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Comments:
Help. I have been receiving calls at my workplace from this company, two in the past two weeks. The first time I refused to speak to them as it rang a warning bell, I fear this is from finance that was taken out in my name in 2001 or before, my exhusband and I divorced in 2002 and the house was transferred to him, he since sold the house leaving in it the fridge/freezer or cooker which was on credit which he had not continued payments on and unfortunately they had been taken out in my name. Does anyone out there have any advice for where I stand in this situation??!
Important thing to remember is that debt collector agent home visits are not official bailiffs, just a way of making things more personal than a phone call or letter and this rarely happens anyway because the majority of debts are not enough to pay the fuel expense, let alone the wage of someone conducting a home visit.
The company would need a court order to send round bailiffs. Even then, you are not required to open the door, however they are allowed to gain entry to a property if they do not damage anything, say through an open window. The most an official bailiff can do is refer the matter back to court.
Often the police are unaware about bailiff laws and take their side. Don't be forced into doing anything. Also don't return any phone calls. If 5 or 6 years have passed since you contacted the debt collection agency the debt gets cancelled. I'm not sure if this applies to council tax or speeding/parking fines.
I am getting a phone call EVERY DAY from this company. At first it was an 01482 number, now it's an 08700 number. I know it is Wescots because I have checked the number. The first time they rang, (at 08.10am) I answered and there was just silence, so since then I do not answer their calls. I have no idea why they are ringing, nor do I wish to speak to them to find out. Is this type of constant daily calling classes as harassment?
Aaah the joys of Wescot. I recently had several telephone calls from them regarding a debt that was 7 years old for £803. I have no knowledge of this debt and Im pretty sure that I have been a victim of identity theft.
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Anyhow Wescot employees regularly telephone me regaring this debt from HFC bank. No payments have ever been made to this account according to HFC, so with the debt being over 6 years old I advised Westcot that the debt was not enforcable under the limitations act (1980) and also I never arranged this credit. The reply from Wescot was that a 50p payment was made in 2006 to them, this payment therefor acknowledges the debt, as a result the debt is enforcable.
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Armed with this new information I contacted HFC bank (the account holders) and I query this payment. HFC has no record of any payment ever made to the account, so it seems that Wescot were telling lies about this payment.
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I contact Wescot again and tell them that no paymnt was ever made to the account according to HFC, yet Wescot are still adamant that this 50p was paid to the account. At this point I invited them to take me to court and from this point in time I will now be charging Wescot for my time, admin and investigation costs, the reply "your having a f***ing laugh". Gladly I make my telephone calls via SKYPE on my PC and I record all my calls!
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Anyhow all went quiet for a few days, then I receive a letter stating that Wescot were considering taking legal action against me. I reply to the letter in writing via recorded delivery telling them that I am preparing my case for court and I have added £15 to their bill for the cost of writing the letter.
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I receive a telephone reply a few days later from Wescot. They received my letter and as a gesture of good will they offered me a settlement figure of a mere £85. I obviously refused and basically said I will see you in court. The employee at this point said "your a smart ass arnt you, we WILL take you to court and we are now claiming £948, an extra £145 legal costs". I said Im looking forward to the hearing and I also tell that that I am reporting them for harassment. The reply "just pay the f***ing £85 and stop being a pr**k", the phone then went dead.
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Not amused by this I telephone them back and I actually spoke to a very pleasant woman. I ask to speak to a manager, a few minutes later a manager comes on the line. I tell the manager about the foul telephone calls I am getting from their employees, I also add that I am adding a further £10 to Wescotts bill for the telephone call. The manager then advised me that he will send a letter to me on Wetcotts complaint procedure, he added that Westcot will never acknowledge the bill that I am creating for them.
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Getting a little peeved with Wescot now I visit my local CAB. I tell the advisor of my issues of Wescot and show them all the literature and also give them a copy of my telephone calls with Wescot. After reading all the literature and listening to the calls, the advisor calls Wescot management, she quoted my details and immediately Wescot begin discussing my case without even asking for security questions or without Wescot asking to speak to myself for consent to speak to the CAB advisor. The CAB advisor picked up on this and read Wescot management the riot act about data protection.
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The CAB advisor got Westcot management to agree that the debt is not enforcable almost straight away, the debt was wiped out. The advisor went on to complain about the harassment and told them of the recordings I have of the telephone calls. The manager was taken aback and had no reply, he said he will investigate and get in touch with me withing the next day or so.
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I thanked the CAB advisor for her help and headed home. Within 30 minutes, the same manager called me at home. He was VERY poilte at this point and apologised for all the issues I raised, he also confirmed that my debt had been written off and he hoped that was the end of the situation. I continued saying that I had now got a bill for Wescot for £55 for my admin costs for my investigations into the debt. The manager said that Wescot would not pay such a bill and after some muttering he ended the call.
