Wescot Credit Services
Discussion
For well over a year now I have been getting letters from Wescot Credit Services claiming I owe money to another company and they have taken on the debt.
I dont owe them any money at all so each time I simply file the letters in the bin.
Each time the amount changes going up and down and each time they tell me I have 14 days to respond and then they will either take me to Hull court or send out someone to my door to collect the debt.
To me it seems they are just trying scare tactics, has anyone else ever had dealings with them?
I just keep binning the letters as they are sent normal post so they have no proof I ever recieved them.
I dont owe them any money at all so each time I simply file the letters in the bin.
Each time the amount changes going up and down and each time they tell me I have 14 days to respond and then they will either take me to Hull court or send out someone to my door to collect the debt.
To me it seems they are just trying scare tactics, has anyone else ever had dealings with them?
I just keep binning the letters as they are sent normal post so they have no proof I ever recieved them.
Adz The Rat said:
Yes the letters are in my name and no have never taken any credit out with the company they mention.
Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Even worse if you ignore them, as they WILL go to court.Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Leaving you with a CCJ.
elster said:
Adz The Rat said:
Yes the letters are in my name and no have never taken any credit out with the company they mention.
Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Even worse if you ignore them, as they WILL go to court.Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Leaving you with a CCJ.
smartie said:
elster said:
Adz The Rat said:
Yes the letters are in my name and no have never taken any credit out with the company they mention.
Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Even worse if you ignore them, as they WILL go to court.Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Leaving you with a CCJ.
Same company contacted me about 3 years ago claiming for unpaid fees on an old Dircon.com email address that I hadn't used for about 4 years.
There was nothing subversive about Wescot. They had simply been appointed by whoever had acquired dircon who decided to have a rummage through their old accounts to see if there was anything they could claim.
My name came up but was able to prove I'd cancelled the account and case was closed.
Respond in writing (NOT email) and keep copies.
There was nothing subversive about Wescot. They had simply been appointed by whoever had acquired dircon who decided to have a rummage through their old accounts to see if there was anything they could claim.
My name came up but was able to prove I'd cancelled the account and case was closed.
Respond in writing (NOT email) and keep copies.
Adz The Rat said:
Yes the letters are in my name and no have never taken any credit out with the company they mention.
Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
Write to them demanding to see a copy of the agreement they are trying to enforce.Ive read lots of bad things about them lying and arguing with you if you contact them so just been planning to ignore it.
They will not be able to send you a copy.
If they persist, send them a letter telling them you will prosecute them under the Harassment Act 1997 if they continue to contact you without sending you a copy of the alleged agreement.
I had the same company contacting me for a BT bill for an old address. Wrote back with a signed letter from my previous landlord explaining I wasn't responsible for the bill. Wescot themselves were actually ok, reasonable people when I phoned them first to explain what I would be sending.
Haven't heard anything since.
Haven't heard anything since.
The Char said:
I had the same company contacting me for a BT bill for an old address. Wrote back with a signed letter from my previous landlord explaining I wasn't responsible for the bill. Wescot themselves were actually ok, reasonable people when I phoned them first to explain what I would be sending.
Haven't heard anything since.
You are very lucky. I have had these twerps on my case twice now. One time I did owe the money. It was to my university who sent a bill after I I graduated and write to my old address despite me having kept them updated to my whereabouts. At the time not unlike most new graduates I moved around a lot and they kept writing to places I had just moved out of.Haven't heard anything since.
Luckily I bumped into someone who was living at a place I had moved out of and he mentioned that they were trying to get hold of me so I contacted them and paid up straight away. They failed to mention that they had taken out a CCJ against me which I didn't find out about until over a year later when I wanted credit! Cue protracted process getting them to issue a letter of satisfaction so that I could get the courts to remove the CCJ.
The second time was for a debt owed by the new tenants from my last flat who didn't change over the details on the gas bill. After a year of back and forth telling I didn't owe the money and sending them copies of contracts which they claimed they did not receive on 3 occasions I gave in and paid the £98 they wanted!
I have found them to be tenacious even when you don't owe the money and over zealous when you do to the point of getting jusdgemnts against you when they have not even made contact.
Some would say it is only their job but I feel they are bottom feeders who don't get the facts straight and use their size to bully people.
Adz The Rat said:
Thanks for the advice I think I better write to them and see what they say.
