Hi guys, Thanks for all your help on this matter. Thought I would keep you updated, my boyfriend sent the Statute Barred letter off on 2nd October, Recorded Delivery. When we do a Track and Trace it says it was delivered but that there is no electronic proof of delivery, so we are trying to obtain this. Anyhow, my boyfriend has today received another letter off Mackenzie Hall which says it is a FINAL NOTICE and giving a payment deadline. I think they have basically gone back to the beginning as I'm sure this is the same as a letter received ages ago. What do we do now - does this mean that they have broken the rules now that they have sent this after receiving the Statute Barred letter, and should we now make a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading? It is not worrying me anymore, just know that so many people on here hate these people and will do anything I can to help get rid of them!! Thanks again for all of your advice.

Don't worry, I will do as you say, if we get one more letter after sending the SB letter then we will definitely report them, it will be my pleasure!!

Well, I am feeling inspired today - and certainly a lot less anxious than yesterday!! Can't believe I even let these idiots get to me (and its not even me that they are writing to!). I am a strong person and am annoyed with myself. Anyway, in fighting mood today so will get my boyfriend to send the statute barred letter off. Will definitely keep you all updated, although I am presuming that as everybody says, the letter will just be ignored and we will keep getting the threatening letters. The thing that always makes me laugh about their letters is that they always say such and such action is going to be taken if they dont receive a reply within 7 days from the date of the letter, but we always receive the letter about 2 weeks after it is dated, and yet we have never received the threats they talk about that were supposed to have happened after those 7 days. That in itself makes me realise they are just trying it on!! Thank you all so much for your comments x

Thank you so much for your replies. It is a bit clearer actually!! Think we may as well write to them. They have stated it is a student loans debt of about £855 - it took them a while to do that, for ages it was the please contact us on a personal matter letters. He is as certain as he can be that it was all paid off (bearing in mind it was over 10 years ago!) I have been with him for 7 years and he has certainly had no correspondence or anything regarding it in all that time until he started getting these letters from MH, the same with the mobile bill, that was from May 2001 so I am writing in thinking that both of these things are statute barred arent i?? There will be nothing else at all that it could possibly be, so I think on that basis we should write the statute barred letter, in the hope that will get rid of them once and for all (although I doubt it judging by what everyone else has said about them!)

Even more confused now!! We have been at the same address for 3 years and it is showing correctly on the electoral register. I also don't think it is that they are trying to verify the address as they havent some bigger debt up their sleeve. My boyfriend had a mobile account which he didnt pay off years ago - that is the only debt he actually knows of and that also was more than 6 years ago so I can't see that they have anything else to throw at him? I think I might just send the statute barred letter - the thought of someone coming round is worrying me - even if we can just tell them where to go, I just don't like the thought of it, and certainly don't like the thought of them going to our neighbours.

Thanks for your replies. Am still confused as to what to do, but that is just my own indecisiveness - not due to your replies which are all very helpful!! I am of the opinion that I would rather not write anything, and that way they don't even know they are writing to the right person at the right address - surely they wouldnt send someone round without that knowledge? Do they have no rights at all then if they did come round - to be honest, I don't know much about that side of things. Am also more worried about what my boyfriend is saying he would do to someone if they did attempt to come round!!!! (i think that is just the initial anger talking though!!)

Hi guys, I posted on here a while ago about Mackenzie Hall writing to my boyfriend regarding a debt they claimed was owed by him to The Student Loan Company. My boyfriend is sure it was all paid, however regardless of that, there has been no communication whatsoever for at least 10 years so it would definitely be statute barred. We have been receiving various random letters for a while now, using different tactics each time and we have ignored each and every one of them. This morning came a new one - it was a payslip style letter and said that if he didnt contact them within 7 days then they would be sending a "field collector" round. This has now scared me a bit (presumably their intention!!). Can we continue to just ignore this, or will they send someone round? We havent even wanted to write the CCA letter or Statute Barred letter as then you are acknowledging that you live at that address - was hoping if we ignored them long enough they would just go away but they don't seem to be doing. Please advise what we should do - should we send the CCA letter or statute barred letter - or just continue to ignore them? Any advice would be gratefully received! Thank you.

