Whhaaat!! Debt Recovery after me!!

Malt_Vinegar

Malt_Vinegar

Malt_Vinegar

Don
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
17,001
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In a house
I checked my newely installed answerphone tonight on my home landline after staying at my parent's house sitting for a week and a half, and it appears to have picked up 6 messaged from "Northern Debt Recovery" asking for the name of the stupid cow who my Brother went out with 2 years ago?!

I have a phone number and a reference, so i will naturally call them in the morning and tell them that she does not live here, and I dont think i have even spoken to her in at least 2 years... She only stayed here for a few weeks inbetween working on a cuise ship and leaving a holiday camp....

What I want to know is, will this affect my credit rating, or anything to do with my house?
 
I had something similar a couple of years back, my brother lived with his friend not even in the same county as I live in. A few months after he moved out to get his own place with his girlfriend, we start getting letters and phonecalls for his ex-housemate who had apparently disappeared saying he owed money... no matter what we said they wouldn't stop ringing us, was about a year until they just gave up. But it won't affect you, they are just trying to find that person to retrieve the debt and you must be their only hope.
 
Monkey Puzzle said:
Why would it? If she's got nothing to do with you then you have nothing to worry about.
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I have no idea, thats why i asked?! I thought that maybe if the debt was registered to my address, it might affect my mortage/credit rating, good name, e-penis or something

Spektor said:
I had something similar a couple of years back, my brother lived with his friend not even in the same county as I live in. A few months after he moved out to get his own place with his girlfriend, we start getting letters and phonecalls for his ex-housemate who had apparently disappeared saying he owed money... no matter what we said they wouldn't stop ringing us, was about a year until they just gave up. But it won't affect you, they are just trying to find that person to retrieve the debt and you must be their only hope.
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oooo, look Monkey a usefull reply without scorn ;) Thanks Spektor. I might have to remove my answerphone if they wont stop ringing. Going through 6 messages made me think i had missed something important! I never actually use my landline, so only my parents, and immeadiate family know the number. (well, at least i though that was the case!)
 
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Ahh, Northern Debt Recovery. I was tortured by them for a fortnight after Orange (the mobile phone provider) made a **** up when cancelling my contract and despite them owing me £75 they got it mixed up and thought I owed them £75.

Try explaining the situation to an inept and inbred creep from "oop narth".

Brace yourself. I know people from the North are generally stupid but the staff at Northern Debt Recovery beggar belief.
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
I have no idea, thats why i asked?! I thought that maybe if the debt was registered to my address, it might affect my mortage/credit rating, good name, e-penis or something

oooo, look Monkey a usefull reply without scorn ;)
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Oi! I wasn't trying to scorn you, I was trying to be reassuring. It obviously didn't come across that way though.:p:)

I wouldn't worry, it's probably just the last address they have down for her. We had similar issues over unpaid bills from the previous tennant at the flat I was in last year. I wouldn't worry about it, just give them a call and let them know she doesn't live there.
 
Scuzi said:
Ahh, Northern Debt Recovery. I was tortured by them for a fortnight after Orange (the mobile phone provider) made a **** up when cancelling my contract and despite them owing me £75 they got it mixed up and thought I owed them £75.

Try explaining the situation to an inept and inbred creep from "oop narth".

Brace yourself. I know people from the North are generally stupid but the staff at Northern Debt Recovery beggar belief.
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I did just google them, and you appear to not be the only one who says such things!! Do you think my Royal Berkshire accent might confuse them, or make them think i am related to Her Maj?

Monkey Puzzle said:
Oi! I wasn't trying to scorn you, I was trying to be reassuring. It obviously didn't come across that way though.:p:)
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Quite alright old chap!
This internet is a mine-field for miscommunication! Lets shake hands and have a cup of tea :)
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
I did just google them, and you appear to not be the only one who says such things!! Do you think my Royal Berkshire accent might confuse them, or make them think i am related to Her Maj?
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The problem will be the reciprocal I'm afraid. You try to understand what sounds like a geordie on amphetamines who has been dragged off the street after a two year long Giro fuelled ass scratching session.

It was the first occasion since about 2001 that I resorted to expressing myself with a multitude of expletives, racist insults and plain 'wrong' references to said telephone moneky's family.
 
Malt, if they actually let you know they are a debt recovery company after someone, and you are feeling mildly vindictive report them to the financial ombudsman (I think it is) - it's a fairly serious breach the official guidelines they are meant to follow if they tell anyone other then the debtor/debtors appointed rep* that they are a debt collection company (it breaches the DPA etc).

If they don't stop contacting you after you tell them the person they are after is not at your address/contactable at your number you can also make a complaint against them to the OFT/FSA etc (as again they aren't meant to pursue people who have no relationship to the debt).

I don't have much (any) time for debt collectors, as I've had them on the phone (at varying times of the day/night) trying to get me to contact neighbours who moved out 10+ years ago and getting very shirty when I've told them I don't know who they are after, and I don't know where they might be now (a lot of the current crop of second/third tier DCA's** don't really seem to care if they are actually after the right person and try to avoid obeying their legal obligations when chasing debts, especially older ones).

As has been said though, the debt should only be linked to the person, not the address, and it's the DCA's job to prove they are after the right person, not your job to prove you are not the one they are after (or don't know where the person is).


*You can also have great fun with this even if you might be the debtor (which you aren't) as you can really throw them by refusing to answer the checks they have to make prior to talking to you :p

**The ones who buy up old debts that are either statue barred (or nearly so), don't have all the paperwork etc and are very hard to enforce, for pennies in the pound then go after anyone with the same initials and surname living in the County.
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
Cheers Wolfie!

I have spoken to them this morning, and the guy said they would remove my number from the account. So i should not hear from them again!!
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lol.. i've heard that before, went through the mill over an debt in error for 4 months to the point of me taking legal action to sort it out, where theres money owed they harass everyone they have on file, until its paid..

Chances are the girl who moved out signed up for something and used that address, as Werewolf has already said - report them instantly if they harass you again, as for them not contacting you again, don't hold your breath.
 
You will be lucky, esp if your number is the last known contact for her.

Best bet would have been to ignore them 100% they not after you so its not ** problem. ~Now you have made it your problem by talking to them
 
TheCrow said:
You will be lucky, esp if your number is the last known contact for her.

Best bet would have been to ignore them 100% they not after you so its not ** problem. ~Now you have made it your problem by talking to them
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Not really, once he's told them she's not contactable at his address they basically have to stop using it (if they want to stay within the guidelines), any further contact can lead to complaints which can ultimately (if the DCA gets enough of them lodged with the regulator) lead to them losing their ability to operate legally.
 
You might find it a slight inconvinience to be honest. The woman who owned our house before us had huge debt problems (and 17 kids. her husband was inside. nice people), and we were getting balliffs at our door for over a year after we'd moved in. Sometimes my postcode and house number would decline on any loans or credit i wanted for whatever, but a quick explanation seemed to sort it out.

Slightly different scenario, but you're not in any trouble. Your house or contact number is obviously on a list, but they can't transfer the debts to you just because you have the same address.

Dont worry about it. Just be patient if people look at you funny when you want a credit card :P
 
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