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Original poster

Anyone know if this letter is likely to be genuine ??

28 replies

Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 10:59

Right i'll try and explain this as breifly as poss.

My moms exhusband moved in to a flat down the street from her about a year ago.
She has contacted him a few times since and been out for a couple of drink etc but generally their relationship has still been awful.

A couple of months ago, she decided to call at his flat on the way back from a friends. She said she knows he was in as his car was there and his lights were on etc, but he didn't answer the door.
She thinks he was ignoring her because he has recently been done for benefit fraud and thinks it was my mom who grassed on him (it was).

Anyway the next morning she had a text of him saying "my car, what the hell have you done".

She hadn't a clue what he was on about so she rung him and it turned out he had gone to get into his car that moring to dicsover that someone had scratched along the one side of it.
He reckons it was my mom as he said a neighb our of his saw her.

He said he was gonna report it to the police but my mom never heard anything else about it.

Last week however, a letter arrived from a soliciters saying that they were acting on behalf of him and, it says the following.

'We understand that you are currently being pusued by West Midlands Police concerning an alleged act of vandilism. Our client has a witness who saw you using a metal object so as to scratch our clients motor vehicle. We enclose for your attention a copy quotation in respect of repairing our clients motor vehicle for the damage which our client alledges you have caused.
Accordingly, we hereby put you on notice that unless you agree to discharge the said costs (950 quid)of reparation then our client intends to pursue you in the county court to recover costs. We would suggest that you contact a solicter to discuss your legal position.
Accordingly, if we have niot heard from you within 14 days then we reserve the right to issue proceedings without any further recourse to you.

If you have any queries then please do not hesitate to contact Mr James who has care and conduct of this matter.

Yours Faithfully

James Pearce & Co

So there it is, does it sound genuine to anyone ???

Reason i think it doesn't is that her ex's name is Robert and they have him as Rob, and that out of the whole team of James and Co, it just happens to be James who is pursuing it.

I made my mom ring them and ask a few questions. The secretary who answered didn't have any record of the case at all, and the ref number on the letter was not the type of number they use.
My mom read the letter to her and she said that although they are a large company, they don't deal in that type of work.

Also why would it say that my mom is being persued by the police when she hasn't been at all.

Basically my mom is very worried as she knows he is out for revenge and this looks like his way of doing it.

I am almost 100% certain that this letter isnot genuine but wondered if anyone else could tell me.

OP posts:
coppertop · 29/11/2004 11:10

It sounds like complete rubbish to me. The firm themselves have never heard of it. The police haven't contacted your mum. In any case, surely a genuine solicitor would wait until your mum had been convicted of the offence before trying to sue her for it? A criminal conviction for damage would go a very long way in helping their case for compensation.

It sounds like an attempt to scare your mother or even try to make her give her ex money. I would be tempted to pass on a copy of the letter to the firm of solicitors so that they can see how their name is being used. They might have a nasty surprise for the person behind this little scheme.

jampot · 29/11/2004 11:11

so you think james Pearce & Co don't exist?

jampot · 29/11/2004 11:12

i suspect it could be a letter before action in which case there may not necessarily be a file open for it - so i wouldn't complete discount it - i rthink i would be inclined to give mr james a call and discuss it with him

amynnixmum · 29/11/2004 11:13

I am no legal expert but it sounds dodgy to me. Looks like your mums ex is just trying to scare her and get some money out of her. I cant believe that a legal firm would be unable to find any record of a current case. To put her mind at ease perhaps she should have ring the local police station and tell them about the letter she has recieved - im sure if a complaint really had been made to them they would have been in contact with her by now! Also, if this letter is not genuine then the sender must surely have committed a crime by sending it.

