HL Solicitors Any one else had these idiots

[noogie]

For the past 5 weeks we have received calls from HL solicitors asking to speak to me, hubby tells them I am not available and has told them we do not discuss nything over the telephone and to write a letter to which we will reply. They have ignored this and keep calling.

On the one night I called the number they had left and they wanted me to go through security which I refused stating I did not know who they were. Tey got extremley shirty and told me to answer their letter then. I duly informed them I have received no letter so in their wisdom they said what is your address then to which I replied you tell me what you have got. They gave the name of a road and said is this your address. I said well what number are you wirting to and they would not divulge and sai we have give you half the address so I replied well then I guess I will have half a letter then,

Its catch 22 they wont say what they want as I refuse security, I say I dont know you so I dont give any details to strangers especially my address. I dont think they have anything and they are fishing. I have told them not to call and spoken to supervisor thy then called three times within 2 hrs staright after. Both myself and husband are not in the best of health at the moment

Any comments or advice please

[cerberusalert]

It's possibly the idiots at Apex view aka Hampton Legal/Red/Lowell.

 

Or it could be these; http://www.hllc.co.uk/

 

Did you try entering their number here; http://whocallsme.com

[padja]

Theres a letter template in library to stop calls however I think you have to divulge your address to send it but then you are setting up a paper trail for any further correspondence if they use it for further correspondence. I have used the template to stop calls and to be honest it stopped all contact from the DCA as I suspect they realised I had been given professional advice. Others may offer further advice so sit tight for a bit. In the meantime please record calls (if you can with device) if not then write time of call, length of call, brief transcript of what was said (maybe worth writing a little script before hand) and any names of person calling. If the harassment continues and you make a formal complaint this will aid you.

[huggy41]

a quick and easy way is when they ring you up,and befor you answer any questions like yes it's me do this first.

 

Tell them that you are advising that all calls are recorded for putting on youtube or any other site i see fit and that by telling them you have fulfilled your LEGAL OBLIGATION OF NOTICE.

 

still don't answer any question though .

i find they stop very quickly

[dx100uk]

you could get in trouble for actually doing that

 

dx

[phaitun]

dx, one sided consent as to the recording of phone calls does not compromise any laws involving telecommunications, if you are the intended recipient then you can record and play the calls to whoever you wish too if you have informed the recipient that the call is recorded rpior to teh recording being commenced.thats how they get away with 'recording for training purposes' as they will play it to new staff and by telling you that they are doing it gives them the right.It also gives you the right to say, i wont speak unless you turn off the recorder as i dont want to be recorded for all and sundry to listen to.The right of privacy is waived when a company/corporation contacts you in relation to your private affairs and you tell them you are recording the conversation. After all Its your private information that is being discussed and if you want to broadcast it its up to you - same as facebook really!

[huggy41]

you could get in trouble for actually doing that

NOT SEEN A LAW YET THAT SAYS I'M NOT ALLOWED.

 

phaitun

 

just been doing some reading on RIPA and the law regarding broadcasting of phone recordings.

 

1. as long as i tell who ever rings me that i am recording and that I MAY BROADCAST IT . i'm in the clear legally.

2. as the subject matter is myself and possibly my very own DATA .then the decission to broadcast is for me to decide.NO LAW BROKEN.

3. as people seem to think this falls within the DPA .then i would counter that it is MY DATA and as such will do with as i please.

 

4 AT THE END OF THE DAY IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE RECORDED DON'T RING ME

[dx100uk]

i mentioned no law eitherwasy

but facebook/youtube is a bit far esp if mocking

but if you remove all names of firms/people then you are ok.

 

its not your data either

the disclaimer does not give you toal rights to do wht your like with it.

 

as i said, please be careful.

 

Just For Ref:

 

Whilst Ofcom says that when recording calls at work every reasonable effort should be made to inform all parties to a call that it may or will be recorded, silently monitored or intruded into,

the latest information from them for recording at home is different.

 

The following information is taken verbatim from Ofcom's website:

 

Recording and monitoring telephone calls or e-mails

A general overview of interception, recording and monitoring of communications

The interception, recording and monitoring of telephone calls is governed by a number of different pieces of UK legislation.

The requirements of all relevant legislation must be complied with.

 

The main ones are:

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ("RIPA")

Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice)(Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 ("LBP Regulations")

Data Protection Act 1998

Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999

Human Rights Act 1998

 

It is not possible to provide comprehensive detail of that legislation here.

Any person considering interception, recording or monitoring of telephone calls or e-mails is strongly advised to seek his/her own independent legal advice

and should not seek to rely on the general information provided below.

 

It should be borne in mind that criminal offences and civil actions may occur when the relevant legislation is not complied with.

Accordingly, Ofcom accepts no liability for reliance by any person on the following information.

 

 

Can I record telephone conversations on my home phone?

Yes. The relevant law, RIPA, does not prohibit individuals from recording their own communications provided that the recording is for their own use.

Recording or monitoring are only prohibited where some of the contents of the communication - which can be a phone conversation or an e-mail

- are made available to a third party, i.e. someone who was neither the caller or sender nor the intended recipient of the original communication.

 

For further information see the Home Office website where RIPA is posted.

 

Do I have to let people know that I intend to record their telephone conversations with me?

No, provided you are not intending to make the contents of the communication available to a third party.

If you are you will need the consent of the person you are recording.

