Pleased to say the money has been put back into my account in full. Many thanks to everyone for your help and advice!

Good News 3 calls today from Yes Loans All apologising for the 'misunderstanding' and to tell me that my money will be back in my account by Monday.:D:D I think the reason they have done this is that I told them I had drawn up papers with the County Court and would be claiming the money back. As soon as I told them that and rang off they rang me within 5 minutes and then another two calls from them. It seems this company do not like threats of legal action against them. Thank you all for your advice, and to anyone else who has been scammed by these individuals write to them complaining as I did , send recorded delivery and threaten court action. It worked for me.

I have asked AIC to not phone, done this in writing via a letter sent recorded delivery, currently not taking any calls from them. Debt was for a personal loan Have NEVER recieved any notification that the loan had been assigned. Can AIC make me pay this debt to them?

June 2007 I received a CCJ from Northampton County Court for a debt to Nat West for £3,800. I made arrangements via the court with a solicitor Irwin Mitchell to pay a standing order for £30 per month. I never defaulted on this. April this year I get a letter from a company called A.I.C demanding payment in full within 10 days or else blah blah. I phoned them because I was at a loss as to why I should pay them as I was already paying Irwin Mitchell and had been since the Judgment had been made. They were particularly nasty to me with veiled threats like 'we have ways of making you pay' etc etc Phone Irwin Mitchell to be told their client (Interim Justica) had closed my account and sold it on to A.I.C despite me never having defaulted. I never received anything to tell me this was happening according to Irwin Mitchell they are a 'telephone based' solicitor thats doesn't send out letters! A.I.C. are continuing to harass me via phone and letters. I have no problem paying this debt I just don't want to pay it to A.I.C. who IMHO are nasty vile people. I have phoned the court and they wont accept payment. I feel really annoyed that all this has gone on despite me sticking to the agreement as set out by the court. Where do I stand? Any advice would be helpful, thanks in advance.

Thank you all for your replies. I have spoken with my bank (Halifax) who were less than helpful as I gave this man my details they say theres nothing they can do. I have spoken with someone at OFT who has passed on my complaint to Trading Standards who advised me that i have been mislead under the Misrepresentation act of 1967 I have written recorded delivery to 'Yes Loans' as advised by the man at OFT telling them I have contacted these departments and that I want my money back within 7 days, I now await the outcome. I hope no-one else gets misled by these people

No I havent signed anything the forms did not come until the day after and he stressed he would not take the money until I had returned the signed form. The form remains unsigned.

On Friday 13th June I received an unsolicited call from this company offering me a loan. I have NEVER applied for a loan from them and told the man that, he admitted later that he hadn’t phoned it was an automatic dialer that had called me! He told me that I had been approved for a loan and I said that I doubted that as I had a CCJ. I put the phone down on this man TWICE and twice he rang me back. I have been very ill of late and was feeling pretty grotty when he rang. He kept asking if I needed some money and I thought it wouldn't hurt to apply and I said that ok I would more to get him off my back than anything else and knowing I would never get a loan because of the CCJ . He asked for my bank details and I questioned why he wanted those, he said it was to put the money into my bank 'within 3-4 days'. Twice I asked him if I had actually got a loan and he told me yes the money was there and that I would be repaying the loan of £1500 over two years at the rate of £78.00 per month. He then asked me for my credit card details, I asked why and he said that he was sending me out some forms and that NO money would be taken from my account until I had returned those forms signed to him and that the money was an ‘admin charge, to fasttrack my application’. I wasn't quick enough to realise that if I had a loan as he already stated that he would not need money to fastrack anything! Within an hour £59.50 was taken by YES loans from my account. I did not receive the forms until the next day and I have not signed them. I have tried to complain but cannot get through as I have been put on hold for over half an hour and this is to a 0871 number which costs lots of money. If I phone the number for the application line I get straight through but they won’t put me through to customer care. This man lied to me, in that he said the money would not be taken from my account until I had returned the form. I feel that his selling was hard pressure (he phoned me three times in total) and that I feel I should be able to get my money back. I feel very stupid now and not a little angry at myself for ignoring the alarm bells that were going off in my head. Any advice? Thanks

I have canceled my standing order to Irwin Mitchell solicitors- was this the correct thing to do?

Please can you help me- I am so confused:o Ok long story short I defaulted on a loan to NatWest in 2006 after a period of extensive sickness, I owe them £3750. Last year I was taken to court by Interim Justica, I now have a CCJ for this loan. I have been paying £30 per month to solicitors Irwin Mitchell in respect of this debt. I have never defaulted - each month I pay said solicitors agreed amount-no worries or so I thought. Yesterday I receive a letter demanding the full amount (but no details at all on letter as to what the amount actually is) by a company called AIC. I ring them because I am confused after all I am paying Irwin Mitchell on behalf of InJust. The individual I spoke to was disgusting, he asked me to pass the phone to someone in my household who was 'sane' because I am obviously not! I of course refused and he went on to tell me that I have defaulted on my CCJ and therefore the amount must be paid now in full and they are coming to my house to take the debt in kind! When I questioned which month I had defaulted (knowing I hadn't) he couldn't reply. I rang Irwin Mitchell and InJust both inform that NatWest took the debt from them and now AIC are handling this. They were both good enough to furnish me with spreadsheets on my payments and everything else I need to prove that I have been paying. But I don't know what to do next. I really do not wish to talk to these individuals again ( I told the guy he was a ****** and he threatened to 'hurt' me'.) I certainly don't want to send them my money but of course I do wish to clear this debt. They have threatened to take me to court but how can they if there is already a CCJ on that debt? Shouldnt I have been informed that this debt had been passed on (which happened in February) and why was the the money I pay each month not been returned from Irwin Mitchell solicitors? Do I have to pay this debt because my agreement was with Irwin Mitchell on behalf of InJust and not AIC? Thanks for your help

