Blair Oliver and Scott/Bank of Scotland ** Compensation awarded by FOS **

[reallymadwoman]

The 12 + 2 days are up today. I have every confidence that copies of all the agreements will be delivered this morning and everything will be in order.

On the other hand, as soon as the postman has been and gone I'm certain I will be cancelling all the standing orders. I was a bit peeved at the timing to start with (payments went out three days ago) but now see this as a definite advantage as the lack of payments won't alert them until it's far too late to avoid committing an offence.

Funnily enough I've only had one letter from them this week - a most disappointing performance when I was expecting the usual flood. How will I insulate the loft properly at this rate?

[reduk054]

Hi RMW, this seems to have come around quickly!

The 12 + 2 days are up today. I have every confidence that copies of all the agreements will be delivered this morning and everything will be in order.Oh no they won't!

On the other hand, as soon as the postman has been and gone I'm certain I will be cancelling all the standing orders. I was a bit peeved at the timing to start with (payments went out three days ago) but now see this as a definite advantage as the lack of payments won't alert them until it's far too late to avoid committing an offence. Like your thinking!

Funnily enough I've only had one letter from them this week - a most disappointing performance when I was expecting the usual flood. How will I insulate the loft properly at this rate?

He he, do you feel good today?!

Red

[babybear39]

Blair Oliver Scott are the in-house collections/'legal' department of HBOS (Halifax, Bank of Scotland, 50% of Sainsbury's bank, AA loans etc.)

[kennyparkroad]

RMW

 

have a look at my thread

 

"in major need of help"

 

red is familiar with that too, what turned out as a few subject kinda because the only thread to do with BOS

 

ive been fighting them since December! Trading Standards have it now so will see what happens, its regarding a "alleged loan of over 5k"

[reallymadwoman]

Hi Kennyparkroad,

Can you PM me which Trading Standards is dealing with your complaint. I've already complained once to my local trading standards, but they don't seem to be doing anything. When I complain again (when I get the next pay now or else letter from Barmy Orrible and Stupid) it might help to say 'XXX Trading standards are already dealing with a similar complaint'.

To clarify, Barmy Orrible and Stupid have been told repeatedly by me in writing, friends, family and carers over the phone, and Citizen's Advice that because of disability I cannot make or receive phone calls but they persisted in calling about 5 times a day for months on end despite having an agreement in place for payments which were being made on time. After they were very agressive to my daughter (quite obviously a child) and then demanded personal information from a paid carer, I finally changed my phone number so the calls stopped, but the letters started, all of them demanding that I phone immediately. Until recently I responded to every one in writing, but I might as well have saved the cost of postage because they either mysteriously disappeared in the post or they were misfiled, ignored, disregarded or used as loo paper so far as I can tell. About 18 months ago the FOS awarded me compensation for their failure to deal with correspondence, and a second complaint on the same grounds is with them now. They have made my life absolute hell, and I want revenge.

Incidentally, the nice postman hasn't delivered a thing from BOS so the standing orders are now cancelled. I expect they'll notice in about 28 days and then the real fun will start.

[Monty2007]

Dear RMW

 

Sorry to hear you are getting a lot of hassle from these jokers. I have a defaulted Sainsbury's loan with them and they mad my life a misery for a year. They never respond to any letters and I CCA'd them and SAR about 30 days ago and they cashed the cheques, no docs as yet. I have reported them to TS but heard nothing. I am now considering the FSA and I think if we have enough people complaining then we could petition to have their consumer credit license revoked.

 

The other route is to write to HBOS who are their parent company and have some responsibility for how Blair, Oliver and Scot operate. Do you get your letters of a Mr J Smyth in Litigation by any chance?

 

If you are still getting the calls then I suggest you write one of DMD's letters and copy it to HBOS's CEO.

[reallymadwoman]

I've already tried writing to HBOS, and got exactly the same response - none! I've complained about them to FOS too.

My plan now is to do nothing whilst they dig themselves into a deeper hole by continuing to send their computer generated nonsense and then take court action if necessary as soon as the thirty days is up.

[reduk054]

Go for it RMW, glad to see that you will not be taking any nonsense from HBOS et al!

Glad to see that you are prepared to take things further as well.

I was reading Kennyparkroads thread which he mentioned to you, and HBOS have not even replied to FOS following his complaint. Outrageous behaviour, they think that they are above the law.

Keep going, we are all behind you (and its not even pantomime season yet!)

Red

[reallymadwoman]

The behaviour of most of these DCAs, including the in house ones like Blair Oliver and Scott, is outrageous and they've been getting away with it because not enough of the general public know their rights to stop them. Unfortunately my experiences to date also lead me to believe that the Financial Ombudsman service is a waste of space and trading standards are not much better so far as dealing with complaints about the big banks is concerned. I may be wrong and I did eventually get some compensation through the FOS last time, but the current complaint has now been going on for 5 months and the attitude seems to be that Bank of Scotland are huge so how could they do anything wrong? I've given up with the FOS.

I still haven't had another letter from BOS though, very strange behaviour. If I'd realised that not paying them would have this effect, I'd have tried it months ago!

[kennyparkroad]

Hi Kennyparkroad,

Can you PM me which Trading Standards is dealing with your complaint. .

