ACI

[Whogotmename]

Hi - I received a text from ACI last week asking to call them about a 'personal matter' with a reference number which I ignored. Today I received a letter regarding a debt from 2008, which was a credit agreement with HFC for buying a car. Three weeks after buying it I had a stroke & brain surgery, and ended up jobless & homeless until 2012. The car was to the best of my knowledge, returned to the finance company, I'm nut sure as I was ill at the time & in no state to deal with debt. I have had no contact with HFC since Spring 2008 and have assumed the debts became statute barred because there's nothing on my Clear score or Experian free accounts showing either the debt or a CCJ relating to it. My credit score improved dramatically around 2015, which I'm guessing is when this debt came off my file and became statute barred, and I now have numerous credit accounts that I manage perfectly well.

I'm assuming ACI are just chancing this, chasing a debt from a portfolio of outstanding delivery be ts they may have purchased.

Issue is the letter says if I don't contact in 7 days they'll send someone from Verify (same company, different department?) to discuss.

I'm pretty sure they can't enforce anything, however am deeply concerned about a potential visit as I'm clinically ill and disabled and basically classed as vulnerable. What's my position if they come? Do I just say I don't acknowledge the debt, do I say it's statute barred, or do I just politely ask them to go away as I'm not engaging with them and I feel threatened by their presence on my property)front door.

To be honest, I've had a couple of things like this since the 2008 stroke, brain surgery, being able to walk or communicate for a good while after the stroke - and the others have just disappeared after a couple of letters. This letter seemed far more direct and abrupt, to the point I felt compelled to seek advice on this forum.

Thank you in advance for any helpful advice or pointers

[echat11]

Hi Whogotmename

Welcome to LB

Send the following letter, make sure you get Proof of Postage.

https://legalbeagles.info/forums/for...ed-debt-letter

Update when you get a response.

[Whogotmename]

Hi & thank you for this, really useful.

I'll send the letter if I really need to buy have found in my experience a lot of these are chancers that prey on anxiety of the vulnerable. After a couple of tries they tend to go away.

What's the best response if they actually turn up at the door? Does one just state that they don't acknowledge any debt that is now statute barred, and then request they don't return as such visits from collection companies on statute barred debt is classed as harassment?

I don't want to enter into any written correspondence if at all possible as it really triggers my mental health issues. And it scares me that any written correspondence would be classed as a form of debt acknowledging, despite the statute barred status.

Sorry if this seems a bit confusing.

[echat11]

a) 'What's the best response if they actually turn up at the door?
Does one just state that they don't acknowledge any debt that is now statute barred, and then request they don't return as such visits

Print out the the Statute Barred letter, place it in an envelope (address it to the debt collector firm), keep it by the door, hand it to them through a window. No need to open the door or have a conversation.

b) From collection companies on statute barred debt is classed as harassment?

Yes, if they persist. Keep a diary, date, contact, what happened etc.

[Whogotmename]

Hi again.

I've received a second letter today saying they are going to instruct Verify to arrange a visit - so I'm going to post the SB letter (as you initially suggested) directly to ACI tomorrow as I really can't cope with their aggressive approach.

If Verify turn up before I hear back from ACI, do I just verbally refer them back to ACI, and not engage any further?

Thanks

Richard

[echat11]

Hi again.

I've received a second letter today saying they are going to instruct Verify to arrange a visit - so I'm going to post the SB letter (as you initially suggested) directly to ACI tomorrow as I really can't cope with their aggressive approach.

If Verify turn up before I hear back from ACI, do I just verbally refer them back to ACI, and not engage any further?

Thanks

Richard

Do the following:

'Print out the the Statute Barred letter, place it in an envelope (address it to the debt collector firm), keep it by the door, hand it to them through a window. No need to open the door or have a conversation.'

[Whogotmename]

Hi - upon re-reading the second letter from ACI, it actually states that 'Verify will write to me to let me know when they plan to visit'.

That being the case, I'll send my SB letter to ACI this week (as I previously mentioned); but should I send the same letter to Verify once their correspondence about visiting has arrived rather than just wait for them to turn up?

S Sorry to ask what might seem obvious questions, but this stuff leaves me really anxious.

Thanks

Richard

[echat11]

Hi - upon re-reading the second letter from ACI, it actually states that 'Verify will write to me to let me know when they plan to visit'.

