"DBSG to take on misleading websites" - not us surely!

[babybear39]

Fankoo for the tickle ODC

[Allwood]

I certainly agree she should be looking at her own industry and brush up on the law as well. If there was not contact made with the lender and not payment was made or admitted to the lender in writing then surely the debt would be statue barred but no mention of this was made by the directory of experian. I know Credit agencies are watching us but who is watching them:!:

[Rhia]

Re this accusation of debt avoidance. If any consumer in a dire financial situation can use the full force of the consumer credit and data protection laws and other guidelines to reduce or even wipe out their debt they are doing nothing wrong at all by taking such a stance.

And if DCAs and banks and credit card companies are throwing these accusations around perhaps they had just better take a look at their own operations to reduce tax, avoid VAT, securitisation (without the customer knowing they have sold their accounts to hedge funds for rapid and obscene profits)and all of this within the law too then I reckon this makes this a level playing field.

If you have a debt that is established you do owe and the paperwork and procedures are correct then see if you can negotiate a reduced settlement to pay.

Unfortunately the way these companies pursue ordinary people is a disgrace in a civilised democracy and CAGers and all other consumers have every right to mount a vigorous challenge. The gloves are off. And I too am proud member of the Cabot Fan Club.

P.S. Awards for debt collectors? They are truly having a larf!

[ODC]

I certainly agree she should be looking at her own industry and brush up on the law as well. If there was not contact made with the lender and not payment was made or admitted to the lender in writing then surely the debt would be statue barred but no mention of this was made by the directory of experian. I know Credit agencies are watching us but who is watching them:!:

She is a HE:eek:

 

We are watching the DCAs. Its hight time some more got the Cabot Fan Club Treatment:cool:

[Allwood]

OCD I was referring to: Jill Stevens, Director of Consumer Affairs for credit referencing agency Experian according to bbc web link.

[ODC]

OCD I was referring to: Jill Stevens, Director of Consumer Affairs for credit referencing agency Experian according to bbc web link.

Oooops:)

[andrew1]

She is a HE:eek:

 

We are watching the DCAs. Its hight time some more got the Cabot Fan Club Treatment:cool:

 

We don't post it ODC - but they get it, have no fears the name Cabot Fan Club goes far and wide...and they are jittering

[Josie8]

Re this accusation of debt avoidance. If any consumer in a dire financial situation can use the full force of the consumer credit and data protection laws and other guidelines to reduce or even wipe out their debt they are doing nothing wrong at all by taking such a stance.

And if DCAs and banks and credit card companies are throwing these accusations around perhaps they had just better take a look at their own operations to reduce tax, avoid VAT, securitisation (without the customer knowing they have sold their accounts to hedge funds for rapid and obscene profits)and all of this within the law too then I reckon this makes this a level playing field.

If you have a debt that is established you do owe and the paperwork and procedures are correct then see if you can negotiate a reduced settlement to pay.

Unfortunately the way these companies pursue ordinary people is a disgrace in a civilised democracy and CAGers and all other consumers have every right to mount a vigorous challenge. The gloves are off. And I too am proud member of the Cabot Fan Club.

P.S. Awards for debt collectors? They are truly having a larf!

 

The big banks and other large companies routinely wriggle out of contracts by exploiting loopholes or technicalities..............thats why they have teams of lawyers all poring over contracts................shame they hadn't worked out how to draft water tight consumer credit agreements! There is nothing wrong with debtors using the law to write off debt if the law allows it. Forget the moral issue they are in business to lend money (and charge handsomely for it) and they are now abusing the law by tryng to enforce agreements while in default of cca requests etc.

[Tau]

Nah cerberusalert I got the right end

 

Hope you greased it first bb39 :o :o

[andrew1]

Quote from Allwood:

 

"have a look at this from the bbc website regarding the director of experian

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Q&A: Struggling with debt?"

 

This is rather sad reading this from Jill Stevens. I guess she not there to give advice, but then why come and offer to give advice and then refer everyone to CAB and say how sorry she was go speak to someone else?

 

Sure, CAB do very good work, but would these people never think to point people to CAG? We have our differences of opinion, and most advice comes from peoples experience, not by lawyers, although there are legal people on site to guide us, but if someone was to take a straw poll of everyone who had come on-line here and received advice, I guarantee they would have gone away far more confident they were doing the right thing than they would having asked Ms Stevens.