Hi, I had a problem with Link in the middle of last year. They phoned regarding a loan from 1999 which they were saying had never been paid. Luckily, I am a hoarder and keep everything so miraculously managed to find a letter from the loan company in Nov 2000, confirming that the loan had been repaid in full. This wasn't enough for them though, they said I had to prove that I had paid it, which I found impossible after 6 years. Anyway, they made all kind of threats to me, told me that I had a default against me (which I havent), which would effect my current job and any future jobs I may go for, I would get a charge against my property and so on. I was really really shaken up by it - plus it was before I was aware of this site (which would have helped me hugely). Anyway, I basically wrote to them and asked them to prove that I hadn't paid it, rather than me proving that I had, considering I had the original letter saying it had been cleared. They continued to harass me by phone so I wrote asking them to remove my number from their records and not to contact me by phone which to be fair, they have adhered to - and I have never heard anything since!! I have waited for some time to pass as even though I knew it had been cleared, I also wanted to wait for the 6 years to be up from the date they claim the last payment was made, but my dad is going to go try to take it further due to the amount of upset it caused me. Anyway, my point is, I would ask them not to contact you by phone and as Gizmo said, hopefully it is statute barred anyway.

Thank you for your advice. I have spoken to my friend, and apparently they have now agreed to go halves with him for the repairs, which he isnt entirely happy with, considering it happened literally on the way home, but he has accepted it as he thinks it is easier than all the hassle that will come with fighting them!! I suppose that is the way a lot of people think, and what many big companies probably rely upon!!

Hi, I wondered if anyone could help me. My friend bought a used car yesterday from a dealer, although the car itself apparently wasn't one of theirs, it was a friend's and they were just showing it on their forecourt as a favour to him. Having said this, the invoice was made out from the dealer, and the payment was made to the dealer. On his way home, the clutch went so he drove it straight to a garage who have quoted him £500 for a new one. The dealer he bought it from are saying that it is not their responsibility. Can anyone please advise how he stands on this? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Hi, I have posted on here a couple of times re Mackenzie Hall as my boyfriend is currently receiving various letters from them. After reading all of the advice about them on this site I think the general consensus is DO NOT RING THEM!!! If you really feel the need to contact them I would do it in writing but after the advice I have had from here, and reading all of the other threads about Mackenzie Hall, we are just ignoring everything that comes through from them. Also, maybe I am being naive but surely it is not possible to run up a bill of £12,000 with a mobile phone??????

Hi, Further to this, as i have been looking into it for my boyfriend, i found the following information on the internet regarding the Limitation Act in relation to student loans (from National Debtline - Fact Sheet No 25) "Student loan agreements are simple contracts and this gives the Student Loans Company (SLC) 6 years from the date you last paid or acknowledged the debt to go to a court to enforce the agreement. There are two sorts of student loans and different rules apply depending upon when you took out the loan. Old style or "mortgage" student loans are consumer credit agreements. Payments cannot be automatically deducted from your wages. The SLC has to go to court before they can enforce the debt against you. This means that the Limitation Act can apply if you have not paid or acknowledged the debt for over 6 years. (Asking for the loan to be deferred could count as acknowledging the debt and start time running again). From September 1998 new style or "income contingent" student loans include rules to say that repayments are automatically deducted directly from your wages or through your tax return if you are self employed. This means that the SLC are still allowed to take money from your wages for a loan over 6 years old as they do not have to go to court to do so."

Please see my thread - similar situation, dont know if it is of any help to you? http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=44813

Yes - that's what i thought, that student loans were automatically taken from your wages, which makes me wonder if its something they have just made up anyway!! Plus, as i've said, the time scales involved, its most definitely well over 6 years old. They also dont know for certain that they are writing to the right person at the right address as we have never acknowledged anything that has been sent, and nothing has been sent by recorded delivery so we could just deny all knowledge of ever having received anything! Thanks for your advice.

Hi, Thanks for your reply, so are you saying we should still just give no acknowledgement at all - not even write a letter stating that it would be statute barred? its just horrible every day waiting for the next thing to come in the post!!