Uksearch

[mr_mastiff]

My stepson left home about three and a half years ago.

 

 

Unknown to me he owed about £5.000 to various companies.

Thanks to CAG and by following various threads I managed to stop the harassment by the DCAs chasing these debts.

 

 

One of the companies involved made an out of court settlement to compensate me for the harassment that they had inflicted on me over a two year period.

 

I thought that would be an end to my problems but Uksearch as now started to send numerous letters

and I have had a few number withheld telephone calls which cut off when I pick the phone up.

 

 

I have sent an email and a letter(recorded) to Uksearch stating that my stepson as not lived at that address for three and a half years.

He was not living at the address when the debt occurred(which I can prove) and why are they addressing letters to him at my address?

 

My letter to them clearly states that I will consider any telephone calls or letters addressed to my stepson harassment

as I have now informed them that he does not live with me.

 

I have an anxiety related disorder and want to avoid another battle with yet another DCA.

 

 

Is there anything else I can do at this stage?

 

 

Would I be in my rights to write to the company the debt is owed too,

complaining that by employing Uksearch to recover the debt that they will be held responsible for the harassment.

Edited August 3, 2015 by mr_mastiff
forgot part of question

[citizenB]

If you know the company that has employed UK Search, then yes - write a letter to their Head/registered office and head it "Formal Complaint".

 

Send it by a tracked mail service so you know they have received it.

 

Give them 10 days to confirm that they will remove your contact details - address/telephone number from their records or you will be escalating your complaint to the ombudsman.

[mr_mastiff]

CitizenB, Thankyou.

 

 

I do know the company involved.

 

 

I have never had an account with them nor as my stepson whilst he lived at this house.

 

 

I believe that the company involved as passed/sold the debt to Uksearch and they are using the usual methods to try and find him.

i.e historical electoral rolls etc.

 

 

This is the second DCA which as tried to collect this debt.

 

 

I have sent a letter to the company involved (formal complaint as suggested)

and will keep this site informed on my progress.

[mr_mastiff]

I also sent an email to the company.

 

My name Is ........ of ................

I have received letters from a debt collection company called UKSEARCH in regard to a debt belonging to Mr ........

 

 

Mr ......... as not lived at this address for over three and a half years nor did he live here when the debt occurred.

 

 

I consider the actions by UKSEARCH on your behalf to be harassment as ........ does not live here nor is the debt mine.

 

 

If the company representing you continues their harassment of me I will take the matter to the F.O.S.

 

 

Regards .........

I got this reply twenty minutes later.

Good Afternoon,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We have updated UK SEARCH with your email,

 

 

you may also post the letter back as not at this address without paying for postage to stop receiving mail for somebody else who does not live at the address.

 

 

Thank you and apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.

 

Kind Regards

Support

 

Lets see what happens now.

[renegadeimp]

Keep hold of that reply incase you get another. If you do then report them. Notice how they accepted it straight away with no proof of what you said? I bet youll be hearing from them in the future. Or theyll sell it on.

 

If they do sell it on, make sure you report it to everyone who listens.

[mr_mastiff]

Renegadeimp. As I said this is the second DCA which as contacted me in regard to this debt. But this is the first time I have contacted the retail company direct. I await their reply to my formal letter of complaint.

[citizenB]

I rather suspect that UK search are not actually the new owner of the debt, they are just acting on behalf of the original creditor. If you receive any more mail for your stepson at your address, then simply mark it "return to sender/not known at this address". If they continue to send them, then you should either escalate to the Ombudsman or issue a claim against the company that is actually sending the letters.

[i hate bailiffs]

Truecall are a brilliant bit of kit for blocking unwanted calls

Got mine off eBay for £45 bargin of the year!

 

Worth their weight in gold!

[cfs_too]

Truecall are a brilliant bit of kit for blocking unwanted calls

 

Got mine off eBay for £45 bargin of the year!

 

 

 

Worth their weight in gold!

 

 

 

 

I can totally agree with ihatebaliffs, truecall has changed our lives.

It really is worth every penny!

[dx100uk]

UK serch as such is not a DCA

they are a Tracing agency used by DCA's

 

 

I suspect they have 'a client'

 

 

your target is that 'client'

 

 

if its one you've had complaints about before

then more compo time

[mr_mastiff]

dx100k, Thankyou for the advice, will find out which company they represent and send formal complaint.