Credit Limits International: Italian Highway Code Debt

[mrflibbl3]

Afternoon all,

 

I’ve received a ‘formal debt recovery notification’ letter from some outfit called Credit Limits International (CLI), asking me to make payment for a debt owed to the ‘Corpo Di Polizia Municipale Di Firenze’, with regards to the Italian Highway Code.

 

I’m unsure as to what the debt is for - I’ve not received any notice prior to this.

It does, however, have a ‘Car reference’ that appears to be a number plate.

 

All I can think of is that my wife and I hired a car during the summer of 2015

- when we got married (!)

- in Florence, and perhaps it refers to that (the car was returned to the car hire company without an issue, so I can only surmise I must have committed a speed or driving offence without realising).

 

This is the first time I’ve received a debt collection letter and I’m unsure what to do next.

If there was a genuine offence then, as annoying as that is, fair enough

- but I’m a tad peeved my first notice is a letter that mentions an ‘enforceable order’ in Italy and ‘prosecution in this country’, plus asks me to cover payment of several high costs

- not just the ‘infraction amount’, but also interest, legal and collection costs, bringing the total to almost £400.

 

Any next steps would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks!

Edited February 10, 2019 by dx100uk
spacing

[dx100uk]

ignore!!

[mrflibbl3]

Heh, well that’s pretty simple Thanks! The tone in the letter did strike me odd - they mention being prepared to accept ‘meaningful’ repayment proposals to recover the money; it comes across as a little like pleading.

 

Why would this have taken almost four years to materialise? And in the form of debt collection? It’s all very weird...

[dx100uk]

and designed to fleece people....

they usually chase bogus French mortgage shortfalls

 

so this might be one of their new contracts with a portfolio they've bought over old motoring offences

safe to say nothing you ever pay these people actually gets to whom you might have owed anything to

it goes straight into their pockets for free holidays and that nights drinks

oh and to fund sending out 10'000's of other bogus debt letters.

 

its a numbers game

if one or two mugs are willing to pay because they think a DCA has some magical legal powers then it makes things profitable for their business model.

[mrflibbl3]

That’s even more depressing. Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep a hold of this letter and update if I receive anything else related. Hopefully this can serve as a warning to anyone else who hears from them.

[dx100uk]

its all DCA's can ever do..no matter which country they are in or the debt originates from.

they are NOT BAILIFFS

 

dx

[Sidewinder]

Different outfit, but the same fleecing method as got my father. He had hired a car in Rome and unknowingly racked up half a dozen or so infringements of a controlled traffic zone during his stay. It took almost four years for the fleecers - a UK based DCA - to write threatening hell and damnation unless he paid them well over £1600.

 

In father's case he paid up believing the threats to be legitimate, before owning up to me, and with very little research we discovered that he is not alone and many have been subjected to the same threats. With further research it also became clear that the DCA has absolutely no purpose other than to threaten (and rake off a tidy share of anything recovered) and only IF the local authority in Italy sought to take action they would only have jurisdiction in Italy and providing that you have no intention to return (and even then there would only be a small chance of finding trouble) then there is nothing that they can do.

 

Father later had another letter demanding further payment for another infringement not previously included and rightly that time completely ignored them. He has not heard from them since!

 

As a subnote, the legal system in Italy allows 360 days after establishing the identity of the driver (or hirer) in which to contact you. You should therefore have had a charge to your credit card (presumably) from the hire company, and then a notification and demand for payment from the Italian authorities - which in my father's case was by email and looked like a foreign s*c*a*m so it was deleted and only three years later did he get a letter from the UK DCA

[AndyOrch]

http://servizi.comune.fi.it/servizi/scheda-servizio/polizia-municipale-pagamento-multe-e-informazioni-sui-verbali

 

Click translate once on the site......also Statute of limitation is 3 years in Florence.

[ericsbrother]

I hate to say it but Italian and Greek police are notorious for writing up tickets for tourists and not issuing at the time but getting them sent out in the post in the hope that you dont check up the legitimacy of what they say and pay up.

CLI deal with a lot of foreign motoring tickets as no-one else will touch them knowing they are 99% dud. If they were legit then the matter would be dealt with differently and no via a dca.

[mrflibbl3]

Thanks for the replies, all. I’ve received another letter today, similar to the previous one, this time headed as a ‘final reminder’. Looks very similar to the same thing others have gone through. I’ll update if anything of interest happens.

 

Sidewinder, sorry to hear about your dad! I can totally appreciate how he got into that situation, mind. I was as clueless when I posted on this forum.

[unclebulgaria67]

Credit limits international had no authorisation on the FCA register to carry out debt collection, the last time I checked. If this is the case, I am not sure they could actually handle any monies that relate to debts.

 

From what I can tell from online checks of their business model, is that they offer a debt chasing service, where they provide various standard letters to creditors and authorities that can chase for debts. Any monies collected from sending the letters would go back directly to the debt owner.

 

If there was any legal action to recover the debt, I would think that CLI would just facilitate the debt owner using a UK Solicitors to pursue it for them.

[mrflibbl3]

So this has escalated to my receiving a letter notifying me of a doorstep collector visiting in 7 days. Had about five letters in total now. Should I reach out to CAB? Are they still trying to call my bluff?

[dx100uk]

stuff and all any doorstep DCA can do.

no powers at all just like a DCA themselves

IF they do turn up simply tell them to leave else you'll call police 101

say nowt more film them too.

[mrflibbl3]

I guess what I’m trying to suss out is... if they have no legal jurisdiction, would it not make sense for me to write to them and inform them of this, plus my unwillingness to pay? I could, say, call their bluff by asking them to pursue legal action?

 

If I don’t respond, they seem to think harassing me in person is acceptable. Who knows how long that could go on for?

Oh and, again, thanks for all this advice!

[unclebulgaria67]

Very little point in writing and you certainly would never state anything about owing a debt.

 

 All that happens is that some DCA's pass on a list of debts to local collection agents working on commission. They will knock on a door asking if Mr x lives at the address. You would never confirm your name at your doorstep anyway. So you just shake your head and close the door. Chances are you would not be in anyway. They don't spend too long trying at an address, as they need to visit as many as possible, given they are on commission.

 

ignore and stop worrying.

[mrflibbl3]

It’s a weird world we live in. Thanks. 

[mrflibbl3]

Sounds like the same bunch of jokers. I’ll post if they do send someone around and will stick to the useful advice offered on here.

[Eagle4000]

I’ve had the same... got one today with the fine from Italy attached and it showing a pic of the hire car going through 

first letter I’ve got where they’ve even mentioned the date of occurrence

saying they have passed to legal team .. I will continue to ignore but I am assuming they can’t actually action a U.K. COurt proceeding?

 

[dx100uk]

if you mean by they a totally powerless dca..correct.