Lowell Portoflio

[Hannah777]

Hi there

 

I could do with some help, I originally had a phone contract with orange in 2006. When i got the phone i asked orange to place a cap of £50 for calling, texting and data abroad as i was going away shortly after. During a holiday in Turkey my phone bill shot up to £350. Orange tried to take this as a DD but as my bank account didn't have enough money it was rejected. I asked Orange to investigate this matter and they returned saying to me there was no such request or record of it. After a lot of correspondence and complaints they stopped writing to me and i presumed the debt was deemed settled. So last year i received a letter from Lowell to say hey had purchased the debt from orange and they were now pursuing me for the money and all the usual 'if you don't pay we will instruct recovery specialists'. I promptly wrote to them explaining the situation and they put the account on hold until they had spoked to orange, however orange must of came back to them saying the same thing about no record etc. I feel begrudged in dealing with this company and paying the debt. I wrote to orange head office with an offer to settle and they ignored me, i wrote to lowell with an offer of £100 to settle and they refused. I then found some info on requesting the original credit agreement under CCA 1971 section 77/78. They have replied with a letter stating that their client (orange) is under no obligation to provide this as it is a request for payment which is a service agreement and not a credit agreement.

 

Its also states 'when lowell purchases the debt from a client they issue a letter of assignment which fulfils their legal obligation under the law of property act'

 

Anyone have any advice on what to do next?

 

Thanks

[maroondevo52]

Hello and Welcome Hannah,

 

I've moved this thread to the Debt Collectors Forum, they are correct about not having to provide you with a copy of any CCA agreement, does this debt show on your credit file and when was the last time you made any payment or acknowledged this debt in writing.

[Hannah777]

Hi there

 

I have always responded to lowell in writing, since they first contacted me in 2013. The last payment that was made on the account was before the large bill (before the holiday) in 2008 which was my usual monthly contract price. I have always denied i owed the money due to the request i made to orange about capping my tariff. The debt shows on my credit file as lowell and not orange.

[silverfox1961]

Hi

In any future letters to Lowells, make sure you head the letter:

 

"I acknowledge no debt to you nor any company you claim to represent"

 

I'm afraid this is normal practice for Orange. Customer service reps don't put enough info on the computer to identify the reasons for calling.

 

Do you remember how you phoned them. Landline or mobile? If by your Orange mobile you could demand that they send you your call logs for the time in question where you can reconcile the date(s) you rang them against the holiday dates.

[Hannah777]

I cant remember but it was probably via the orange mobile i had, i asked them at the time to get the call logs if they recorded it etc, they wanted £30 and it requested in writing. I have since wrote to them again and again since lowell came on the scene but never had one reply from them

[silverfox1961]

You can send Orange a SAR. This costs £10 and they should supply ALL the data relating to your account but you should specify what you want.

[Hannah777]

Can Lowell go on my credit file as a lender though? when you click on their information it says lender-lowell, type-telecommunications, but the account only dates back to last year (when the purchased the debt i presume)

[Bazooka Boo]

Don't worry what lowlifes do, they are a law unto themselves, especially where moby phone debts are concerned.

 

Your dispute is with the horrendous Orange, so Lowlifes can go take a long walk off a short cliff, ignore them.

They like to send you silly little missives typed out on their speak & spell, but just file them away under ignore.

 

Hit Orange with a formal complaint, and as already suggested get a SAR off to them enclosing the £10 Stat fee, then any fees/charges Orange have applied to your account you can reclaim them, or ignore them and just pay what you physically owe.

 

http://eecomplaints.co.uk/make-a-complaint