That being the case, I'll send my SB letter to ACI this week (as I previously mentioned); but should I send the same letter to Verify once their correspondence about visiting has arrived rather than just wait for them to turn up?

S Sorry to ask what might seem obvious questions, but this stuff leaves me really anxious.

Thanks

Richard

It's a decision for you, you can do, they will just pass it on to the Creditor.

[Whogotmename]

You're gonna think I'm stupid here but something was still bugging me about this. I was more focused on the debt figure up until now, but ACI are quoting the original creditor as HFC Bank, who to the best of my knowledge I have never dealt with. My original credit agreement for the car in 2008 was with Welcome Financial Services. I now understand that neither of these have existed for some time now.

I know that HFC became part of HSBC years ago. I also see there is an address link that was made in 2004 by HSBC to a very old address in my Transunion credit report. Additionally I note other address links for places I haven't lived in, roughly around the years I was homeless 2008 to 2012. Could it be that credit was taken out in my name without me knowing back then? The spurious links seem to be close variations of addresses where I did live.

Either way, my current credit report is fairly healthy and shows no outstanding poor debt, no ccjs, etc - and to be honest I'm a little confused by this all as Transunion makes absolutely no reference to HFC.

As I say, now I look closer even the amount does not match exactly what I then borrowed from Welcome Financial Services to pay for the car, which was returned weeks later after my stroke.

Should I be sending a different letter that simply does not recognise the debt quoted ,- or will the SB letter suffice? I don't really want to get into a long winded process of resurrecting things I don't need to. Is there any chance HFC bought the Welcome debt? As I understand things they both went out of business around the same time? And even if HSBC then took it over, wouldn't it still be SB?


I'm really u no sure now how to progress as either way I need to close down ACI harassing me.

Thanks

Richard

[echat11]

Send the letter below then if they come back with information that's older then 6 years and you've not acknowledged the debt or made payments in the last 6 years, you can then send the Statute Barred letter. Make sure you get Proof of Postage.

https://nationaldebtline.org/get-inf...iability-debt/

[Whogotmename]

Brilliant thanks. I feel much more comfortable with this as I could not find any record of HFC on my file

[Whogotmename]

I see there's a field for additional info - should I leave blank for now unless they can provide evidence, as there's no point adding what we have discussed here is there?

[Whogotmename]

I simply added the following line only:

'I have never entered into any agreement with 'HFC Bank Limited, and additionally there is absolutely no record of any such agreement on my credit file.'

I guess that's enoughu?

[Whogotmename]

Hi again

I've sent the dispute letter to ACI today, so hopefully that will clear things up with them.

However, I have just received a text from PerchVerify (same postal address as ACI) stating they will visit within 14 days, so I have the Verify copy by my door. My concern now though is in the text they quote a different finance company and different reference number - see below:

"We have been instructed by ACI to visit your home, in relation to your Intrum UK Finance Limited account. We will be planning to visit your address within 14 days to validate your place of residence and attempt to put you in contact with our client. If you prefer to resolve this without us visiting your address, you can call our client on 01253 226046 quoting 1955856"
.
Any Idea what's going on here? Why the different reference and company? And is my dispute letter to hand to Verify sufficient action on my part or should I pre-empt and send Verify a physical copy next week? It seems as though they're pushing me to phone them and are going to send someone anyway.

What would you suggest here? Again this is stress and anxiety I really do not need as I'm in hospital next week.

Will my letter sent to ACI supersede all of the above?

Thanks

Richard

[echat11]

a) Any Idea what's going on here? Why the different reference and company?

If they've got the same address, Verify maybe do work in house for ACI. Each entity may have different reference numbers for their own admin.

b) And is my dispute letter to hand to Verify sufficient action on my part or should I pre-empt and send Verify a physical copy next week? It seems as though they're pushing me to phone them and are going to send someone anyway.

If your in hospital next week, it makes sense to send it. It will be a wasted journey for them as letter is prepared ready to hand to said agent.

c) What would you suggest here? Again this is stress and anxiety I really do not need as I'm in hospital next week.

Listen to some calming music, the last thing you want is stress when you're in hospital. I hope it all goes well for you.

d) Will my letter sent to ACI supersede all of the above?

Yes, but bear in mind, that you sent it on XX/XX/XX, it will take time to get there, it will sit in their offices for a few days (dependant on how busy they are), then some one will eventually deal with it and respond.