Lowell and various debts.

[comebackjimmy]

I will contribute here if that is all right as I have successfully fought off Lowell with a Vanquis card and have some knowledge of how they work.

 

So first things first, what is the nature of each of these letters?  If they are all introductory letters with a Lowell letter head then that is a good sign.    They can safely be ignored.

 

However, can we be clear that none of the letters are County Court Claim forms or Letters before Action.   A letter before action would say that or something similar on the letter.   Make sure none of them are from a solicitor.

 

Presuming these letters are all intro letters I would go dark!   That is to say I would not reply.  No emails,  no snail mail and definitely no phone calls.

 

Let them keep sending their various automated letters for as long as they like.

 

If you receive any phone calls from them (though currently it does not seem likely as how would they get your number) then DO NOT GO THROUGH SECURITY, just hang up without speaking to them.    Then create a contact in your phone called DCA Lowell and add the number they called from.

 

They call from various numbers.  Here is a list of numbers they have previously called from though in actual fact all the calls come from one automated threatomatic machine in an office somewhere:

 

07900742239
01133086169
08448150652
0844444716
01133086000
01133086035
07900742242
0333 556 5500
0333 556 5501
0333 556 5835
0333 556 5560
0333 556 5561
0333 556 5520

 

Of course there will be more!

 

With all due respect to Dx100UK (for whom I do have the highest respect as I have seen and followed his many posts over the years) but I would not send a letter along the lines he suggests.  For a start he refers to "my possible historic debt" this to me could be interpreted as taking ownership of the debt.

 

It might be worth writing a letter to them if your current address is stable but if they continue to write to your mother's address then you will receive them.  Have her open and photograph them and send you the pictures by whattsapp.

 

If you do write to them I would keep it as simple as possible as follows:

 

Dear Sirs

 

REF:  (ACCOUNT NO.)

 

Please be advised that should you wish to write to me then the address for correspondence in this matter is as follows:

 

YOUR ADDRESS.

 

Yours sincerely

 

(Absolutely do not send phone number or email address)

 

Next:

 

Join checkmyfile or similar credit reference service  for free and you will get regular updates to your credit report and will see any changes immediately  just in case Lowell slip a sneaky CCJ through.

 

Your current position seems to be that they are trying to collect on the debts.

 

They do not know for sure who you are.

 

They have not established that a debt exists.

 

They have not established  their right over the debt or ownership of the debt.

 

They have not provided any paperwork to establish the debt.

 

They have not proved they bought the debt and/or declared they are acting for either the original creditor or anyone else that bought the debt.

 

So for now, go dark and stay dark other than possibly directing any correspondence to you instead of poor old mum, unless she is willing to be your gatekeeper. 

 

Also, worth trying to find out when these debts were last acknowledged by you.  By that I mean when did you last pay or write something saying or implying you owed the money?

 

This is because no legal action can take place after six years (five in Scotland) so it is worth while working out how long they have got to run.

 

When you first defaulted then the original creditor would at some point have recorded the default with a credit reference agency.  If Lowell bought the debt then they have (or had) a habit of illegally re-defaulting.   In my case they tried to say the debt was still within the six years but I was able to refute that with a copy of the original default notice.

 

In the case of the Vanquis card your clock starts ten days after the date of the Default Notice VANQUIS issued.  The default date on your Credit file may be different but it is the DN notice that is the important one.

 

In the case of the utilities then either the last time you paid or if they did issue a default notice then the same as for the Vanquis card.

 

That is enough to be going on with.

 

As ever I welcome other CAG'ers suggestions, comments and criticisms. I might have got some things wrong. 

Edited December 20, 2019 by comebackjimmy
spelling

[comebackjimmy]

OK

 

So right now they allege they own the debt and want you to pay.

 

I would stay dark.

 

Get your mum to open the letters and whattsapp the contents to you.

 

As long is it is the standard chasing letters of one sort or another then it is safe to ignore.   They have not got you to the doors of the court yet!!

 

Get your mum to KEEP all the letters and whenever you visit just collect them and file them properly.

 

The object of the exercise is never to give them any feedback.

 

I would never send the letters back as Return to Sender.  Right now they don't know anything so the threatomatic machine is just pumping them out, let it continue to do so.  If you get the letters sent back as Return to Sender they may not believe it but if they do then you lose control of what they are doing.  As long as they are sending correspondence to you it is possible to read what they are saying and see if they are trying anything on.   They might just try a backdoor CCJ but if they do not use your mums address they might use some other previous address and you have lost control.

 

This is a long game where they keep hitting balls over the net and you keep not hitting them back, and they don't know if there is anyone on your side of the court!

 

The only time you have to do anything else is when they start to get legal.

[comebackjimmy]

Do nothing, sleep well!