 

I mingle within the credit industry - that's no secret, I know a lot of people in it, but the people coming on here for help and guidance are not credit professionals. Credit professionals are the Jill Stevens of this world, the Ken Maynards who SHOULD know a heck of a lot more than we all do, but our knowledge collectively seems far more realistic and our advice far more rewarding to help people through than practically anywhere else, and this forum thrashes out the differences of opinion 24/7. I just can't reconcile the answers she has put out to these people on that bbc web page and what we do here, I was saying to myself as I read them " that's no answer to help him or her they should be coming on here". That woman who was left all that debt of her husbands - probably all charges or no cca's and the poor womans about to lose her house as a result. That's what really makes me mad about all of this debt business, there's so much inconsistancy, so many bad practices, no regulation with any bite and a whole load of self regulated individuals all doing the wrong things and telling us they are always right.

 

rant over

 

 

Sarah xx

[babybear39]

Nope Tau Hurts them harder

[Allwood]

Totally agree with you Andrew1 - where are these people coming from? They are under the illusion that DCA are wonderful!!! Referring people back to them when a debt could be statued barred.

 

No mention of DCA's harassing people with their threating letters and phone calls and even threating to send out the bully boys to them and because of this some poor people have then their own lives because DCA's has made it so unbearable for them to carry on.

[PriorityOne]

Two of their mistakes have been assuming that everyone who owes money is either embarrassed about it, or thick !

 

... and the political spin on it is that we all need advice on how to budget our finances... because of course, none of us can add up properly either.... lol

[Allwood]

They should be grateful for us as if it was not people who unfortunately got into debt through no fault of their own the **** DC would not be in a job. Therefore it is in the interest of of banks and other lender institutions to portray that it is easy to get money from them:smile:

[ODC]

So we all agree that DCAs are **** and lower than pond life. But hey we have all proven they are easy to beat when the law is used

[andrew1]

So we all agree that DCAs are **** and lower than pond life. But hey we have all proven they are easy to beat when the law is used

 

 

No ODC, like I said before, the word **** is not in my dictionary and frankly I think it is counter productive to use the word. But then thats just me, everyone is entitled to their view..

[Allwood]

When an organisation sends out threatening letters and continuously t harassing people on the telephone to the extent that they have to take their own lives and work outside the law and they do this with impunity, I feel that we are entitled to call them what we think is fitting for such organisations.

[andrew1]

When an organisation sends out threatening letters and continuously t harassing people on the telephone to the extent that they have to take their own lives and work outside the law and they do this with impunity, I feel that we are entitled to call them what we think is fitting for such organisations.

 

Quite right Allwood, you're quite right. I suppose I have been on here too long and as I said, I mingle within the industry. There's two ways of looking at this. 1) you have the law on your side and can use the available laws to stop ALL of the bad practices you quote. I've been on the end of it myself so I know exactly what you mean, I'm no different than any of you on here, but if I had known then what I know now I'd have not put up with all their crap. I called them a few names too. 2. you can call them ****, dross, armpits of the earth - whatever you like, but you will not get their attention to change things.

 

I and a number of others have begun the process of talking, not to the people who telephone you 10 or 15 times a day, abusing you, lying to you, threatening you, No - I want to change the industry from the top down and no-one, believe me will take a blind bit of notice if you call those people '****'. I've been there, got the t-shirt. So now we talk to the people at the top who CAN change things and these people are management, flash cars, white shirts, big houses, smart voices and educated professionals. So I keep my tongue to myself and use what I know to make a difference. Challenge them with the laws they refused to accept- argue with fact, and win my case - that gets things changed - the other way gets it off your chest and good on anyone who does, but I've wasted far too much time and energy ranting, I now put my energies into productive words and deeds and a lot more people now benefit from all this as a result. So as I said, **** is not in my vocabulary and that's the way it will stay. I do not in any way judge your thoughts or anyone else's, you have perfectly good reason and I respect that - you and a hundred thousand others.

 

 

Sarah

[ODC]

Sorry Sarah

 

The way the DCAs treat people like a bit of dirt just because they get into debt. You like me and most CAGGERS have been on the receiving end of the illegal threats and downright untruths of these people and its easy to call them ****. Now it may not be nice or correct but it is an apt description of people who abuse the law and threaten all sorts of actions which if they just stopped to think would realise they are way beyond the law. I blame the DCAs who employ them and encourage them to threaten and l;ie to people just to steal some money from them

[sosumi]

A few questions I'm asking myself about the BBC 'Have Your Say' Q & A with Experian's Director of Consumer Affairs...

Why should Experian want to do this?

- Do they usually offer advice?

- Are they a charity?

- By what authority are they assuming the role of 'advisor'?

 

In other words, given that they are a business, marketing information...

What's in it for them?

PR?

 

And have you noticed the webpage lacks a certain advertisment? You know the one, about the ''Free Credit Check'?

