buchanan clark wells

micfur

Has anyone else had the unpleasant experience of dealing with Buchanan Clark & Wells? I recently moved domestic electric accounts from Bord Gais to another supplier. there was an outstanding debt of 99 euro which I hadn't paid off until I started getting frequent calls from this crowd. I subsequently paid off the debt yet the calls kept coming. Their phone number is always hidden and they seem to specialise in nasty letters with

MASSIVE BOLD HEADLINES LIKE THIS

threatening legal action.

I rang Bord Gais and told them my bill was paid (which they agreed) and I wanted to know why I was still getting harassed? They said I needed to deal with the debt collection agency itself as it was no longer anything to do with them. Im sure its in the T&C somewhere but I had a contract with Bord Gais not with Buchanan Clark and Wells, so not sure how Bord Gais feels they can wipe their hands of it.

I own a small company which gets its electricity from Bord Gais so at least I have the minor pleasure of canceling that account in retaliation

wmpdd3

Your right your contract is with bord gais. Next time the other crowd call, tell them you are reporting them to the cops for harassment. Also tell bord gais the same, its bord gais' fault they have your details.

Gillo

I'm pretty sure the Data Protection Act deal with inaccurate information held about you. Next time they call threaten to go to the Data Protection Commisioner over it.

sandin

You say you had got arrears with Bord Gaid - then these were only cleared AFTER you starte to get calls / letters from this crowd.

Did you pay it directly to Bord Gais? -If so, they may not have updated the debt collectors with the info as once it moves to debt collectors, it is they who should be paid and they pass over the payment less their fee to bord Gais.

Maybe write to them and let them know the day you made payment to bord gais as without getting this info, they will continue to contact you.

By the way wmpdd - contract for supply is bord gais, but the debt collectors ast as an agent of bord gais and I can assure you the TCs will have details saying "Bord Gais and their agents" somewhere in the small print - It is very very rare that debt collectors don't cover themselves legally and ignoring them makes this issue worse whereas informing them with correct and accurate information can have the file deleted in seconds.

Madam_X

You broke your contract with Bord Gais by leaving arrears - they have done nothing to deserve retaliation.

The advice that the debt collection agency shouldn't be acting as an agent for the company is not correct either. They're legit., not some bunch of gangsters breaking the law. Let the agency know you have paid it. It's their system that required this info, not Bord Gais's.

micfur

To answer a posters question, when I did pay off the arrears it was directly to Bord Gais rather than the debt collectors. IF this means they dont get their cut, all the better :-)

My main point is not that Bord Gais dont deserve to be paid for the arrears, of course they do. The point is the manner in which they and the debt collectors do their business.

For example, the frequent calls from the debt collectors and their refusal to accept that I had paid the debt. Their phone number is always hidden. They refuse to disclose (in a general sense) what they are calling about until I give them personal information first (my address). There was loads of talk of legal action and credit rating being affected etc.

In the end I got tired telling them the money was paid (I told them at least 4 times) and just hung up as soon as I knew who they were.

I also reckon I was in arrears about 4 weeks before my account was handed over to them. Undue haste? maybe, maybe not.

Agree with the poster who said somewhere in the fine print Bord Gais had the right to hand my details over to a debt collector.

Newaglish

I really don't understand the issue here - how does the conversation go when you speak to BCW?

BCW: We're calling about the outsanding debt of X on your Bord Gais account.
Customer: I paid X to Bord Gais on [date].
BCW: ????

I presume they're looking for proof of payment or something?

To be fair, I've dealt with them before and they can be infuriatingly difficult but in this scenario I don't see how it can't be easily resolved.

sargito

Never pay BCW, but always pay Bord Gais. The Bord Gais Collections Department are adept at lying about how you cannot pay them, and must deal with the third party, but If you ask any of the other Departments, Customer Service for example, they'll tell you that you can , and will provide you with a method of payment. I personally think the amount of people who are having difficulty with dealing with Bord Gais should form some sort of class action law suit against them at this stage!

BCW are the worst shower, and there is significant doubts as to the legality of the latest terms and conditions issued by Bord Gais, where they believe that no action by the residential customer is needed from them to be bound to these terms. Many people I know never even knew that there were bound to a new contract, as no information had been given or received. Recently BCW have taken to harassing relatives, and threatening property of students parents, as the children have moved out of rented accommodation and back home! It seems that Bord Gais will now hand over details that are gotten through deceptive means, and then sell them to these thugs. If you have a bill continue to pay it in the normal way, keep records of the payments , and records of the harassing letters and phone calls. If you are taken to court , you can provide this as proof of your management of the debt, and that BCW are acting disproportionately, it is important in such cases to highlight the role of BOrd Gais in encouraging such practices. It's unfortunate that Bord Gais abuse their customers information in such a way, and the 4 weeks is not atypical of the Collections Department.

I think someone there must have the promise of a lucrative job with BCW if they can get as much business for them as they can so they fast track debt cases, ignore the Code of Conduct of Bord Gais, and put people under enormous pressure to pay nominal bills to BCW instead of Bord Gais.

Issue a complaint against the Department, with names if you can. Report the issue to the Data Commissioners Office, and the CER office. Maybe sooner or later the management of Bord Gais will take notice and get the Collections Department to actually do their jobs for a change, instead of drumming up business for an unlegislated for industry, with no ethical standards.

BuilderPlumber

Rogue debt collectors Buchanan Clarke and Wells are a <SNIP>company. Their collectors work on the principle that the more debts they collect, the more commission they made. <SNIP>

Zombie thread - closed