# Regulatory Compliance Category > Consumer Protection Act Forum >  MBD legal

## ians

I have had unfortunate experience of having this company call and harass me day after day...month after month to a point that i had to find a solution to stop them.

My personal details were apparently sold to them from Virgin active SA in error. I had a paid up membership through discovery vitality a couple of years ago.

I would get calls sms and calls all day and night from MDB legal and every time they phone i would inform them that i was not the person they were looking for yet it just didnt stop. Eventually i contacted their management team and informed them that they had the wrong number, it made no difference. I tried swearing at them, i tried telling yes i was the person, i tried putting the phone down on a counter, i event tried blocking the numbers but it didnt help the calls just coming, it seems they use a rolling number system.

A couple of days ago i had enough and honestly if they were in Durban i would have got myself into a lot of trouble for what i would have done to stop the calls.

I had to figue out a solution. I found out were they had bought the debt "Virgin active SA " and went onto the Virgin active facebook page and every time i got a call I  loaded comment after comment about what was actually going on. Their PR team responded and informed me that they would contact MBD legal and have my number removed. It didnt stop.

what also starts happening once these people apparently buy your personal details, the sms spam. 

I am trying to get the directors of Virgin active and and MBD legal private cellphone numbers so that i can show them what it feels like to have someone harass you all day and night. If anyone has them, let me know who much you are prepared to sell them for.

I see Virgin active have blocked all my posts on their facebook page. 

My wife has had to endue this kind of  harassment for 3 years from MBD legal for someone else they are looking for, same thing, every time they phone she tells them she is not the person they are looking for. She has finally decided to give up her cell number and replace it with a new number. The problem with a new number is you have to make sure you dont get a recycled number , because it seems this is becoming quite common. People get into debt, them dump the number.

I am not prepared to give up my number as it is my business contact number, so the fight will go on. 

I cant believe that we have a consumer protection act and there is nothing you can do about this abuse/bullying or what ever you want to call it.

After doing a little scratching i have also noticed that some of the debt these people are harassing people for has "prescribed" (older than 3 years)

I also need to verify that these people are the directors at MBD legal and it is the same company which has been harassing my wife and i for all this time.

GUY HARRADINE 

PHILLEMAN MAGDEGO 

ANIEL KRAMER

LOUIS BEKKER

It is a little more difficult to figue out who the directors are at Virgin active as it seems there has been a few changes. 

I would encourage others who are being harassed or have been in the past to come forward help put a stop to this bullying tactic. 



IF this company is harassing you check if the debt is prescribed  older than 3 years before you pay them. I am told they have no claim against you.

One person i found when i started scratching is being harassed for a debt from 2003, come on people surely not.

i have also contacted consumer watch but unfortunately they have not responded. Looks like i have t try sort it out myself.

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## Justloadit

I am not sure if you belong to Linkedin, but if not, register yourself there, and send the CEO of Virgin group in the UK a private message via Linkedin, he will get it. Hopefully he will respond.

According to the Virgin Website Paul Wolf is the CEO of the group. Sometimes the best is to go right to the top. 

You could call SA head office in Cape Town, and speak to the P.A. and find out who the local CEO is. Get his email, and see where that leads you.


0860 200 911

VIRGIN ACTIVE HEAD OFFICE
cnr Main Road & Campground Road
Claremont
Cape Town
7708

If you don't come right, let us know.

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## HR Solutions

Block their number .... it will change a few times, but eventually will stop.

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## ians

it seems i caused such a shyte storm on Virgin actives facebook page that i have been blocked and got a call from MBD legal management to apologies. So now i must just roll over and play dead. 

I also sent a message to Richard Branson's linkedin account (i am sure one of his PR people monitor it) to see if he was aware that Virgin active sa are apparently selling old virgin active clients personal details to MBD legal. 

My wife is quite surprised i managed to sort this out in a couple of days. As i pointed out to her, it doesnt help targeting MBD legal they have no interest in customer satisfaction, they are there to make you pay up no matter what it takes. However if you target the company responsible for selling your personal information it becomes a different ball game, especially if they have done it in error.

For the first time in months, no harassment today. 

I feel for people who have to endue this kind of bully tatics. Not surprised the suicide rate for bad debt has increased.

My advise to anyone being harassed...make sure you understand your rights. These people are ruthless and not very ethical in their approach.

for example never accept the debt over the phone. When they phone and ask if you are the person, tell then the person is busy and you will take a message and tell them to deal with you via email so that everything is in writing. Get them to send all documentation to backup their claim and make sure the debt has not "prescribed" (older than 3 years) make sure you understand what it is when debt is prescribed. MBD legal buy old debt from companies, then bully the people into paying up regardless of how old the debt. I have seen a complaints against MBD legal for Truworths clothing from 2003.

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## ians

A notice for everyone...BEWARE

There are emails and messages going around with a PDF attachment. IT had a persons name and a PDF statement attached indicating you owe this person money. You think its a normal PDF until you try open it.

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## ians

"Block their number .... it will change a few times, but eventually will stop."




unfortunately this is not the case, they have put measures in place to bypass blocked numbers. If you dont speak when they you answer the call automatically switches off and generates a new number which they just roll and roll and roll. They are are 1 step ahead of you and I and truecaller etc

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