[Halibutt]

Completely correct DX.

 

However, if there are no identifying indicators regarding the person calling you and they've been warned of recording at the beginning of the call, my reaction would be a simple one word answer: "Fuzzybobble."

[padja]

I think we are moving away from OP's original request for help

[noogie]

have read all th replies with interest and it has certainly opened my eyes.

An update for you. We informe the company that we do not want calls from them, we will record any calls they make, we will not go through any security over the phone, we will neither confirm or deny any address details and requested the caller to please make note of time and date of call and who has instructed them to call as it will be put before the county court by our legal rep.

 

no further calls received to date and interestingly no letters which again suggests they are fishing fr info

will keep you updated

Thanks to all X

[damo33]

I am having a nightmare with this company. Since mid-July I have been receiving automated calls from them on a series of numbers including (but not limited to):

 

• 07964035617
  
• 07805919436
  
• 07964038716
  
• 07964098480
  
• 07964082425
  
• 07964038719
  
• 07964036763
  
• 07964038632
  
• 07964038360
  
• 07964038574
  
• 07964035619
  
• 07964038540
  
• 07964036874
  
• 07964038601
  
• 01527405495
  
• 07791419113
  
• 07964038468
  
• 07964038544
  
• 07964038664
  
• 01527586596
  

I refused to answer any of these calls however they did leave voicemail messages asking me to call them. I wrote to them by recorded delivery telling them I would not discuss any legal or financial matters over the telephone and asking that they contact me in writing only. I pointed out that continued attempts to contact me by telephone after receiving my letter could constitute an offence under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

 

Although they received this letter, they completely ignored it and continued to call every 2-3 days at times ranging from 8:00am until 8:30pm. I have reported them to West Mercia Police, the Financial Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner's Office as I have been told that their repeated contact is not only in breach of Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 but also Section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 as I have medical proof that this is effecting my health.

 

I recently wrote to HL Solicitors advising them that I would be abroad on specified dates and that it would cost me to retrieve voicemails during this holiday. I informed them that should they leave any voicemail messages during my holiday I would bill them for the cost of retrieving the voicemails. They immediately wrote back saying that they had no record of me on my files and if I provided my mobile phone number they would remove it from their system.

 

It would appear that the threat of legal action has no effect on this company however the threat of a financial penalty is completely different. I have faxed them my response today and will see what happens.

 

PS I'm sorry but I am currently unable to post links in my posts but if you Google the acts you can find them on the legislation.gov.uk website

[gideonssword]

Please don't trust HL Solicitors i think they are more like glorified debt collectors.

 

I am trying to get to the bottom of a stunt they pulled on me, i have also reported them to the Solicitors regulation authority, i believe they have diddled me out of seven thousand pounds.

 

Please be careful!!!

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Report the to the OFT and Ofcom the complaint is harassment and failure to comply with OFT Guiadance regarding the way a debtor wishes to be conacted.

[gideonssword]

Well said Brigadier,

 

Just because someone uses the name Solicitor does not mean they are above the Law.

[damo33]

Hi Brigadier,

 

Thanks for the update, I will make sure I add the OFT and Ofcom to my list of complainants. gideonssword, when I carried out a Google search, they seemed to me to be an extremely dubious claims company hence the reason for my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. I did try to complain to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority however they said they could not act in my case as I had not asked the to act on my behalf. I hope you have more luck. I will try and update this thread with any further updates.

[damo33]

This saga gets even more unbelievable.

 

HL Solicitors have now wrote to me apologising for the calls stating that they have now removed my phone number from their system.

 

They then go on to advise me to contact my mobile phone provider as they believe that my "mobile number may have been recycled at some point".

 

I have had my mobile number since 1996 or 1997 and at the time paid for a "vanity number" ie one that is easy to remember.

This number had never been used before as it was issued during the transition of mobile numbers from 10 digit numbers to the current 11 digit "07" numbers.

 

They finish their letter with the statement that under the terms of their complain procedure this is their "final response".

 

I am currently waiting to hear from the organisations I have complained to and will update this post with any further updates.

[minxypixie]

these people are debt collectors. if your be contacted by them you owe money. i have a payment plan set up with them and they are much better than some companies i'v dealt with.

[cerberusalert]

these people are debt collectors. if your be contacted by them you owe money. i have a payment plan set up with them and they are much better than some companies i'v dealt with.

 

That comment is a bit presumptuous, there is no proof of a debt & just because a debt collector contacts someone doesn't mean there is.

[Jam_Buttie]

I'd tell them that they have phoned a wrong number. I did this for a few days with Vanquis and they soon stopped.

 

when they then phone a mobile number, simply say you have just bought the phone out of the paper. They soon give up.

[damo33]

It's been about 6 weeks now since I threatened them with costs etc and (hopefully) my threat seems to have worked. I have not heard anything from them since.

 

My complaints to various organisation however have resulted in some surprising actions or rather lack of them. West Mercia Police decided that as they have now stopped calling me they will take no further action (despite my 2 1/2 months of harrasment from them). The information Commisioners Office decided they would take no action as I could not prove that HL Solicitors did not have a reason to contact me (despite the fact they admitted they had no trace of me). Ofcom and the OFT stated that they would keep my complaint on file for use in any "similar" complaints.

 

In short, complaining to the world and his wife about this has had no effect because HL Solicitors have now stopped calling me. Still for me the important thing is that they have finally stopped.