Another CAG Escapee

[Animal]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

Just saw this thread for the first time today... I'm also on CAG and have wondered about it for a long time.

Quite some time back Bankfodder posted that he wanted people to contact him over telephone harassment with a view to taking action. I posted some details and got no response. An admin gave me an email and I still got no response. Thought it strange then, especially after some of the more helpful people started disappearing...

Recently I asked for help regarding CCA s140A and mortgages and got no help whatsoever... Just some abuse from what I guess was a mortgage co representative :tinysmile_cry_t: even though he wasn't flagged as such.

I've also had some downright bad advice, so I try to check and double check everything :-)

To be fair, I did get enough good information from CAG and the confidence to tackle quite a few financial institutions and recover plenty in charges :-)

[Nibbler]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

But, the issues surrounding it, remain unresolved?

Depends?

Have Lowells continued to post?

[Angry Cat]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

Have Lowells continued to post?

Under the username: Lowell CRT, not as far as I am aware.
However, they are still active on the site;
last activity: 20 July 2010.

[Nibbler]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

Under the username: Lowell CRT, not as far as I am aware.
However, they are still active on the site;
last activity: 20 July 2010.

Well, that has always been true.

DCAs and creditors routinely monitor and post on consumer websites (overtly or covertly).

So no posts after the initial 4 or 5?

[TUTTSI]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

It is a well known fact that as well as DCA's, Banks also did this during the bank charges campaign, they would troll consumer websites. But they did not normally openly post as in the case of Lowells OTR and with bizzarly OTR's blessing, post a telephone number on the pretence they would offer some sort of help.

Well, that has always been true.

DCAs and creditors routinely monitor and post on consumer websites (overtly or covertly).

So no posts after the initial 4 or 5?

[Angry Cat]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

...But they did not normally openly post as in the case of Lowells OTR and with bizzarly OTR's blessing, post a telephone number on the pretence they would offer some sort of help.

This of course, is the bone of contention...!

[F_DCAs]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

I notice that they never took down the Lowells phone number and email address - they're still on the original thread.

That 'Sad Day for Consumer Action Group' thread on MSE is beginning to get a bit silly now.

I was (and still am) angry for being censored - not as much now as then - and frequent interference of my posts have persuaded me to go elsewhere.

But one MSE user ('I reported GAG to the OFT') really seems to be taking it over the top.

I've disliked what the site admin have done to the point where I have no time for them anymore.

But it's their site, and if they want to pull its reputation down and turn the site into a sinking ship where even some of its most frequent and knowledgeable users feel the need to go elsewhere, then that's site admin's privilege.

Lickthewallfatboy and ODC being two, and 'Mr Ton' and Pinky69 had already left even before the Lowells fiasco started.

The good thing is that none of this reflects badly on the site's frequent posters - it's telling that none of them were happy about the situation, or site admin's belated (and none too sincere) response to the furore surrounding it.

Another good thing is that it also means that Lowell obviously feel a financial pinch and are getting increasingly nervous because of GAG.

I hope that the users do keep issuing correct and non-judgemental advice ('non judgemental' is not done too well by MSE, if truth be told!) to people that really need it.

I've got a lot to thank the site for, and hope that it does keep going, so long as it keeps to its original path, which I've repeatedly defended and recommended on other sites.

Without wishing to sound self-important, I do know that people who have read/heard what I've stated online HAVE gone to GAG.

But in its handling of the Lowell problem and rapidly increased censoring of my own threads, I can't honestly feel I can make any valid contribution there and it also means that I cannot any longer name-check GAG as a recommended advice forum.

I feel that it just wouldn't be right to do so.

The only aspect of an advice forum that SHOULD be censored is when a business uses it for purely greedy rather than advisory/discussion purposes.

Especially when that business stands for everything that the forum is against.

Before anyone shouts 'you're being a hypocrite', if Lowell were to provide practical advice (which they're obviously not going to do!) or espouse a point of view, I'd have absolutely no objection to that.

It's the 'touting for business' appearance of their posts which got so many peoples' backs up, and moreso in that it wasn't stopped by site admin - and still hasn't (as I said in the first sentence, Lowell's contact details are still there!).

