Thanks for the info, unfortunately mine isn't statue barred but I've sent my CCA request to see what that turns up. I'm guessing as the debt is only a few years old they won't have much trouble finding it!

I'd love it if my (or any?) CU offered Visa Debit (normal, not Electron etc) card facilities.

Cheeky b*****ds aren't they. I'm lucky I found this place, if I hadn't I'd probably be selling my organs by now.

Nopers tiglet, they are preparing it and intend to issue it in two weeks time, where it will be personally served upon me. A couple of "scary" paragraphs later, they say I can stop it by phoning them and because they are so nice, they have offered a reduced settlement. I won't be phoning them but will make the requests as recommended above (thanks!).

Also, should I worry that this action will continue, as they could continue before I get the CCA? Should I ask for the deed of assignment, I've never been informed of the sale by letter so am I right in thinking this should be provided also?

Thanks, just wanted to make sure I was on the right page. I think the SAR would be useful as capQuest offered to halve the debt probably only because the majority of the debt is charges.

Hi there, I received a letter from Capquest (original debt with Halifax CC) stating they were going to issue a Statutory Demand. This debt is not statue barred and I have no documentation from either the OC or the DCA to state they owned the debt, other than the claim in this letter. I've never heard of capQuest until today They claim that they will make me Bankrupt and I will lose my property and goods (I don't have any, so good luck with that). I just want to clarify my next steps: 1) Request a CCA? 2) If they provide, make an offer for repayment (unemployed so it will be a token payment) 3) If they can't, ignore the debt? Is this the correct thing to do? Thanks!

Thanks old andrew!

Hi there, I'm posting on behalf of my friend who is in a sticky situation. Basically she is moving into a rented house with her friends. She hasn't moved in yet, but her friends have and have been there for a couple of weeks. Before moving in, the landlord promised that the whole house would be cleared and cleaned and all potential problems would be fixed. Of course, when I heard this, I knew it probably wouldn't have been the case. When they got the keys they found the house in a far worse condition than before, none of the promises were kept, the house is very dirty, has misc items and rubbish spread around the house, has dangerously fitted electrical sockets, broken windows, mould, some sort of snail infestation and various other nasties. From my understanding my friend should write to the landlord and give them a chance to have all the problems fixed however the extent of the problems probably couldn't be fixed without having to move out for at least a few weeks, if the landlord even concedes that it is necessary. The house is virtually uninhabitable and the only people left living there now are the ones who have no where else to go (yet). What I'd like to know is, as they have signed their rental agreements, can they get out of them? I haven't read the agreement but surely the people cannot be forced to live in such a disgusting house, nor should they pay for it if they are "forced" to live elsewhere? Thanks if anyone can lend any advice.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! I believe the thing to do is write to Experian telling them the information they hold on you is wrong. I'm sure there is a template letter somewhere if you search, I did a quick search but couldn't find it but there should be either that or advice somewhere here. Incidentally, when I requested my credit report I got my mother and fathers also. I'm not sure that was supposed to happen!

Quick question, I have a laptop which I love (I know). I'd like to get an insurance policy for it, to cover it just in case. The laptop was bought under credit and I'm paying it off monthly. I just wanted to know, what happens if I need to make a claim in the future? Will the money to replace the laptop go to me to replace it, or will I have to give it to the credit company? I'm just wondering how that would work, as I don't want to be left without a laptop. Thanks!

Does anyone have any theories on how they are doing so well? With some of the stuff I read about problems with ISP's, o2/BE seem to be doing really well and they are quite cheap. It almost seems to good to be true?

What? Is that it?! I was hoping for more than that.

Interesting question about infectious credit reports, I remember applying for my credit report about 3 years ago and got my mother and fathers and my credit reports sent to me.

Oh and we have to pay to get our report to check if the information about us, that directly affects us is correct, then spend half a year chasing all these companies to make them fix their error!

I'm a Mac fan myself and I've read that you can fall out of love with them when you realise they are just another company. I'll soon see, if I get the job that is! I guess I can understand why they need to ensure I'm not a thief, I just hope they don't assume because I have a bad credit history that I'm a bad egg!

