I recently moved all my telephone services from Telstra Clear, it wasn’t the telephone services which gave me concern but rather that they kept on losing my payments . I then had to spend time talking to someone in the Philippines to attempt to sort the issue out which resulted in wasting much of my time but not in finding the payment .
By the time I shifted to another provider the account still wasn’t sorted out and I simply refused to pay a further cent until they located the missing payments and a comprehensive statement of accounts had been sent to me showing payments and invoices.
Finally they did a reconciliation and I settled the bill .
This week I received a call from someone who claimed to be a debt recovery company.
My reply was simple I told them that I did not have to tell them anything and if they did work for Telstra to check the facts with them.
Four days later I receive a letter from credit consultants debt services -this is where things get really interesting.
Look up www.creditconsultants.co.nz I have tried for 2 days now and I continually get the response “The connection has timed out”
Look up Credit Consultants Debt Services in the companies office and You will find that it was struck off in February this year. Therefore there is no such entity as Credit Consultants Debt Services.
Further the given 0800 number 0800500628 responds with a message asking for you to leave your details – very convenient and all the hall marks of a scam. All the other phone numbers on the letter also have the same message.
Credit consultant’s debt services have absolutely no legal standing they cannot make any demands off you or seek any information from you.
If they phone you hang up if they write to you throw it out.
There is no proof at all that they have any authority to collect money for and on behalf of any one and then there is the slight technicality that they don’t legally exist.
If you have a letter demanding money consult with us and we will advise you if it is fact or fiction and how you should deal with it.
Please note not all demands are scams .. never pay any one except the person to whom you contracted and keep a record of your payment receipts.
I have received communication from a Mr Foster his email and my response are on http://www.transparency.net.nz/
Some years ago we exposed Credit Consultants to FAIR GO. They were tightly linked with a PRO FORMA advertising scam that purported to be selling advertising in Health and Safety or Fire Safety Magazines. If you were stupid enough (and we were) to confirm and pay for one piece of advertising, you soon found yourself getting bills for all sorts of advertising in similar sounding magazines. Confirmations were obviously cut and pasted when you asked for proof of order. This followed by collection letters and verbal threats from Credit Conultants reps.
After ringing around other advertisers in this small limited publication which they supplied us a copy of, I found other advertisers had the same experience. I followed this up with advice from the commerce commission and eventually recorded a threatening conversation which I took to Fair Go. We ignored all further contact from them including a lodgement they made with Baycorp. Once we explained that this was a proforma advertising scam, we had no further problems.
Currently however there seems to be some problems with young folks getting Green postcards in family letterboxes asking for whereabouts. This in relation to parking fines. My advice if you have fines is deal directly with Council or Justice Department and do not pay anything through these idiots. I think Councils need to start looking at who they are dealing with, as parking issues seem to be a pot of Gold for these guys.