Alliance & Leicester

[ray_a]

Just wondering if these calls are becoming a nuisance and a form of harrasement which does come into our private life.

One could redirect the calls to a switched off mobile or just take the phone out of the socket and just let those people who you want to contact you to either call you on a mobile or text you to say they want to talk to you on landline!

[buttercup]

Angela
Bt do a chose to refuse but only up to 10 numbers but it might help.
http://www2.bt.com/btPortal/application;JSESSIONID_
btPortalWebApp=HPgfetKKu7L8P0WgsCigNMKdzQs
QwkYtEfuLuoSaePkDJgSTKuSu!-2077064455?origin=mb_prod_detail.jsp&event=bea.portal.
framework.internal.portlet.event&pageid=mb_
pns_catalogue&portletid=mb_pns_catalogue&
wfevent=link.Product&com.bea.event.type=
linkclick&oLDesc=link+to+product&oSiteArea
=mb.corp&oPJsp=mb_prod_detail.jsp&oPt=mb_
pns_catalogue&oLName=mbpnsproduct&oOJsp=
mb_product_atoz.jsp&oPg=mb_pns_catalogue
&siteArea=mb.corp&PorS=products&product
Detail=products/choose_to_refuse.xml

[buttercup]

This was posted a while back from Paul
Hi there
my experience is that the major high street creditors who have a reputation to protect are on the whole reasonable, it is when it is passed to a debt recovery agent - there are loads of them - that things usually become less professional and more aggressive.

some of these folk don't have a lot of training and really just follow a script.

thoughts;-

1. If it gets too much you can advise them that they are harrasing you and that you will be making acomplain under the "section 40 of the administration of justice act 1970"
The Administration of Justice Act 1970.
Section 40 of the act provides that a person commits an offence if, with the object of coercing another person to pay money claimed from the other as a debt due under contract, he or she:

harasses the other with demands for payment which by their frequency, or the manner or occasion of their making, or any accompanying threat or publicity are calculated to subject him or his family or household to alarm, distress or humiliation;
falsely represents, in relation to the money claimed, that criminal proceedings lie for failure to pay it;
falsely represent themselves to be authorised in some official capacity to claim or enforce payment;
utters a document falsely represented by him to have some official character or purporting to have some official character which he knows it has not.
Paragraph (1) above does not apply to anything done by a person which is reasonable (and otherwise legal) for the purpose of:

of securing the discharge of an obligation due, or believed by him to be due, to himself or to persons for whom he acts, or protecting himself or them from future loss; or
of the enforcement of any liability by legal process.
It is also provided that a person may be guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) above if he concerts with others in the taking of such action as is described in that paragraph, notwithstanding that his own course of conduct does not by itself amount to harassment.

There are penalties and fines for companies and individuals and it may mean they loose their consumer credit licence which would cause them a huge problem.

2. It has always amazed me that in a society riddled with identity theft we are all too willing to answer any question from a complete unknown phoning up. i.e a stranger phones up and "for security reasons" asks you for your date of birth, mothers maiden name and other personal info. I think it prudent to follow the banks' advice and not give out personal info on the phone. Ask them to write instead then you will have a document as proof.

3. Finally for data protection reasons if you cannot confirm your identity they are unable to continue the call.

hope it helps
________________________________________Paul Johns
Reviva UK

[chris.g]

My hubby once asked a caller from, either lloyds or barclaycard to confirm some security details...never got chance to ask anything as the caller stated that they didn't have to!!! Hubby said, 'can't verify you, I can't discuss anything', at that point the caller hung up!!!! Quite funny really as hubby is Very quite and compliant....guess he's just had enough of confirming his name, address, postcode, mother's maiden name and D.O.B.!!!!!!

[connie]

haha i like it chris i might try that one.
thats billiant.
its true though, why not verify them. nowadays with that many scams going on you don't know if its definately them. and you might just give off your personal security details which they could use with another company.
i often get calls from a finance company trying to offer an iva. i've never caught the name of the company yet, but they start asking for all my creditors and how much i owe. i always say i'm not discussing it as i don't know who they are.
mind you i'd love to see the day a person tried to steal my identity and get credit. lol. they'd be in for a shock.

with regards to the phone number i think i might change mine also once my IVA gets under way. i'm just at the start at the minute.

[angela18]

seriously thinking of changing no. just came in from work, 3 missed calls, 2 blank messages on answer and an automated calb message on 1571. Really starting to buckle, just feel like sitting in a corner and crying..

[Adam Davies]

Hi Angela
Be strong
This is part and parcel of proposing an IVA,just answer the calls and tell the creditor that you are taking professional advise with a view to proposing an IVA.Do not get into a lengthy conversation with the call centre,advise them of your IP and bid them a good day
Regards

[sblack]

Hi, we are going through exactly the same, you have to be strong and positive about what you are doing. Do not let the telephone operatives get you down.
I know it is hard and sometimes upsetting but you can get through it.

[angela18]

thanks andy & sblack. just feeling little bit down today. but hey tomorrows a new day... and i'll be back to my onwards and upwards point of view..[:)]

[go_4_broke]

Hi All

I'll stick my neck out and say that if you are proposing an IVA (or pretty much any other debt solution) it doesn't matter a jot whether you indulge your creditor's bothering or not.

This is because an IVA will be judged purely as a financial proposal on it's merits and by a completely different department than the bothering dept. which may also be a completely different company.

So as far as I am concerned you are free to tell them where to stick it and change all your phone no's. It won't make a ha'porth of difference. If anyone knows of a case where a willingness to indulge pester calls has helped anyone get an IVA I'd like to know about it.

If you do feel obliged to speak to them you could do a lot worse than follow Andy's advice above.

I covered all this stuff in my blog about a year ago but it is still there if anyone wants to have a look, feel free to disgree!

Best Regards, Simon

[MelanieGiles]

Simon is quite correct

Whether you co-operate and maintain an ongoing dialogue with your creditors, or refuse to speak to them and change your phone number, the outcome is generally unaffected.

MBNA, however, do like their customers to continue to deal with them and have been known to reject IVAs on the basis of no contact with their customers - so beware this if you have them as a significant creditor.

[go_4_broke]

Thanks Melanie, the exception that proves the rule !

Best Regards All