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Advanced Investigation Services sent me a letter chasing an old BT account.
Along the bottom read in bold type the scary prospect of
" Specialist in locating people at their home address" - I wonder where else they'd expect to find us?
I had received letters from CCS - Commercial Credit Services, but never heard of Advanced Investigation Services so being a Cabot Fan Clubber checked them out with the OFT Licence Public register. Not on it!
I checked the small print at the bottom which said it was a trading style of Clanchatton Birmingham Limited so I checked their licence and No again, Advanced Investigation Services did not appear as a trading style either, Commercial Credit Services did, but not Advanced Investigation Services.
So I emailed the OFT who confirmed that they were indeed UNLICENSED and they had transferred my information to the Trading Standards Officers in Worcester to take action.
This is what the OFT said:
Thank you for your email received on 27 July 2010.
Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, if a business wishes to be involved in activities relating to consumer credit or hire, including debt collection and debt management, they must have a consumer credit licence. The Office of Fair Trading (the OFT) has duty to enforce the Act, along with local authority Trading Standards Services (TSS).
Upon checking the information provided in your letter, it appears that this trader does not hold a consumer credit licence. I have therefore forwarded your complaint to the TSS where the trader is based for it to consider investigating the matter of unlicensed trading in their area. The TSS is:
Worcestershire County Council
Trading Standards Service
etc....
so, if anyone gets a letter from Advanced Investigation Services - beam it off to your trading standards office referring them to this. It is an offence not to have a trading style when working in the credit industry, on your OFT CCA Licence- Period! Fat fine coming I think...
Cabot Fan Club 1 - Advanced Investigations 0
p.s. can a MOD change my heading to Advanced with a D' at the end please, don't want any confusion
Along the bottom read in bold type the scary prospect of
" Specialist in locating people at their home address" - I wonder where else they'd expect to find us?
I had received letters from CCS - Commercial Credit Services, but never heard of Advanced Investigation Services so being a Cabot Fan Clubber checked them out with the OFT Licence Public register. Not on it!
I checked the small print at the bottom which said it was a trading style of Clanchatton Birmingham Limited so I checked their licence and No again, Advanced Investigation Services did not appear as a trading style either, Commercial Credit Services did, but not Advanced Investigation Services.
So I emailed the OFT who confirmed that they were indeed UNLICENSED and they had transferred my information to the Trading Standards Officers in Worcester to take action.
This is what the OFT said:
Thank you for your email received on 27 July 2010.
Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, if a business wishes to be involved in activities relating to consumer credit or hire, including debt collection and debt management, they must have a consumer credit licence. The Office of Fair Trading (the OFT) has duty to enforce the Act, along with local authority Trading Standards Services (TSS).
Upon checking the information provided in your letter, it appears that this trader does not hold a consumer credit licence. I have therefore forwarded your complaint to the TSS where the trader is based for it to consider investigating the matter of unlicensed trading in their area. The TSS is:
Worcestershire County Council
Trading Standards Service
etc....
so, if anyone gets a letter from Advanced Investigation Services - beam it off to your trading standards office referring them to this. It is an offence not to have a trading style when working in the credit industry, on your OFT CCA Licence- Period! Fat fine coming I think...
Cabot Fan Club 1 - Advanced Investigations 0
p.s. can a MOD change my heading to Advanced with a D' at the end please, don't want any confusion
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