Bailiffs accused of harassing debtors Published on 12/08/2003 Exclusive by Phil Coleman A DEBT recovery firm employed by Carlisle City Council has been accused of using illegal and heavy-handed tactics. Solicitors working for the city’s Community Law Centre say they have had a stream of inquiries from anxious people accusing the firm’s bailiffs of intimidating and harassing them. Some have been reduced to tears, it has been claimed, while one woman in the city says she was left too afraid to leave her home. All of them are being pursued for council tax arrears by Lancashire-based Rossendales CB Ltd. Law centre staff say they have gathered evidence showing how some Rossendales bailiffs were threatening to illegally remove goods from people’s homes while they were out. Kevin Jackson, a legal executive at the centre in Spencer Street, says the city council should sack the firm. He said: “We have examples of bailiffs telling people that they can come back to people’s homes and remove goods while they’re out. That’s against the law. “Bailiffs have to be allowed into the property and then they must make a levy on goods – an inventory of the goods they are allowed to take in lieu of a debt. “They’re also suggesting in written notices that people will incur costs for a van and porter which calls round when they’re out to take goods to auction. They obviously can’t claim costs for an action that would be illegal. The people we’re dealing with have been left frightened and intimidated. Some have been reduced to tears.” The Carlisle-based law centre, which runs a mobile service in other parts of the county, is now considering taking Rossendales to court for allegedly breaching the terms of their licence to operate. Mr Jackson added: “The city council should consider using somebody else rather than a firm which is so heavy-handed.” Carlisle factory worker Susan Ingledow, from Dalton Avenue, Raffles, is one of the people who turned to the law centre for help. Describing Rossendales, she said: “They’re just so hard-nosed. They don’t listen to anything you say, even when you tell them you’re willing to pay. I just couldn’t afford what they wanted me to pay. I owed £600 but it’s gone up to £800 because they keep sending a van round to collect my goods. I was terrified to go out to work, or even to go out of the house. It’s been very intimidating and I’m a bag of nerves as a result. I’m frightened to answer the door.” Another council tax debtor, a 31-year-old Carlisle man who asked not to be named, said a Rossendales bailiff had even threatened to seize goods from his girlfriend’s house. “I’m living with her but the bailiff said that didn’t matter. He said they could come in and take whatever they want. She’d have to prove that the stuff was hers by showing them receipts. I was flabbergasted.” A city council spokeswoman said that it had so far received no formal complaint from Carlisle Community Law Centre. Nor had any individual complained about the conduct of Rossendales employees, she said. She added: “Rossendales have been contracted by the council to follow up bad debts for approximately 20 years and we are satisfied with the professional service they provide. The council, under its corporate complaints procedure, would investigate as a matter of course any complaints received about the practices used to recover unpaid debts.” The News & Star attempted to contact Rossendales but was unable to get any reply. News & Star

Bailiffs accused of harassing debtors Published on 12/08/2003 Exclusive by Phil Coleman A DEBT recovery firm employed by Carlisle City Council has been accused of using illegal and heavy-handed tactics. Solicitors working for the city’s Community Law Centre say they have had a stream of inquiries from anxious people accusing the firm’s bailiffs of intimidating and harassing them. Some have been reduced to tears, it has been claimed, while one woman in the city says she was left too afraid to leave her home. All of them are being pursued for council tax arrears by Lancashire-based Rossendales CB Ltd. Law centre staff say they have gathered evidence showing how some Rossendales bailiffs were threatening to illegally remove goods from people’s homes while they were out. Kevin Jackson, a legal executive at the centre in Spencer Street, says the city council should sack the firm. He said: “We have examples of bailiffs telling people that they can come back to people’s homes and remove goods while they’re out. That’s against the law. “Bailiffs have to be allowed into the property and then they must make a levy on goods – an inventory of the goods they are allowed to take in lieu of a debt. “They’re also suggesting in written notices that people will incur costs for a van and porter which calls round when they’re out to take goods to auction. They obviously can’t claim costs for an action that would be illegal. The people we’re dealing with have been left frightened and intimidated. Some have been reduced to tears.” The Carlisle-based law centre, which runs a mobile service in other parts of the county, is now considering taking Rossendales to court for allegedly breaching the terms of their licence to operate. Mr Jackson added: “The city council should consider using somebody else rather than a firm which is so heavy-handed.” Carlisle factory worker Susan Ingledow, from Dalton Avenue, Raffles, is one of the people who turned to the law centre for help. Describing Rossendales, she said: “They’re just so hard-nosed. They don’t listen to anything you say, even when you tell them you’re willing to pay. I just couldn’t afford what they wanted me to pay. I owed £600 but it’s gone up to £800 because they keep sending a van round to collect my goods. I was terrified to go out to work, or even to go out of the house. It’s been very intimidating and I’m a bag of nerves as a result. I’m frightened to answer the door.” Another council tax debtor, a 31-year-old Carlisle man who asked not to be named, said a Rossendales bailiff had even threatened to seize goods from his girlfriend’s house. “I’m living with her but the bailiff said that didn’t matter. He said they could come in and take whatever they want. She’d have to prove that the stuff was hers by showing them receipts. I was flabbergasted.” A city council spokeswoman said that it had so far received no formal complaint from Carlisle Community Law Centre. Nor had any individual complained about the conduct of Rossendales employees, she said. She added: “Rossendales have been contracted by the council to follow up bad debts for approximately 20 years and we are satisfied with the professional service they provide. The council, under its corporate complaints procedure, would investigate as a matter of course any complaints received about the practices used to recover unpaid debts.” The News & Star attempted to contact Rossendales but was unable to get any reply. News & Star