That's unusual. Only a few weeks ago it would have been there, I'm sure of it.

[PriorityOne]

Hi Sarah,

 

You have a huge fight on your hands here. The law will always be there to protect the interests of people with money over those without it. You only have to look at the links between the Credit Ref. Agencies and DCAs, banks and DCAs, the Gov. and banks, banks and the CCCS... to name a few.

 

I don't bellieve anything will ever change that much... Laws may be brought in that are dressed up to look as if they're protecting the consumer, but in all honesty.... why would the Gov. want to upset their many friends who own the banks/DCAs, when so much money can be made by going down the crooked route, so to speak.... and keeping the little people right down in the dirt where they "belong"....

[elizabeth1]

She is a HE:eek:

 

We are watching the DCAs. Its hight time some more got the Cabot Fan Club Treatment:cool:

 

 

Yep!! this Fan Clubber Agrees with this sentiment - like Sarah is pointing out here we are doing our best to show up the deeds and tactics of these companies and are touching areas that we never thought we would touch.

 

We are going to make a difference - I can assure you of that. CFC and many others here in CAG as you know are working on so many areas behind the scenes - there are a few jittery people out there who are wondering "what next".

[Allwood]

The only way to make a difference is to make an example of organisations that go out side the law and regulations ie by sending the head of such an organisations to prison for fraud and deception and breaking the law. These organisations has created so much misery for people and as mention to the extent that they only way out is to kill themselves. Why has the government let them get away with it for so long - but I expect it as something to do with keeping the economy going and to close them down would lead to unemployment. Therefore th e government should make it more of a criminal offense for DCA's to continue with their corrupt practices.

[andrew1]

PriorityOne and Allwood, I have great respect for what you both say. Yes these dca's enrage us and fire emotions because of their upper handed blatant intimidating abuse at the end of a telephone, using the fact that we might owe and they are right to chase attitude.

 

Now I know, that these companies have never been challenged by public volumes of people. The odd person has written back on a one-to-one basis and probably won a case or two, but this public forum has drawn so much attention you now have the head of the Credit Services Association, the representative body of the industry having to give public announcements that he is going to put these consumer groups to right - if that isn't us making an impression then what is? These are companies and people who have had license to do what they like for donkeys years and now, with people like you and me they are being questioned. What is happening Allwood is your fully justified anger is being bottled, the likes of you are being directed, via this forum, to a little piece of paper which says " I have now found out something about my legal rights and -hey, if you want to telephone me 10 times a day you can stop right now - provide me with proof I owe this money to your company and maybe I'll start to talk to you" and what happens? the phone calls stop, they have to go scurrying off to get a copy of the agreement which they don't have, they have to rectify any abuse of your personal data with Credit reference agencies and sometimes they even have to pay you back what you've been paying them. THAT my friend, is using the anger and turning the tide- something the dca's have never had before. These frontline telephone collectors who never had training and wouldn't know one end of the Consumer Credit Act or the Data Protection Act from the other are now getting it fired straight back again and hey ho, their management have had to deal with this backlash, because it's not just you and me that are going back-it's tens of thousands. So they are learning and they are changing.

 

PriorityOne, you are right it is a massive challenge, but with the help of people like yourself we have created a castle of playing cards. They all come tumbling down when one gets it. We hit Cabot big time - Ken Maynard the chief exec wouldn't admit it makes any difference, but ask him what extent his admin and legal fees have gone up over the last year, ask him how many debts have been sent back to the original creditors as uncollectable, ask him how many he's had to write off as dead ducks because he couldn't come up with the Credit Agreement, ask him how many staff he's lost or demoted over this, and ask him how much turmoil these forum have caused him and all that the likes of Seahorse, the Cabot Fan Club and our campaign have cost him. Then come back and say we can't change things. Of course there are links, you'd be staggered by which Directors have interests in conflicting businesses, we are stripping them down to each and every company and we'll expose them one by one.

 

Maynard was the head of the CSA, he's well known, loves his picture in the press so what happens to him others in the industry notice, one or two have been 'informed' they will be getting the same treatment unless they clean their acts up, with Leigh Berkley now shouting chicken we have changed their secret little club into public debate - so it is thanks to the likes of you who WILL NOT give up because it all seems too big to change, we are really making a difference. CAG has made a difference to banks - something that was unheard of previously, we are doing it now with Caggers, but on DCA's.

 

The Cabot Fan Club will be expanding it's activities to more dca's and the finance companies too, so they had better watch out and start looking at what they do.... we are on to them

 

 

Sarah

[ODC]

What an excellent post. The sooner Thames, Lowell and the like get the Cabot Fan Club treatment the better.