Back to MSE - with the prevalence of people on MSE giving bad advice ('just send an I&E and an offer of payment, without questioning the agreement' seems to be a stock response), I'm not sure that many MSE users are in a position to criticise GAG for being 'in bed with the DCAs'.

[Amethyst]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

MSE does have its place, its users can be extremely judgmental, and quite nasty, at times, which is a big part of when we were pushed out of OTR originally Beagles was built as a wee home for everyone. I do post over there for less legal issues. We are still quite small (which I like) and friendly, and strive to be non judgmental. You guys may find it a little quiet over here, but also that when a case does come along you can concentrate on it and give it your full attention. I hope you guys do keep posting helping peeps OTR because your help is invaluable to many people - even if admin OTR don't agree.

[Curlyben]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

I think that's the whole point when dealing with DCA's.
We should ensure that they actually have the legal right to make the demands that they do and are not simply papering people while on a phishing exercise.

Should DCA's start to act in a professional, considering and helpful manner I believe that they would actually get better results and people with financial issues may actually start working with them rather than completely against them.

Yes, there are always going to be the WONT pays as opposed to the CAN'T pays and I do have to question the morality of that type of situation. We have all seen how the Banks claim to be acting in a fair and understanding manner, but the reality is very different.

As my siggie says the debts should be returned to the OC for considerate action rather than sold for peanuts to debt buyers and then claiming tax relief and bad debt handouts.
If the Banks are willing to do deals like that then why not offer them to the actual debtor in the first place !?

[Nibbler]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

Back to MSE - with the prevalence of people on MSE giving bad advice ('just send an I&E and an offer of payment, without questioning the agreement' seems to be a stock response),

Depends which board you post on.

I for one post there, and it's not as clear cut as you describe.

I'm more than up for challenging the enforceability of a debt when posting there. Especially when it is in the hands of a DCA who have paid pennies for it.

[TiredofPaying]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

I think Curlyben's idea is brill. Why not form a company to buy debts from the banks and offer them to the debtor at cost + a small handling fee. A bit like the community neighbourhood lending societies where people invest or lend a small amount and people in need can borrow at sensible rates. No need for fancy offices and no fancy bonusses. If the idea took off and more companies were formed to reduce overall indebtedness at a reasonable cost then there would be no incentive to people act like animals. Maybe the government should do it as they're banging on about reducing debt and asking the electorate what we want.

I'm tired of paying...

[Nibbler]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

You guys may find it a little quiet over here, but also that when a case does come along you can concentrate on it and give it your full attention.

Believe me, it is quiet relief.

[F_DCAs]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

Depends which board you post on.

I for one post there, and it's not as clear cut as you describe.

I'm more than up for challenging the enforceability of a debt when posting there. Especially when it is in the hands of a DCA who have paid pennies for it.

I'm not saying it is clear-cut - I did say 'prevalent', meaning that I think many people give out bad advice, but not most people, and certainly not all. I apologise if that point didn't come across the way it was intended.

Most advice given out on MSE is sound and agreeable, but there's a lot of it on there that isn't.

I'm also just beginning to post there myself now.

Being that the MSE board does seem a lot more busy than GAG, especially in respect to new threads, I suppose bad or misleading advice is going to happen. And besides, MSE (thanks to Mr Lewis) has bigger public awareness than GAG.

The rest of your comments I agree with 100%.

[Angry Cat]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

If the Banks are willing to do deals like that then why not offer them to the actual debtor in the first place !?

Some have done this at the point of charge off e.g. MBNA...

However, as many consumers do not even know what a, charge off means and;
if said consumer is in serious dispute over matter various, they will not be happy to make any payment; even 10-20%

What follows, as we know, is that the account is assigned or, novated to a DCA- debt buyer, then passed on to their collections company. The DCA collections company know nothing about what has occured prior, they hold little paperwork, if any.
The fun starts there...

[gallahad]

Re: Another CAG Escapee

Hi guys, I have been botted once too often from CAG and totally fed up with the prevalent paranoia of the site team. Also the personality attacks going about by some of the subscribers.
I hope to discover a more creative attitude here, so fingers crossed.