically inform that individual of those rights

[stu007]

Hi

 

Can I ask this question to those knowlegable, throughout the 3yrs of constant harrasment of these DCAs I now have the full name of this Debtor and di thick I almost had the full address of the Debtor them when the last DCA contacted low and behold they give me the address number without realising it as it was them that aske me to confirm that house number. I think yous can guess that i had a good laugh as the only thing i did not know until then was the exact house number and they had just given it to me.

 

So during this time I have manage to find out the Debtors Full Name and Full Address!!!!!!!!!!

 

Is this not a Breach of the Data Protection Act!!!

[stu007]

Hi All

 

Latest Update

 

Well was contacted by Trading Standards on this issue and they were totally shocked when i explained all the different agencies i had contacted to resolve this to have the door basically closed in my face. They even confirmed that i had contacted the correct agencies and couldnt understand why they didnt take the case up as certains laws have been breached.

 

So Trading Standards are now contacting this DCA on my behalf quoting the Acts and Breaches and to remove my data and will contact again in a few weeks for a checkup. They were so understanding and couldnt have been more helpful.

 

When i get a copy of the letter they send to these idiots i think it would be good to post up.

[stu007]

I do hope it stops the harrassment

 

But its the principles if you add up the costs to someone innocent to have to resolve a problem like this caused by DCAs that are totally incompetant, but as Disabled Veterans has said this aint the end of it whether Trading Standards do manage to sort this or no,t its the hell these companies are legally allowed to put innocent people through and get away with it and who has to pay for all that hell even to get it resolved the innocent party not the DCAs who seem answerable to noone.

 

So he has managed to get the local MPs contact detail and is taking it to them and is going to write to them about this issue as he wants every little thing in writing

[stu007]

Hi Caggers

 

Have just had a good read of the latest OFT Updated Guidelines and must say i was taken aback, as reading through it i was like, well the DCA hasnt done this has breached that and ended up with one hell of a list.

 

Just cannot understand why OFT passed the buck when its all there in black and white in there own guidelines better still there most up to date guideline.

 

Now the tricky bit who do you complain to about OFT not following its own 'Debt Collection Guidance Updated October 2011' and informing the consumer it nothing to do with them and therefore passing the buck when they should have taken complaint as per there own guidance.

 

Still waiting on the copy of the Trading Standards letter just to updated all.

 

Thanks again caggers

[stu007]

Sorry all

 

being a pain but this has being niggling away so could i also ask your advice on this:

 

Due to the circumstances the DCA has incorrectly contact the wrong person by phone about someone elses debt, I then ask the DCA for there 'Clients Name and contact Address' (please note not the Debtors Details) to write an Offical Complaint to the Client and am duly informed NO due to the Data Protection Act.

 

As i did not ask then to give me any personal information relating to the Debtor but only the Client they were working on behalf of to complain to them is this correct?

[stu007]

Hi theghost

 

thanks for your input much appreciated and can see where your coming from.

 

Trading Standards are writing to DCA and were surprised that i could given them the Debtors Full Name, Address and Account reference.

 

They did ask how i got these details and were not impressed when I said when its the 8th different DCA in 3yrs the only thing i didnt have from previous DCAs was the house number which was provided by the last DCA asking me a bloke if i live at such and such address when its a female debtor there after.

[stu007]

Hi

 

Whats been annoying about this whole saga is its so simple for these Greedy, Lets break the law DCAs to sort and its in the OFT Guidelines as well.

 

All these idiots have to do is make sure of sufficient accurancy on Data recevied from the creditor clients and/or credit reference agencies is accurate(i.e is the telephone number the detors or not and if not remove it from ther system and debtors file as it is incorrect data) before phoning and harrassing a innocent Disabled Veteran all because its so hard to check a telephone number. DCAs are so incompetent and money hungrey they dont care who they harrass.

[stu007]

Hi theghost

 

too true what you say, but this then puts the innocent victim at such a disadvantage as to who to turn and also why should an innocent victim of DCA incompetance have to pay to sort out a problem wether it be a phonecall or a letter if all these government departments that are supposed to help only pass the buck.

 

So in turn you have DCAs harrassing innocents victims and getting away with it.

To Try and sort it you call numerous different government department at your cost.

So who is winning the DCA and the Government and the innocent victim well who cares about them.

 

CAG Does

[stu007]

Hi theghost

 

too true what you say, but this then puts the innocent victim at such a disadvantage as to who to turnto and also why should an innocent victim of DCA incompetance have to pay to sort out a problem whether it be a phonecall or a letter if all these government departments that are supposed to help only pass the buck.

 

So in turn you have DCAs harrassing innocents victims and getting away with it.

To Try and sort it you call numerous different government department at your cost.

So who is winning the DCA and the Government and the innocent victim well who cares about them.

 

CAG Does

[stu007]

Soz for double post

[stu007]

Hi

 

Abrigadier thanks so much for that info its great.

 

42man Oh i like that letter cant wait to send it tommorrow and see what these idiots say.

 

All this because they have the wrong phone number i.e. my phone number on this debtors file and no other details.

 

Obviously profit comes before doing the correct procedures with DCAs i.e. checking the data given to them is accurate

 

Well i suppose you can train a monkey but these idiots are a lost cause.

[stu007]

Hi all

 

thanks all for your help its great and 42mans letter is brilliant but i feel i should add to it on data protection but would like your views

as i really feel its time to hit these gits where it hurts.

 

Now as they are the 8TH DCA thats failed to check the Accurracy of Data i.e. the telephone number they have on file for the past 3 yrs is that of a Disabled Veteran at a completely different address with nothing to do with the debtor there after.

 

Irrespective that they are not the 8th DCA they have had the incorrect DATA (telephone number) on this Debtors file and have failed to remove or check the accuracy of the Data so surely they have breached the Data Protection Act.

 

Any input on this one most grateful