I posted a question back in Febuary. Got lots of useful advice. Wrote and told HSE that time was up, over 6 years had passed. They now say that client has proof that they tried to trace me within the 6 years. Am about to serve a SARN on them and B&B. My question is "does proof of trying to trace count?" for six year rule. Even though I say they did not try very hard considering I am on same council tax and electoral role? Cheers Dawn

-- Dawn Taylor (dawn@passthebook.freeserve.co.uk), May 20, 2001

Answers

No..that's not good enough. They have to have irrefutable proof that they either found you and you ignored their letters/calls etc or that you in some way acknowledged that they had found you and did nothing. If neither scenario happened, then they are stuffed and I would reply a little more formally along those lines.

-- Too scared to say (iwasduped@yahoo.com), May 20, 2001.

I find it hard to believe that they actually *did* try to trace you. If you are on the electoral roll, you would show up in a number of very well-known, standard databases used for tracing, including: (1) the GB Accelerator; and (2) your Experian credit file.

Could be B&B/HSE are banking on your not knowing this; perhaps the minion who wrote to you doesn't even know it themselves.

Anyway, 'trying to trace' is not the same as 'trying to contact'. IMHO.

-- Eleanor Scott (eleanor.scott@btinternet.com), May 22, 2001.