DLC ruthbridge chasing old car loan debt after car handback

[DaisyMay]

I enjoy just hanging up on them, especially when they ring back and leave messages, but with this new one we have never answered any of their questions so I suppose legally they can't do anything. It really seems to annoy them when they can't get what they want.

[Fred Bassett]

I enjoy just hanging up on them, especially when they ring back and leave messages, but with this new one we have never answered any of their questions so I suppose legally they can't do anything. It really seems to annoy them when they can't get what they want.

 

Then that's an excellent tactic. It wouldn't work for me in the middle of a 6 nations match though and that's why I transfer my calls!

 

Regards.

 

Fred

[loyalbrummie]

I just pray that they ring up tomorrow between 1 and 3 as il be watching arsenal killing my beloved blues , then it will be war (allegedley)

[Fred Bassett]

I'm off out to a quiz night now. If the question gets asked "what's the difference between a DCA employee and a bucket of dung?", then of course I will know the answer. It's the bucket.

 

Regards to all.

 

 

Fred

[mrmarmite]

I enjoy just hanging up on them, especially when they ring back and leave messages, but with this new one we have never answered any of their questions so I suppose legally they can't do anything. It really seems to annoy them when they can't get what they want.

 

 

well heres another you can use

 

when they next phone, ask them first "Under the data protection act can you please confirm your full home postal address and your home telephone number"

 

they will respond "I dont have to tell you that!" you reply well that the same answer i'm going to give you in a minute goodbye"

 

hang up.

 

it is a VERY VALID point, they wont give out personal info over the phone so why should you

[loyalbrummie]

the bloke who just rang up mrs lb was just asked the very same question , when he told it she couldnt understand him , so she asked him to spell his name , ok then was his reply please goto your local tsb branch .

 

 

Now either he can not spell his own name or he was using an alias , there is nothing funnier for me than hearing a broad asian accent saying hello my name is michael calling from ***************.

 

I always say come on son thats not your real name is it ?

 

phone always seems to go down at that point .

[ananya]

If, when they ring again my husband refuses togive any details does this mean that they won't dare write to him.

We had over a year of threatening letters from Ruthbridge and before that DLC.

As I said before we gave the car back under the 50% rule in 1993 without any bother until 13 years later. We haven't moved or changed our phone number in all that time either.

Trading Standards got involved a year ago and we haven't heard anything till these calls started coming. Has the "alleged" debt been sold on?

 

It may well have been sold on, unfortunately.

 

You could send a 'prove it' letter, something like this, courtesy of kind users of CAG -

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

You have contacted me/us regarding the account with the above reference number, which you claim is owed by myself/ourselves.

 

I/we would point out that I/we have no knowledge of any such debt being owed to (insert company name).

 

I am/we are familiar with the Office of Fair Trading Debt Collection Guidance which states that it unfair to send demands for payment to an individual when it is uncertain that they are the debtor in question.

 

I/we would also point out that the OFT say under the Guidance that it is unfair to pursue third parties for payment when they are not liable. In not ceasing collection activity whilst investigating a reasonably queried or disputed debt you are using deceptive/and or unfair methods.

 

Furthermore ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment amounts to physical/psychological harassment.

 

I/we would ask that no further contact be made concerning the above account unless you can provide evidence as to my/our liability for the debt in question.

 

I/we await your written confirmation that this matter is now closed. Otherwise I will have no option but to make a complaint to the trading standards department and consider informing the OFT of your actions.

 

I/we look forward to your reply.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Also, refusing to give details on the phone, which I wouldn't speak to them at all anyway, may well make them write to you anyway.

 

You could also send the harassment by phone letter if they keep ringing, it can be found here - http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/37006-harassment-telephone-response-letter.html

 

Good luck

[rory32]

Ananya you can't send that letter until they have actually sent a letter stating that they are actually chasing a specific account and that they want payment. Currently no account details have been disclosed and they have not asked for any payment. At the moment there is only an assumption as to what account it is.

[mrmarmite]

TBH I'm suprised they not written already going by the amount of calls you got already, the usual way is get a letter 1st then get call the following day OR phone 1st demanding payment then send letter out.

[DaisyMay]

I have looked on their website and they only collect on behalf of debt purchase companies on a no-collection no-fee basis, specialising in statute barred debts. They obviously don't own the debt, so as long as we don't give them any identifying information they won't be able to write to us (hopefully).

We are not unduly worried as we know there isn't a debt in the first place, but if it winds them up so be it.

[mrmarmite]

ok, just be carefull plz

[DaisyMay]

This is just a continuation of a previous thread we thought was over and done with.

To recap : In 1993 we returned a car under the 50% rule (even though we had paid a bit more. As far as we were concerned that was it and we never heard any more until 2001 when we got a letter from DLC saying we owed them £1200+. Included in the envelope was a letter from the original lender saying they had passed our account on the previous year. This was the first we had heard from them for over 8 years.

My husband went to CAB and was told that even if there had been a debt it would have been statute barred and just to ignore it which was what he did and we never heard anything else

2 years later in 2003 another letter arrived and again the CAB gave the same advice. Again we heard nothing after 1 letter.

In 2006 he started getting letters from Ruthbridge acting for their client DLC. I think we got their full array of threatening letters and parcel letters. This time the CAB said to try Trading Standards.

The woman there isn't very approachable and painted the blackest picture saying it could still go to court and we would have to have proof of all our payments which we didn't have as by this time it was over 13 years since we surrendered the car.

She did write to Ruthbridge several times and told us that they never replied to her, but somehow it seems to have worked and it is about a year since we last heard from them.

Now we have started getting phone calls from JB dept recovery and a letter from their collection agents ATI after the same amount and on behalf of DLC.

TS is still no more supportive and very dismissive of anything from the internet. She wouldn't even look at the printout from JBDR's own web page where they say they specialise in statute barred debts and No win no fee. We don't even have a debt to be statute barred and even if we did it would be doubly statute barred again since DLC first bought it.

She now says that as we didn't dispute it with DLC originally we can't do it now. We didn't know about this site then and we just followed CAB's advice.

She is writing to ATI, but even if they stop what is to stop DCL passing it on again even though it is now 15 years since the car went back?

[42man]

This is ridiculous....send the statute barred letter here letter 'M' http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-debt-issues/20758-creditors-dcas-letter-templates.html to whoever is chasing you....if you have neither paid or acknowledged the debt in 6 years it cannot be chased, tell them you have no intention of paying a debt that is statute barred then refer them to the OFT's guidelines below.......if you want proof of this then this is what the OFT say...

 

2.14 section B -

• continuing to press for payment after a debtor has stated that they will not be paying a debt because it is statute barred could amount to harassment contrary to section 40 (1) of the Administration of Justice Act 1970.

[42man]

Send this, if you hear back from anyone again let us know....

[DaisyMay]

Thanks, will do this

Should I also send it to DLC as they seem to be the ones passing the alleged debt around?

[pmhcfc]

Thanks, will do this

Should I also send it to DLC as they seem to be the ones passing the alleged debt around?

 

Just a footnote to this...Ruthbridge only ever seem to get involved when the debt is statute barred...Many many posts on these boards about DCA's chasing Statute barred debts, but most of these posts mention Ruthbridge in them...Nuff said