I did! I asked: Do you actually delete peoples records after 6 years or just make them inaccessible? Is it just coincidence that after contacting you for a credit report I get contacted by DCA's soon after? Is there a conflict of interest when CRA's own DCA's? How can you justify charging people for information that is collected for the benefit of another party that pays you, when we have no choice to allow the information to be collected. (out of interest rather than a serious question) I worded the questions better than that, but that was the gist.

Really take my advice with a pinch of salt but I believe as it is over 6 years, it's statue barred, meaning they can't pursue you anymore for it. Another point may be that they don't have a CCA for it anyway. It sounds like they may be chancing their arm and hoping you'll pay. Someone with a lot more knowledge will hopefully be along soon to help you out.

Just got one of these calls, was tempted to press 5 to find out what company was behind it but thought I better not as that might flag my number as a potential interest. 1471 says they don't have the number to return the call!

Hi SP, It's a Mac Genius, in the Apple Store. I didn't find out about it until I was offered the job, I'm fairly sure it wasn't mentioned on the application.

Hi all, I was wondering if a potential employer can carry out a credit check on you if they intend to employ you? I was denied a job by RBS because I failed a credit check. I did a bit of research and from my probably incorrect findings it was suggested that they only need to carry out a credit check if I will need to give financial advice. As far as I'm aware a call centre monkey who helps you pay a bill or tells you what your balance is does not have to give financial advice. No big loss not a fan of RBS anyway, so I forgot about this one and moved on. I applied for a job with Apple and have been offered the job on condition my references check out (they will), criminal record is checked (don't have one) and I pass a credit check (I will fail it). Can they do this? I'm not giving financial advice and won't be processing financial applications, as far as I'm aware Apple use MBNA for that. It's really annoying to be denied a job because of a credit check, nearly a catch 22 if this trend becomes the norm.

The laptop is made by Apple but the stand isn't, its produced by a company called Griffin, the product is called "Elevator". I don't think it's possible that the leads contributed to it, as they are all very neatly tidied and placed on the desk. Also that no one was in the room. I of course have no way of proving any of it and wouldn't even know how to prove the rubber was at fault or the product wasn't fit for purpose. However, other people have had the same problem, a quick search for "slip griffin elevator" etc does yield a few complaints. I thought I'd have no recourse but just wanted to make sure! Thanks for your help slick132.

Hi everyone, I was hoping I could get some thoughts on this. I bought a stand for my MacBook Pro and today found that it had totally fallen off the stand. I've had this issue before, though less serious, where the laptop has slipped a little but usually cleaning the rubber pads helped for a few days. I find it hard to remember to clean it every few days and feel I shouldn't really have to, especially when the computer is often not moved from the stand. I don't live in an environment where dust and grease is flying around so I don't how the rubber pads can fail to do their job in this way. It fell off and as my iPhone cable was plugged into the USB port and it fell on it, it dented the aluminium above the USB port and also caused a small dent in the lid when it finally came to rest, upside down. I was in another room at the time and only heard the bang. I'm wondering, is there anything I can do about this? While the computer still appears to function correctly it's really annoying to have such a beautiful (and expensive) computer damaged because a £35 product failed to do it's job. I'm very glad it wasn't much worse, especially with the delicate hard drives and LCD's these things have. Any suggestions? Thanks everyone.

I know! It wouldn't surprise me. I watched BBC breakfast this morning where the APCAS? (not sure) representative was defending the CC companies for closing the accounts of people who were in good standing and how they (APCAS) can't believe they are getting criticised for finally "lending responsibly" and adhering to the imposed and "tight regulations". What's responsible about trying to offer someone who appears to have no money?!

Do the creditors usually agree to this? Or can they refuse? I mean if they are accepting your payment as full and final settlement, can you stipulate that it's on the condition that they mark your credit file as such or do they usually tell you to get stuffed? I can't see why they would say no, other than to be awkward.