Irish Debt Bureau - Vodafone - random call?

KGWX

Hello all,

A number of months ago I received emails from BCW Group, which I only found recently due to not checking my inbox very often. A quick google determined that they were a debt collection agency. I ignored the emails as I know I dont have any outstanding debts.

I received a call today from Irish Debt Bureau...a subsidiary of BCW. They said they were contacting me on behalf of Vodafone, to collect a debt. This sounded suspicious as I have always been with Meteor, and have never had a Vodafone account except for my work phone (which is paid by work and not me). They wanted me to confirm my address, which I refused to do..for a few reasons.

First of all, my search results for BCW came up with some dodgy practices. Apparently they are known for contacting people of the same name as the debtors they cannot find, and if they can get them to cough up money they are happy to collect it...it's all the same to them. Secondly, I got a number of emails months ago, but never a call. Suddenly I have gotten a phone call? Apaprently they troll Social Networking sites to get contact details for deptors that they cannot reach. I checked my FB, and I think I foolishly had my phone number set to public. So I have a sneaking suspicision that they are looking for someone of the same name, and when emails didnt work, they trauled my name and got a number and rang me.

When I refused to confirm my address over the phone to a stranger about a situation that he couldn't explain to me until I confirmed my details...he told me he couldn't discuss it and ended the call. I made sure to tell them not to contact me again.

I rang Vodafone to see what was going on, but they said without a phone number or account number they couldn't tell me anything.

Does anyone have any constructive thoughts on this? (I'm not looking to join into a group rant about the evil that is debt colellection agencies!) I just want to know whether I should just forget about this, or take it further? My main concern is that we are in the process of buying our first home, and I would hate for anythign to effect my credit rating.

L1011

Private debt collectors do not report to the ICB which is, in theory, the only credit agency banks are meant to use. If they report inaccurate data to a private agency e.g. Experian you're entitled to have this excised. That they don't have an actual address for you means they aren't going to be able to anyway, though.

I imagine they'll call back - tell them in the harshest terms you want to get stuffed and that you'll be going to the Guards for harassment if they call again.

Fred Swanson

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dudara

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Agreed - I wonder if it is possible to make a complaint to the CRO about this?

KGWX

Their parent company, BCW Group, parade themselves as Buchanan, Clark & Wells. They make an effort to give the impression of being a legal firm....

I've been in touch with Vodafone again. They said if I get a customer number from BCW, which apparently they have to give me, then Vodafone can look into that. To be honest, I don't think I'll bother. They can go and take a long walk on a proverbial short pier...

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

dubscottie

Don't worry about it.. As others have said it is one of the attics they use.

Had a firm in Scotland calling me twice a day for 2 weeks and sending "postagrams" to myself and the people next door saying that they had mail for me..

Quick google of the number and it turns out the were a tracing agent for BCW..

Also if you get official looking court stuff in the post.. Give the court a call. I did and it turned out a document I was sent in relation to an alleged debt was fake!! (but that is another story)

tonyheaney

My wife is getting these calls two but we own nothing

mattaiuseire

If you think debt collection agencies have time to be trawling through social media on the off chance they will find a mobile number for a debtor then you must be crazy.

Agencies cannot contact people with the same name in the hope that they will get payments for accounts unrelated. Firstly this would break data protection. The reason you are asked to confirm name and address etc is to cover data protection. If there is an address mismatch then the caller cannot proceed, and certainly cannot discuss outstanding balances.

If you are receiving contact from an agency, it is not advisable to ignore it, because somewhere there is an account in your name, rightly or wrongly, with an outstanding balance, rightly or wrongly. If this is the case, your non-compliance will end up making things 10 times worse.

My advice would be to contact the agency and find out what's going on.

In my experience people who "do not owe any money" actually do, and will do all they can do avoid, when in reality collection agencies are not wholly "evil" but are there to collect outstanding dues.

MarkAnthony

mattaiuseire wrote: »

If you think debt collection agencies have time to be trawling through social media on the off chance they will find a mobile number for a debtor then you must be crazy.

