Storing Records

Its something many people do incorrectly and it is something which needs doing correctly, and a shoebox with all your records in it isn't doing it properly when you are dealing with an issue as in such circumstances we do it properly by keeping everything pertaining to one case only, in logical order, in date order, and covered from the elements to protect them from the inevitibility of lifes mishaps. We only ever deal in writing and this is for good reason, so keep your files and documentation secure.

1] Always get a cheap file and punched pouches, these are the clear pockets into which you insert pages to protect them from lifes mishaps such as spills from tea or coffee, and little fingers which are often dirty, protecting your paperwork is the key.

2] Always put only two sheets of paper into a punched pocket with the text facing outwards so you can read them like a book.

3] Always put your documentation into your file in date order, if you send documentation this will go in first, and if you get a response then this goes in afterwards as this means you have applied logic to your system, and in the event of any dispute you can refer back through your documentation in logical order.

4] Always mark your documentation on the reverse side in pen, you mark the dates you posted any outgoing documentation; and you mark the date you received any incoming documentation, and you can give each document a number in a logical sequence if you like. Some debt collectors are dating documentation and holding onto it for up to several weeks before they post it to you, this is particularly common where there are statutory time limitations for responses. By having a "received date" on your documentation you can highlight such illegal actions by a company.

5] When sending correspondence as either "signed for" or "registered post" you will get a receipt and a tracking number and where you get these receipts you staple them to the appropriate correspondence. You have proof of sending and it is up to the recipient to PROVE they didn't receive them which is impossible when someone has signed for them and you have a tracking number, basically you are preventing them forcing you to accept liability for any inabilities they have internally within their systems, and denying having received them.

6] When you receive any correspondence you ALWAYS keep the envelopes as these contain a postmark which includes a date, and in many cases these dates may be a little faded, or they will fade over time; so always write the postmark date onto the envelope in pen so if the postmark fades, you have a reference taken from the envelope which will also show if a company has dated correspondence and held onto it before posting, particularly where there is a statutory limit on a response.

7] These documents are the original documents and if you have written to them and specifically demand they only deal with you in writing and they then try sending E-mails, you print them off and NEVER respond to them, you have the documentary proof of your demand and their clear proof of breaching this clear demand.

8] If they try ringing you on a mobile phone, keep a log sheet based upon a printed template and record the date of the call, the approximate time of the call, any company name they claim to work for, and any personal name they give you so they can be identified, and this goes into your file as more documentary evidence of their breaches.

9] Mark any ORIGINAL correspondence as originals on the rear of the document so there is no dispute that they are original documents, and cannot be confused with any copies which you produce. You can get cheap ink stamps which may be single or multiple function stamps and a cheap ink pad to mark your original documents if you prefer too.

Keeping copies of documentation is crucial as any copy must be a "true copy" of the original and copying original documents isn't as daunting as many people think, submitting documentation to any court is the largest reason people lose cases as any solicitor for the other side simply claims it isn't a true copy of an original document and often they are correct as people make the same continual mistakes.

1] When you send a document you only ever print off ONE COPY and SIGN IT, you then copy the SIGNED document and keep this "true copy" for your files. Never ever print off several copies of a document and only sign the one you are sending as any copies are not true copies and any court is quick to use this as an excuse to dismiss your claim.

2] When you write on the back of your document you need to copy the back of this document as it contains the additional information you have written onto it, you can copy the original documentations front and turn both the scanned document over and scan the rear, and put your copy back into your printer upside down and print the rear of your document onto the rear of your copy, as you have written "original" on your original document this will be printed onto the rear of your copy.

Most printers have something called a "watermark" facility and this prints whatever you want very faintly onto a copy, you can put the word COPY into this printer facility and print several sheets of paper with the word COPY in very large text and it will print this onto your paper, you then simply copy your document and use the paper you have already watermarked with the word copy and print over it, in any court they see it is clearly a copy and by accurately copying both sides of a document it will have the word original printed onto it, so no dispute that this is a copy of an original document.

In many cases original documents can be inadvertantly destroyed from something as simple as one of the current exploding washing machines doing its thing and burning your house down, you may have a burst pipe while you are out, or you may be burgled and have all your computers stolen; or you may be unlucky enough to have a Po-lice raid and have all your documents taken in hard copy or electronic form (see Ian Puddick case), so we never rely on one form of copy, and never keep them in one place, this way we have originals and true copies of original documents safely stored.
If we store documents in electronic form we need to adhere to the above rules and only copy original documents, and remember to copy both sides of the document to our chosen methods of copying format and we can use a memory stick or DVD which are the two most popular forms of electronic storage media. Paper copies are fine also and we can copy several copies of our documentation to paper, or make several DVD's or memory sticks.

If someone wants these documents they will get them, and we distribute these copies to the last place they would ever think of looking, if your parents are alive then never store all copies there, similarly, if you have adult children then never store them all there as they are the first places they will look, so be creative when you are storing copies of documentation and store them in the least likely places they will look, and spread the copies around.