As noted above:Deny any debt or liability
Put them to proof or withdraw the claim
Any communication which is neither the evidence of the debt or confirmation of a withdrawal of the same will be deemed harassment.
I've had more than a few dealings with Wescot (stuck my head in the sand for a few years and got myself into all sorts of mess with debts). If they have some kind of proof which will stand up in court they will take you to court. I ended up with a CCJ for one of my debts.
2 of the others I have argued with them and has been sucessful. One of them I could prove was not my debt, They said it was a catalogue debt so i sent them copies of bank statements, payslips etc to prove I was not living at the address at the time and they have 'written' off the debt. The other was over an old mobile phone contract, neither I or the mobile phone company had enough proof either way to say who was in the wrong so we argeed on a lower amount to pay off.
It really is worth asking them for the full details and state clearly that you do not accept any reponsibility for the debt. It may take a while of writing letter backwards and forwards, but trust me it's a lot less painfull than having a CCJ sat on your credit record for years (it's buggered my chances of getting a mortgage at the mo)
2 of the others I have argued with them and has been sucessful. One of them I could prove was not my debt, They said it was a catalogue debt so i sent them copies of bank statements, payslips etc to prove I was not living at the address at the time and they have 'written' off the debt. The other was over an old mobile phone contract, neither I or the mobile phone company had enough proof either way to say who was in the wrong so we argeed on a lower amount to pay off.
It really is worth asking them for the full details and state clearly that you do not accept any reponsibility for the debt. It may take a while of writing letter backwards and forwards, but trust me it's a lot less painfull than having a CCJ sat on your credit record for years (it's buggered my chances of getting a mortgage at the mo)
For a CCJ to be registered against you it has to
a) go to court
b) if it goes against you can pay in 14 days.
You can also I believe apply to have the case heard in a court near you (if it's a personal debt not against a company), so I'd suggest don't do anything until you get a court summons. Then write back to the court with a defence, applying to have the case transferred near you. Then you can go to the court. Unless it's for a lot of money they won't turn up and you won't get a CCJ. Worst case is you both go to court, you both present your evidence to a judge, it goes against you and you pay up within 14 days and no CCJ.
I have a theory that these people work on the basis of the the return and investment in recovering the debt. If you do owe the money or it's arguable make them think the probability they will get a return is low or the investment of recovery is high (e.g. by hand writing a response in poor English on cheap paper with no stamp on the envelope - these people assume there's a cheque in the envelope so will pay to receive it - so they think you have no money or by giving them lots of inconsistent information or being obnoxious to their staff increasing their recruitment and retention costs).
a) go to court
b) if it goes against you can pay in 14 days.
You can also I believe apply to have the case heard in a court near you (if it's a personal debt not against a company), so I'd suggest don't do anything until you get a court summons. Then write back to the court with a defence, applying to have the case transferred near you. Then you can go to the court. Unless it's for a lot of money they won't turn up and you won't get a CCJ. Worst case is you both go to court, you both present your evidence to a judge, it goes against you and you pay up within 14 days and no CCJ.
I have a theory that these people work on the basis of the the return and investment in recovering the debt. If you do owe the money or it's arguable make them think the probability they will get a return is low or the investment of recovery is high (e.g. by hand writing a response in poor English on cheap paper with no stamp on the envelope - these people assume there's a cheque in the envelope so will pay to receive it - so they think you have no money or by giving them lots of inconsistent information or being obnoxious to their staff increasing their recruitment and retention costs).
I know the Finance director of Westcot, really decent family man I was quiet shocked when I found out he was a debt collector. As he is so far from what you would imagine.
I have chatted to him about how they operate they don't buy debts they just collect as instructed by there clients from the recovery they get paid not sure if it's a fixed fee or percentage. There clients are usually high street banks, utility companies and phone services providers that type of thing. He describes them as first line debt collectors they don't have people knocking on your door or bailiffs removing goods. They only take you to court as and when the client instructs.
I have chatted to him about how they operate they don't buy debts they just collect as instructed by there clients from the recovery they get paid not sure if it's a fixed fee or percentage. There clients are usually high street banks, utility companies and phone services providers that type of thing. He describes them as first line debt collectors they don't have people knocking on your door or bailiffs removing goods. They only take you to court as and when the client instructs.
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