Minicredit's 'solicitors' sending text messages to my house phone!

[azzadle]

Afternoon all,

 

I just answered the phone to get a text message saying the following:

 

"Dear Mr. your account has been passed to (some word) solicitors, please call us on quoting "

 

After googling the number, it's OPOS. Here's the story in short:

 

- Borrowed £100 from MC in June 2011

- Tried to contact them because my card payment was going to backfire due to my bank stopping payments from my card as was in my O/D and had to pay that back first, they ignored me.

- Charges and all that nonsense racked up to £799

- They sent 2 letters claiming doorstep collectors would be coming and whacked £100 on top twice for this, never turned up. This is the only communication I had from MC.

- Up to this point I've paid £115.50 towards the loan. (£55.50 and 2 x £30)

- Offered OPOS £76.50 as F+F, they accepted.

- Capital Finance One somehow got my card details, raided my account and left me with nothing. Emailed OPOS explaining the situation (this was on the 9th of August), no reply by post or by email since.

 

And here we are. Never have I given them my house number either so I'm VERY annoyed they've used this number, if my parents pick it up hearing that it's a message from a "solicitor" questions are going to be asked when this is a private matter! What should I do with this? I've got all the emails from OPOS still, confirming the agreement etc so they can't shaft me there.

 

Any help appreciated, need a fast solution because I do not want to ring them but I guess I have to to stop them "texting" my house phone!

[azzadle]

Just got a text message from them too, calling themselves Optima Solicitors. Sent a very stern email telling them they aren't allowed to contact me via phone or text.

[Spiral123]

First of all have you contacted your bank in relation to CFO raiding your bank? If not do so immediately as this was an unauthorised transaction. How much did they take? these low life are doing this willy nilly and need to be stopped (took £175 from me but after a long fight with my bank I eventually got money returned after about 3 weeks.) Write to CFO with a final response letter asking them to pay back unauthorised transaction, as you have to give them 8 weeks at least to respond bofore taking it to FOS. ( I know they will just laught back at you, but needs to be done.) Report CFO to all the relevant authorities FSA etc... as these cowboys need to be stopped and the only way is to report them and hopefully a case can be built against them.

 

As regards Minicredit/OPOS, pay them the £76.50 as agreed, when you can afford it, as hopefully you have an email/letter confirming full & Final settlement and let them whistle for the rest.

[azzadle]

I contacted them straight away about it, the payment wasn't actually claimed after 7 days by CFO so they'd taken the money but somehow hadn't.. Therefore it "dropped off" the bank's system and was returned to me immediately. However, CFO sent me a letter saying I owe them £275. They wanted £900+ for a £350 loan and from the raid they took the exact difference between the latest letter and the previous one (which was from about 9 months ago!) so they've reduced my balance but not taken the money. Not sure how to play that one.

 

I do indeed have the letter confirming that - this was their offer and I countered with £76.50 which they accepted.

 

From OPOS to me: As stated, I wish to help you with this matter and I am prepared to be extremely flexible. I am prepared to allow you to settle your account for a single one off payment of £200.00. When this payment is made, the remainder of the balance outstanding is written off and no further action will be taken. The account will then be closed as classified as fully settled. This will show as paid in full on your credit file. The debt will not be passed to any other agency as it will be written off.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2012 by azzadle

[Spiral123]

All you owe CFO is Original Loan plus one months interest plus 1 default charge, reasonable amount not extortionate, say £12, less any payments made against loan not including any rollovers paid. If still balance owing after calculating, offer them a payment plan you can afford over x amount of months. If they refuse, keep emailing them the offer, at least it shows you were willing to settle the debt if it ever comes to it.

[Riccardo90]

Ive also received a text today, convenient they have a similar name and exactly the same reference number.. bunch of monkeys!

[westfield]

When you applied for yourIan with minicredit did you put in a land line number. Or possibly they might have got it through directory enquiries.

Oh how we deceive our parents eh? That'd an observation not a criticism

[kh41]

are minicredit, opos and cfo all the same company ????

[westfield]

I am told minicredit and opos are. I do not know about CFO but i do not think so. Why do you ask?

[Kitten1]

I was being bothered my txts from a vile dca. If you listen to the full message, at the end is a phone number to access the txt message service. Phone that number and listen to the options as you can turn the txt to voice service off altogether. That's what I did.