MummyToSteven · 29/11/2004 11:13

if the law firm don't appear to have any knowledge of the letter then sounds unlikely it is genuine. there seem to be a lot of typos in the letter as well. If I was your mum, I would take a photocopy of the letter, and write to the Senior Partner or Practice Manager asking them to write to you to confirm whether or not this is a genuine letter sent by a case-handler at their firm. Other thing IMHO that is slightly odd abut the letter is that they don't mention wanting your mum to pay solicitors' costs in addition to repair costs - when I was a solicitor if I handled that type of case I would have mentioned wanting my costs paid as well as the £950 repair costs.

KangaMummy · 29/11/2004 11:14

Did it say Dear Mrs Nutty? then Yours Faithfully?

because it should be Dear Mrs Nutty then Yours sincerely.

Or Dear Madam then Yours faithfully

Small f not capital F

IYSWIM

A solicitor would not use wrong one.

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:16

I think they do exsist, but i think my moms ex may have friends in high places ans be using them to scare my mom.

I mean do they really think that my mom will get this letter and think "oh right i better pay then", when she hasn't even be questioned over it by the police, let alone charged with anything.

I just think it is very odd.
I think if she rings Mr James then he will go along with it.

OP posts:
jampot · 29/11/2004 11:17

yes they do exist

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:18

MTS the typos are mine

It is addressed like this

Dear Madam and then yours faithfully

OP posts:
jampot · 29/11/2004 11:18

he is trying to recover the money via a civil route as your mum hasn't been charged/convicted of a criminal offence - maybe he should just claim on his car insurance

SantaFio2 · 29/11/2004 11:19

I dont know nutty do you remember those people who kept threatening me with court for compensation over my old house? they were solicitors letters and they did threaten court. anyway after the inital response from us, i ignored the rest of the letters and it was never taken to court (or it was thrown out) and we had a letter of 'closure' off our solicitor.

If I was your mum i would go to these 'free' sessions at a solicitors and find out whats going on or try CAB (I should work for cab)

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:19

O.k so if it is true and genuine then what should she do ??

I thought the police had to get involved if he was accusing her of something criminal ??

OP posts:
Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:20

He is only doing it to be an arse

OP posts:
coppertop · 29/11/2004 11:20

In that case I would write a nice letter to Mr James asking for confirmation. If it's a lie and he goes along with it the he can get into a lot of trouble from the Law Society. I'd be willing to bet that he won't want to risk his entire career for your mum's ex.

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:21

oooh just got those books Jampot, Thanks

OP posts:
jampot · 29/11/2004 11:22

sorry

coppertop · 29/11/2004 11:24

From looking at Jampot's link I think the secretary was telling the truth. Their areas of law are family, wills and probate. Nothing at all about this kind of thing.

jampot · 29/11/2004 11:27

I just looked at the Walmley office and they do civil litigation at that office.

jampot · 29/11/2004 11:28

John James does civil lit

joash · 29/11/2004 11:29

An ex-neighbour of ours once tried this, getting a solicitor friend of his to write us a threatening letter regarding a dry stone wall that he wanted to move further onto our property so that he could widen his drive. He was threatening all sorts of consequences and claimed that parts of the wall had recently fell narrowly missing his children (utter crap). making sure that I was fully aware of my rights and facts - I simply wrote a very well written, polite yet incredibly snotty leter back to the person in charge of the 'firm' on the letter heading. Never heard another thing and the solicitor friend was quite severly repriimanded, blamed our neighbour and that was that. Try it!!!

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:29

Oh right ok. I think i'll tell her that she at least needs to ring them then.

One thing Jampot, if they have a Walmley office and that is where they do civil litigation, then why doesn't the letter come from there ??

OP posts:
jampot · 29/11/2004 11:31

which office is it from?

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:34

It is from the Bromford Lane, Ward End office.

OP posts:
jampot · 29/11/2004 11:34

actually when we bought our house it had loads wrong with it that the surveyor didn;t pick up and they were being really funny about it so my boss wrote them a very nice letter reminding them that they were trying to impose new conditions after an agreement had been reached.

Original poster
Nutcracker · 29/11/2004 11:35

That is the office she is told to contact too.

It says for her to contact Mr James and then the number for that office.

OP posts:
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