Connaught/First Credit, urgent advise needed

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Please can someone tell me what I should do. My son was being chased by various debt collection aganecies for one debt. It seemed to get passed around to a different company on a monthly basis. Then Connaught got involved. At the same time he got letters from 1st Credit. I have been told these are the same company (can someone please confirm this). He then got a Statutory Demand for Insolvency from Conaught. We immediately sent the letter asking for a signed copy of his agreement . We got a letter back saying it would take longer than 12 days to get this and they would not enforce the debt until they had supplied that information. After the 12+2 days we sent the Account in Dispute letter. We heard nothing until a few weeks ago. In the past two weeks First Credit have sent him four letters asking or payment. One threatened to send doorstep collectors, one offered a 30% discount on the debt if he paid in full. The next one even offered him gifts, like 42" TV if he paid in full before end of November, Sony Playstation 3 if he paid £2500 and a video player Ipod Nano if he paid £1000. They have telephoned 3 times in the last week and today he received a letter from DHS, Debt Help Services, a specialist collections unit of First Credit which says he has never responded to any of 1st Credit's letters to him. So what do I do now? Do we send the letter asking for a signed agreement to them, or do we tell them to take a run and jump or do we just ignore them, or do we report them to the OFT? Every letter from Connaught says Dear Sir, Re: First Credit - so the connection is there from Connaught. If they are not the same company, how can two companies be chasing for the same debt? Please help, I am getting very confused.

[ScabHunter]

Worst Crudit and CONnaught ARE the same shower of effluent.

 

I have seen these idiotic letters offering all sorts of ridiculous "gifts" in exchange for donations. They are pretty much the same as the letters offering full and final settlements - what they really mean is "we're stuffed without the agreement so we'll try to con them out of their money."

 

Did you have the Statutory Demand set aside? Whether you did or not it still needs reporting to the OFT. Even the government office which never acts acted against Worst Crud - they are on notice to stop abusing the Insolvency Service.

 

If they are in default of your request under s78(1) or s77(1) then there is nothing to do unless you choose to go on the attack with complaints. They are clearly in breach of the OFT Debt Collection Guidance and the CPUTR 2008 by chasing an alleged debt in serious dispute, so you can report them if you wish.

 

No need to get confused by idiots calling themselves different names. It is just another trick to attempt to con you out of your money.

 

SH

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Thanks for this, it's really helpful. I was sure they were from under the same stone, but just wanted to check. Didn't need to get the Statutory Demand set aside as it was never sent to the court, it wasn't even filled out properly, half blank just to frighten I think. Then they just sent a letter when we asked for the signed agreement saying it would take longer than 12 days and then it said. We confirm we have formally withdrawn the Statutory Demand served against you. They talk about First Credit as their 'client' sneaky twits. I haven't been answering their telephone calls, but feel like picking up and telling them exactly what I think. Probably best to just keep doing what I do, which is pick up the receiver so they get charged for the call and then put the phone straight down again. Thanks again for the advice, it's really appreciated.