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Not ten minutes later a different person contacted me from Wescot. She goes on about how concerned Wescot are about my upsetting experiences with them and in light of these issues, she offered to pay me £20 as a goodwill gesture to cover any expenses I incurred. I reluctantly accepted this as I was just tired of dealing with Westcot, I was promised that a cheque will arrive within 28 days, I wont hold my breath!
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My experiences just go to show that Westcot are arrogant, rude, unprofessional and dont know how the law works. They will also tell endless lies and mislead you in any way to try to get you to pay them. My advice would be to get professional advice from a solicitor or CAB when dealing with these people, THEY REALLY WILL TRY ANYTHING!!
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Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
The company would need a court order to send round bailiffs. Even then, you are not required to open the door, however they are allowed to gain entry to a property if they do not damage anything, say through an open window. The most an official bailiff can do is refer the matter back to court.
Often the police are unaware about bailiff laws and take their side. Don't be forced into doing anything. Also don't return any phone calls. If 5 or 6 years have passed since you contacted the debt collection agency the debt gets cancelled. I'm not sure if this applies to council tax or speeding/parking fines.
-
Anyhow Wescot employees regularly telephone me regaring this debt from HFC bank. No payments have ever been made to this account according to HFC, so with the debt being over 6 years old I advised Westcot that the debt was not enforcable under the limitations act (1980) and also I never arranged this credit. The reply from Wescot was that a 50p payment was made in 2006 to them, this payment therefor acknowledges the debt, as a result the debt is enforcable.
-
Armed with this new information I contacted HFC bank (the account holders) and I query this payment. HFC has no record of any payment ever made to the account, so it seems that Wescot were telling lies about this payment.
-
I contact Wescot again and tell them that no paymnt was ever made to the account according to HFC, yet Wescot are still adamant that this 50p was paid to the account. At this point I invited them to take me to court and from this point in time I will now be charging Wescot for my time, admin and investigation costs, the reply "your having a f***ing laugh". Gladly I make my telephone calls via SKYPE on my PC and I record all my calls!
-
Anyhow all went quiet for a few days, then I receive a letter stating that Wescot were considering taking legal action against me. I reply to the letter in writing via recorded delivery telling them that I am preparing my case for court and I have added £15 to their bill for the cost of writing the letter.
-
I receive a telephone reply a few days later from Wescot. They received my letter and as a gesture of good will they offered me a settlement figure of a mere £85. I obviously refused and basically said I will see you in court. The employee at this point said "your a smart ass arnt you, we WILL take you to court and we are now claiming £948, an extra £145 legal costs". I said Im looking forward to the hearing and I also tell that that I am reporting them for harassment. The reply "just pay the f***ing £85 and stop being a pr**k", the phone then went dead.
-
Not amused by this I telephone them back and I actually spoke to a very pleasant woman. I ask to speak to a manager, a few minutes later a manager comes on the line. I tell the manager about the foul telephone calls I am getting from their employees, I also add that I am adding a further £10 to Wescotts bill for the telephone call. The manager then advised me that he will send a letter to me on Wetcotts complaint procedure, he added that Westcot will never acknowledge the bill that I am creating for them.
-
Getting a little peeved with Wescot now I visit my local CAB. I tell the advisor of my issues of Wescot and show them all the literature and also give them a copy of my telephone calls with Wescot. After reading all the literature and listening to the calls, the advisor calls Wescot management, she quoted my details and immediately Wescot begin discussing my case without even asking for security questions or without Wescot asking to speak to myself for consent to speak to the CAB advisor. The CAB advisor picked up on this and read Wescot management the riot act about data protection.
-
The CAB advisor got Westcot management to agree that the debt is not enforcable almost straight away, the debt was wiped out. The advisor went on to complain about the harassment and told them of the recordings I have of the telephone calls. The manager was taken aback and had no reply, he said he will investigate and get in touch with me withing the next day or so.
-
I thanked the CAB advisor for her help and headed home. Within 30 minutes, the same manager called me at home. He was VERY poilte at this point and apologised for all the issues I raised, he also confirmed that my debt had been written off and he hoped that was the end of the situation. I continued saying that I had now got a bill for Wescot for £55 for my admin costs for my investigations into the debt. The manager said that Wescot would not pay such a bill and after some muttering he ended the call.
-
Not ten minutes later a different person contacted me from Wescot. She goes on about how concerned Wescot are about my upsetting experiences with them and in light of these issues, she offered to pay me £20 as a goodwill gesture to cover any expenses I incurred. I reluctantly accepted this as I was just tired of dealing with Westcot, I was promised that a cheque will arrive within 28 days, I wont hold my breath!
-
My experiences just go to show that Westcot are arrogant, rude, unprofessional and dont know how the law works. They will also tell endless lies and mislead you in any way to try to get you to pay them. My advice would be to get professional advice from a solicitor or CAB when dealing with these people, THEY REALLY WILL TRY ANYTHING!!
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