Agencies cannot contact people with the same name in the hope that they will get payments for accounts unrelated. Firstly this would break data protection. The reason you are asked to confirm name and address etc is to cover data protection. If there is an address mismatch then the caller cannot proceed, and certainly cannot discuss outstanding balances.

If you are receiving contact from an agency, it is not advisable to ignore it, because somewhere there is an account in your name, rightly or wrongly, with an outstanding balance, rightly or wrongly. If this is the case, your non-compliance will end up making things 10 times worse.

My advice would be to contact the agency and find out what's going on.

In my experience people who "do not owe any money" actually do, and will do all they can do avoid, when in reality collection agencies are not wholly "evil" but are there to collect outstanding dues.

Some of your post I completely agree with, some of it is very naive. I'm sure there are 'reputable' debt collection agencies out there, I'm also sure there are ones set up out of state doing all sorts of cowboy operations.

L1011

mattaiuseire wrote: »

If you think debt collection agencies have time to be trawling through social media on the off chance they will find a mobile number for a debtor then you must be crazy

eh, no - this is quite common amongst the bottom feeder debt collectors (of which there are many). Anyone they can find and scare in to paying a debt that might not be theirs on vague threats of "you won't get a mortgage" and similar is a win for them. Doesn't matter if they're on fee per payment, percentage, or bought the debt on assignment - if they can bully a payment from someone they benefit.

If you're mid mortgage application process and get a threatening phonecall about a small enough debt that you don't identify as yours, and the collector tells you "this will damage your credit rating", you're likely to pay it. Hence the agencies do try to "find" people whatever way they can.

Calahonda52

mattaiuseire wrote: »

..

Agencies cannot contact people with the same name in the hope that they will get payments for accounts unrelated. Firstly this would break data protection. The reason you are asked to confirm name and address etc is to cover data protection. If there is an address mismatch then the caller cannot proceed, and certainly cannot discuss outstanding balances.....

.

Not just naive but counterproductive against identity theft and therefore does a great disservice to people who are having it drilled into them not to give personal details to strangers on the phone.

Calahonda52

In case its of interest

Buchanan Clarke & Wells
PO Box 9596
Blanchardstown Corporate Park.
Dublin 15

01 803 5111

GadgetGeek

Another distressing phone conversation with eir customer service. Today I called eir customer service to ask as to why I have spent the week getting calls on my home phone and mobile, texts and letters stating that I have a overdue account with Eircom Limited. These letters state that Eircom have instructed Buchanan Clark & Wells (BCW) to pursue the debt on there behalf (This is despite my eir account being in credit).

The eir “customer support assistant” apologies and said that she was not aware as to how my detail got passed on but that she would ask them to stop contacting me. I queried as to how eir passed on my details in error to a third party without my permission (data protection act) and she informed that BCW are not an external agency, they work internally in eir’s debt department (this is not the impression that the BCW letter gives, but at this stage I would not believe either party).

I ask for her to get BCW to send me another letter stating that there was no debt outstanding, said that this would not happen and I would just stop receiving any form of communication from BCW. I did say that I was unhappy about that, she informed me that I could send in a letter of dispute and then she hung up on me.

After feelings of being denied the ability to get a wrong, righted I just wanted to advise all that I can to avoid getting any services from eir (Eircom).

The background to my case which I will not go to any great efforts to detail is about my attempt to leave there over priced “service”, after fully completing my contract and after giving appropriate notice. Subsequently getting charged for services I did not receive, charged for a modem that I did return, numerous phone calls, to try to get them to understand the situation and to have finally a debt collection agency sent after me while my account is in credit.

I was informed today the after 5 months of ending my service I will have to wait at least another month to receive my outstanding credit. I have found them most unhelpfully, quite abusive and I’m sick of receiving the standard Eircom response of if you have an issue send in a letter of complaint.

Again I advise everyone to stay away from eir (Eircom).

L1011

BCW sent an overdue amount demand to my employers for an account that was still within the allowed payment time *and* had been paid. Account manager had some explaining to do. Terrible outsourcing decision

foggy_lad

GadgetGeek wrote: »

and then she hung up on me.

Nice to see the level of Customer Care has not changed with eir

_Kaiser_

You never should (and don't have to) deal with these 3rd party debt collectors. If you owe any company money always deal with them directly.