 

 

its my local trading standards i am using, which i think get more paperwork from me than anyone else! lol

 

My caseworkers says im very "organised, and thorough"

[reduk054]

RMW, please don't give up with TS, keep plugging away, you know that you are in the right!

Good for not receiving anything from BOS, they maybe have the message?!

Red x

[babybear39]

Second reduko54's sugestion as I'm having another meeting with TS tomorrow.

 

Polite persistance pays off with TS

 

Good luck and best wishes,

 

BB

[reallymadwoman]

Hi all,

Still nothing from Blair etc this week. It's very unkind of them to stop my fun!

Also still nothing from Trading Standards since 'your complaint has been received' four weeks ago. Perhaps they're snowed under with complaints about Blair etc!

In approx 21 days, assuming I've still not had my copy agreements, they and anyone else I can think of will be getting another complaint.

I did have a letter from FOS about 2 weeks ago saying they were still investigating but in the meantime would write to BOS and Blair etc to ask them to leave me alone. Perhaps they did, and that's why everything has gone so quiet.

[reallymadwoman]

Small update.

Still nothing from BOS, including threatening letters, with 14 days to go before they commit an offence.

Another letter from FOS 'continuing to investigate and will write again in 4 weeks'

Nothing from Trading Standards.

[Mike220359]

RMW look at my thread here,

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-debt/56001-mike220359-blair-oliver-scott.html

 

Dont worry about your letters being signed for etc. if they are not delivered as mine wasn't when I sent a letter to the Company Secretary of Blair et al, they are sent back to you. So if you haven't had the returned, they have been delivered.

 

When they ring ask to speak to a supervisor, the 'assistants' that they have on the 'phone are just poorly paid, poorly trained people who talk from a crib sheet. There agin if you dont confirm who you are, they cant talk to you.

 

As regards your CCA, chances are they will not have a copy of the paperwork, HBOS, particularly bad, RBS got better post 2004 when they realised that people were starting to realise that they have had the wool pulled over their eyes.

 

Be strong, theyre wrong

 

Mike

[reallymadwoman]

First chance I've had to read all the way through your thread, and I now know exactly what to do next - fantastic!

 

Everything I'd read before seemed to suggest that even once the 30 days is up it's best to let sleeping dogs lie, but I know that sooner or later I'll be inundated with letters and probably phone calls again once they track down my new (unlisted) number by whatever devious means they obtained the old one. Your thread has given me hope that I might in the not too distant future be able to forget Blair Oliver and Scott ever existed and remove some huge blots from my credit file, and also reassured me that, despite my misgivings about not repaying the money they say I owe, they are in the wrong not me.

 

I can't wait for Monday 20th August when I can safely send the next letter. As it's for four accounts, would that mean they got four fines for the criminal offences? Let me see - they say I owe £xxxx total, four fines = £10,000. I suppose even Blair Oliver and Scott can do the maths and work out what's in their best interests!

[reduk054]

RMW, glad to see your renewed vigour and strength from this site.

WELL DONE!

Red

[reallymadwoman]

A thought just ocurred to me. I'm pretty sure that one of these loans (the biggest) was taken out over the internet and I never signed anything. Are the rules different for credit accounts arranged over the internet?

[reduk054]

RMW, I have read threads previously about internet loans, and wonder if you are in possession of a CC request in this case? Obviuosly there are no signatures if done all on line and therefore is a CCA request valid?

I am unsure...but worthwhile continuing to find out!

Red

[reallymadwoman]

It's probably irrelevant anyway as we all know how likely I am to get any sort of response from Blair, Oliver and Scott!

I'd guess that the CCA request is still valid as there has to be some sort of credit agreement with all the prescribed terms, but probably not the signatures, which does of course mean that they could just fill in the relevant amounts on any old agreement.

Maybe I'll get stroppy on one of the smaller accounts first, just to see what happens. And there's always the possibility of claiming back all the charges if all else fails.

[Mike220359]

A thought just ocurred to me. I'm pretty sure that one of these loans (the biggest) was taken out over the internet and I never signed anything. Are the rules different for credit accounts arranged over the internet?

 

I'm afraid that they are governed by slightly different rules, I cant remeber exactly what the actual rules are I'll get back to you as sonn as I can on that one

 

Mike

[Mike220359]

There you go

 

http://www.uk-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2004/uksi_20043236_en.pdf

 

Mike

[reallymadwoman]

I'm not very good at interpreting legal stuff, but I believe the effect of the regulations is that, other than being able to supply stuff via email, all the other provisions still apply, including the need for a signature from me at some point.

 

If anyone interprets this stuff differently, please let me know.

 

Also, I must have given them my email address when I applied, but it's changed several times since so could they say they emailed everything to the original address and if I hadn't told them of a change, it's my fault?

[reallymadwoman]

I would still like a reply on the email address question if anybody has one.

 

Other than that, these (would like to write something really rude but am too polite and don't want my post deleted) are now 7 days from committing an offence. I can't wait to start the ball rolling. I know I could just sit back and let them get on with it, but after all the hassle they've given me I want them off my back for good.

 

Getting rid of the defaults on my credit file would be useful too as I'm about to start up in my own business and I would really like a proper business bank account rather than just a basic one even though I don't need to borrow any money so don't need an overdraft or credit card. Actually, I want all the free help that's supposed to go with the account!

[Mike220359]

Sit back and wait till the prescribed time is up

 

Mike