There is also the financial status of the debtor to be considered too, as well as the responses they make to DCAs 'phone calls and letters etc. If the debtor owns a house with identifiable equity then I bet a DCA would be keen to start proceedings. Especially if the debtor seems a bit naive on the legal front. Just by proving a solid grounded knowledge of the law will, I think, put a DCA on the back foot. Every letter I receive from Cabot is responded to quickly with knowledge gleaned from these forums and it seems to keep them quiet for a few weeks / months at a time. There will always be business criteria behind the decision to start court proceedings, even if it's just to make an example of someone. So be polite and firm with your dealings with them (although it's tempting to be a bit 'caustic' at times) and keep them at quietly at bay.

Having successfully sent the mother company Cabot packing, they have now brought out the pop-guns against me in the form of a letter from FIRE Ltd. So I did a couple of the usual checks on them. First Companies House: 'Kings Hill (No 2) Ltd' company number 03959268 became 'Financial Investigations and Recoveries (Europe) Ltd' company number 03958421 on the 14 March 2005. Of course the registered address of Kings Hill (No 2) Ltd as we all know is .... 1 KINGS HILL AVENUE KINGS HILL WEST MALLING KENT ME19 4UA Next The Information Commissioner's Office: Registration Number: Z511230X Date Registered: 11 January 2001 Registration Expires: 10 January 2010 Data Controller: FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIONS AND RECOVERIES (EUROPE) LIMITED Address: C/O CABOT FINANCIAL (EUROPE) LIMITED 1 KINGS HILL AVENUE KINGS HILL WEST MALLING KENT ME19 4UA Now the interesting bit: When applying for a data controller licence, it is the applicant's duty to keep the record up to date. Not to do so within 28 days of a known change is a criminal offence. In accordance with the rules quite clearly laid out on the application form: Data controller address If you are a limited company you must provide your registered office address. In all other cases you must provide the address of your principal place of business. If there is no place of business (e.g. for a small local voluntary body) you should provide the address of the official who has completed the form. Now, according to their letters and Companies House, the registered address for FIRE Ltd is Unit 5 Mitchell Court, Castle Mound Way, Central Park, Rugby, Warwickshire. CV23 0UY. Therefore the address for FIRE on the ICO website, which should be the registered data controller address (I've checked with them) is wrong. I have sent a letter pointing this out to the ICO. What I don't know is if this invalidates their data controller licence, so making their actions in processing my (or anyone else's) data unlawful whilst this address remains unamended.

I suspect that a lot of rejection letters are being prepared and packaged for posting out tomorrow. They'll hope to put off a lot of people this way by quoting the court case.

Signed.

Hi reallymadwoman, I've followed your threads and comments with interest whilst running my own battles. For me, just sticking to my guns has helped me get through. I have managed to fight off many DCAs and the last of them fall off of my record this month. My decision was to lie low, but my personal circumstances allowed me this luxury. I have been very lucky and fought them all off. Usually by being short and direct in my letters, no legal jargon but straight talk. You have to stand back and make the decision based in what you want from life. Whatever you decide all the best. Newborn

Sorry, but your thumbnail attachment os unreadable. Could you re-post using Photobucket please?

Agreed Spamheed. But they will claim they had the other company's permission. But surely ANY letter sent out officially by a company must show it is from that company. By sending out another company's letterhead instead, even with permission, They are breaking that rule?

Signed.

A credit score is a very subjective thing. Each CRA and each lender have their own criteria for measuring this. You can have a good score with one and a c**p one with another. IMHO they are not worth the cost, unless you are looking for more credit (loan / remortgage / contract).

If Cabot have defaulted you then the debt should have been properly assigned to them. That means the assignment should have been communicated to you by registered or recorded delivery. If not then the sale was not perfected and Cabot are processing your data unlawfully.

Is it a score or a report you're after? If it's the report then get the £2.50 statutory one. The trouble is that there are 3 CRAs (Equifax, Experian and Call Credit) that process your data and for completeness you need a report from all three.

I reckon that agreement is a reproduction of a microfiche copy. That means they won't have the original. It is unreadable = unenforceable. Now, before you do anything, if your other half is in the services / government services and requires special security clearance then credit problems will affect that. So be careful. If not then will he need that clearance in the near future? Next question is, was the default notice served correctly by registered or recorded delivery. If not, the debt collectors are illegally processing your hubby's data.

Also rremember that, if they have not served you with a default notice correctly (registered or recorded delivery), they have not got the right to process your data as they have not perfected the debt purchase.

"Corridors of Power" - yep, google Lord Taylor of Blackburn. Some good reading.

If you knew nothing about the CCJ then you may be able to get it removed from your file if you follow the advice on this site. Newborn

Revealed: Labour lords change laws for cash - Times Online "LABOUR peers are prepared to accept fees of up to £120,000 a year to amend laws in the House of Lords on behalf of business clients, a Sunday Times investigation has found. ......................... Lord Taylor of Blackburn claimed he had changed the law to help his client Experian, the credit check company." Newborn

Too right fuzzybobble, that also means no bank will be paying for credit searches so Experian etc will suffer! Newborn

I would just start by saying you have no recollection of this and that, as you have never been sent a bill, the provider must have made a mistake. Please furnish me with documentary proof of this alleged oustanding amount so that I can compare it with my original Sky and bank records. (This will keep them honest). Have you contacted Sky directly for a statement? If not just write to them and ask for one, DO NOT tell them why.

Totally agree with 42man. They have missold the PPI to you, in fact under TCF (Treating Customers Fairly) thay have come up very seriously short. PPI is supposedly there to protect you when you lose your job etc. Why didn't yours pay out?

First, don't talk to them on the phone, insist on everything in writing, or you may say something you later regret. You need to get them to fully document the claim. Ask for proof in the form of a proper statement (what, when how much etc). Tell them you've never received a bill so how could you know? Could someone else with access to your Sky have done this without your knowledge? Have you got the old Sky bills etc?

It seems that the court staff have made a boo-boo and care more for keeping their lives simple than your rights. When's your local MP's next surgery? Go and drain down over them and tell the court staff that's what you've done as you feel that they are not treating what is in effect a contempt of court properly. I would surmise that the judge hearing the case would be apalled at what's happened to you, but the staff will do everything in their power to stop that happening.

Credit data firm to cut 300 posts. Nottingham-based credit information firm Experian is to slash 300 jobs across the UK and Irish Republic in the New Year. BBC NEWS | England | Nottinghamshire | Credit data firm to cut 300 posts Let's hope one or two find their way here and post the dirt. Newborn

Any large amount of money being suddenly deposited into a dormant account would red flag possible money laundering activity. (Is it still open, are statements still being issued?) If this is the only route open to YF, go and talk to the bank manager concerned and take along proof that no money laundering is involved prior to depositing the money. Then there is the matter of the changed name, once again proof will be required as I assume that the account is in the old name? The name on the cheque would need to match the name in the account. Next is, what is the address that the account is linked to? This will need to be updated to the new address first, with proof probably needed after all this time. Also, in the last 5 years many banks etc have changed hands, have you checked that this account isn't ulimately now owned by an ex-creditor, or by a company that now owns an ex-creditor? All the above indicate many little tripping points that may alert a DCA. The system's designed this way. Newborn

Just to fill the gap on forward flow agreements (and see who it was written by). Newborn

Firstly, how old are the defaults and secondly is there a pressing need for you to remove them? I ask the last question because it is notoriously hard to remove them especially if you've repaid them already. Also, are they marked as satisfied on your credit reports. Newborn