An extraordinary conundrum regarding fare evasion....Advice needed

[Tibbs]

Because you have no proof of what was, or wasn't said. Unless both sides advise of and agree to recording of the conversation before it commences.

Because you then have an audit (or evidence) trail of all communications.

Because putting something in writing gives you time to think about your response rather than blurting out whatever comes into your head at the time. You can, for example, look at your diary to see where you were that day, rather than saying 'I think I was out shopping' and then later saying 'I was at the football'. The contradiction makes it look like you have changed your story rather than simply not knowing when asked about something a long time ago.

Because the person at the other end (in this case the person chasing the alleged debt) will think about what they have written and will have to take responsibility for it in future - which is proving very useful for my current dispute with BT!

^^ What he said!

Also these people try to elicit information out of you that they have no right to have, or you don't want to give.

I have a very old alleged debt that is still doing the rounds. It's not valid and was challenged and dismissed years ago. It's in a package that seems to get sold off from one agency to another. There's a name and phone number attached to the debt but no address or other details. Every couple of years I get a phone call from one debt agency or other claiming money is owed. They know it's not, so won't pay money to find out my address, but they threaten me with all sorts of things or try to trick me to get my address so they can send me scary letters with lots of red ink on them.

Since I know what they're trying to do, I either just say that the debt is denied, put the phone down or mess with them, depending on how I feel on the day. It's always funny when you get into a circular argument with them.

I could probably get it sorted, but I'm guessing it would be more effort than dealing with 2 or 3 phone calls every couple of years and it doesn't affect my credit rating. The scum suckers that buy these sorts of debts are hardly the type to behave ethically, so I doubt it would stop them anyway.

 

[Flamingo]

I had this with the Halifax bank years ago, and after they renaged on deals made over the phone and I told them I wanted it in writing, they said they did not deal with things in writing, and the only option was to deal with them by phone. So I blocked their number, giving them no option.

As soon as I could, I also closed all accounts and mortgages with them. Eleven years on, words still fail me as to how devious and horrible they were to deal with. All I will say is if I saw a branch of the Halifax on fire, I wouldn't cross the road to **** on it to put it out.

 

[Rich McLean]

I had this with the Halifax bank years ago, and after they renaged on deals made over the phone and I told them I wanted it in writing, they said they did not deal with things in writing, and the only option was to deal with them by phone. So I blocked their number, giving them no option.

As soon as I could, I also closed all accounts and mortgages with them. Eleven years on, words still fail me as to how devious and horrible they were to deal with. All I will say is if I saw a branch of the Halifax on fire, I wouldn't cross the road to **** on it to put it out.

I moved all my accounts from Halifax to Barclays. They do everything in writing, have never rang me.

 

[bb21]

I had this with the Halifax bank years ago, and after they renaged on deals made over the phone and I told them I wanted it in writing, they said they did not deal with things in writing, and the only option was to deal with them by phone. So I blocked their number, giving them no option.

As soon as I could, I also closed all accounts and mortgages with them. Eleven years on, words still fail me as to how devious and horrible they were to deal with. All I will say is if I saw a branch of the Halifax on fire, I wouldn't cross the road to **** on it to put it out.

Halifax are IME the worst bank to do business with as a customer, in many aspects.

 

[island]

Halifax are IME the worst bank to do business with as a customer, in many aspects.

If you want to downgrade from a fee-paying current account to a free one you cannot do it online and have to apply over the phone or in branch as though you were a new customer, giving all the information they already have. Upgrading on the other hand can be done online in a few minutes.