Fredricksons contacting my employer about old vodafone debt

[huggy41]

Hi all, Huggys Boss here

 

I have received a call from my work this morning to say that they have been receiving calls from a guy call Mo asking for me.

He left a contact number and ref number and told them he was from Fredriksons!!!!

 

I have rang them this morning and blasted them.

 

 

They told me they were entitled to contact my employer, are they correct?????

 

I asked them how they got my employers number (I have only been in the job 5 weeks

and have certainly not given them the contact details for work)

 

 

he told me they did not have the number on file, only an old telephone number from my previous address.

 

When I asked him why I had not had any letters he said they had been sent to my updated address

- they have managed to update my address from my current address to my previous address bloody idiots.

 

I am not disputing the debt, it is a vodafone account which I left early

and I know I owe them the money but if I am honest I forgot about it because I have had no letters.

 

My questions are

- are they allowed to contact my employer especially when I know for a fact I have never given them or voda the number?

 

and how the hell do they know where I am working?

 

should I be reporting this to anyone?

 

Huggy thinks that they are not allowed to contact employers anymore because of the embarrassment it may cause.

 

I have only been in the job 5 weeks and still in my probationary period, I hope my boss is understanding.

[renegadeimp]

No they are not allowed. get a full complaint to them and the regulators.

[scousepie]

I know most if not all their info comes from CRA... check your CRA files and have a look at what info is on it... Get a compliant in asap.

[Bazooka Boo]

Freds the ruddy pests! ''We can phone your work''

 

How utterly deluded, complain complain & complain again, even complain to your local MP and have them raise the issue in the commons

once you have made a formal complaint to the FCA TS, Ofcom, and your MP, make one final one to Freds then ignore them, have absolutely

nothing to do with them, and ensure you make it perfectly clear in your complaint too them,

that you will not correspond with their immature staff who rely on puerile intimidation tactics.

[Conniff]

The FCA have set out rules on what they consider to be unfair debt collection practices. These include:

 

• Calling you at work without permission
  
• Discussing your debts with an employer or family member
  
• Refusing to deal with advice agencies Step Change
  
• Pressuring you to borrow more money to pay off debts
  
• Pretending to have legal powers they do not have
  
• Adding unreasonable charges
  
• Continuing to contact you when the debt is being disputed
  

If a creditor repeatedly fails to follow these rules, the FCA can issue a warning, impose a fine or withdraw their credit licence.

 

 

You 'must' report them to the FCA'. We have quite a lot of these claims in the forums, if everyone complained to the FCA, they would have lost their license by now.

[huggy41]

Thank you for your responses.

 

 

I rang the Credit Services Association this afternoon so that I could be sure of my facts before I gave Freds both barrels.

 

According to the CSA and as Conniff has stated,

they cannot contact an employer without prior consent.

 

 

The CSA advised me to make a complaint to Freds and also to themselves.

 

I intend to complain to whoever will listen because this practice needs to be stopped.

I had never really understood the impact these calls can have on people until it happened to me.

 

I have tried to speak directly with Freds compliance officer but apparently she doesn't speak to customers

(the boy on the phone was taken aback when I told him I was not one of his customers and after this carry on never would be!),

 

 

the boy then tried to tell me that Freds don't have an email address

- he soon found it when I said that there would be somewhere on the internet where I could find the name and email address of his chairman or CEO.

 

Unfortunately the only email address he gave me was the [email protected] and not a direct one for the compliance officer Lorraine Moat.

 

 

I don't intend dealing with Freds too much on this other than being a pain in the rear for a short while so won't be wasting any money on postage.

 

After forcing the name of the compliance officer and the email address out of the little boy

(it's easier getting passed a doctors receptionist than a dca phone jockey)

 

 

I then told him that I would be complaining to Vodafone about Freds behaviour

and telling them that they needed to get the account back from Freds if they wanted it clearing, and his response...........................

 

"Can we now go through your financials to sort out a suitable repayment plan?"

(I was very good, I didn't shout and swear at him, I just asked if he was deaf, daft or just plain stupid)

 

emailed Freds just after lunch but still not had a reply.

 

Will update with what I get including the details of the official complaints I will be making.

[Conniff]

A very serious consequence or impact on your life could happen. What happens if something at your place of work goes missing. Your employer would know you have debts so this could put you high on the suspect list. If nothing else happened, would they ever trust you again, you would always be suspect.

 

 

Go in hard, why not drop a letter to your MP as well.

 

 

Make your complaint to Freds by recorded delivery and marked (internally) 'Official Complaint' they have to respond to you.

[scousepie]

 

"Can we now go through your financials to sort out a suitable repayment plan?" (I was very good, I didn't shout and swear at him, I just asked if he was deaf, daft or just plain stupid)

 

 

You should have replied and said, you go first then lol

[brassnecked]

If the job was lost as a direct consequence of the DCA contact with employer could Freds be sued for the consequential losses? Might be worth telling them that is what you will do if that did happen.

[huggy41]

A very serious consequence or impact on your life could happen. What happens if something at your place of work goes missing. Your employer would know you have debts so this could put you high on the suspect list. If nothing else happened, would they ever trust you again, you would always be suspect.

 

 

Go in hard, why not drop a letter to your MP as well.

 

 

Make your complaint to Freds by recorded delivery and marked (internally) 'Official Complaint' they have to respond to you.

 

I am actually a domiciliary carer and need an enhanced DBS (or CRB as it was) check in order to work.

 

 

I am not sure what impact this will have as I am only 5 weeks into my 12 week probationary period.

I work for a small company and think I should be ok, but time will tell.

 

I am still at a loss as to where they got their information from as I know for certain

I have not given it to them or anybody else as far as I can remember.

[Bazooka Boo]

If the job was lost as a direct consequence of the DCA contact with employer could Freds be sued for the consequential losses? Might be worth telling them that is what you will do if that did happen.

 

Yes it could, which is exactly why they are forbidden from using this method of intimidation.

 

Huggy, just make the obligatory complaints, but make as much noise as possible making them, local MP is a definite, local press if needs be.

 

And FCA is a given.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi huggy41,

 

Thanks for making me aware of this.

 

So I can get things looked into further, email me with your details via the Contact us form here and quote the code WRT135 - CAG Forum in the subject line.

 

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post back with this and I’ll check I've received it.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

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Vodafone UK

[Old Cogger]

Suggest vodafone are at fault for using Freds in as much that they are responsible for actions of their agents,