Thanks Slick. I will start on a letter this morning. I hope you don't mind, I've borrowed that link and put it in my signature too. Several points there that are useful for helping BrightHouse victims!

Today I have received a Default Notice dated 23rd March 2009!!!! It gives me until 8th April to settle the arrears! Which is conveniently before the 28 days they require to investigate my complaint! So how does that work? Surely now they have acknowledged my complaint in writing, they should not be getting legal on this account? Any advice? PJ

And this is of concern to me as well. Without wishing to put you down at all, in my day, it would have been an awful lot longer than 4-5 months, before we let a new customer grow to over £50 a week. This amount was also ideally set at the highest a branch should be looking at loading a customer with. After all, £50 a week is £216 a month, or £2600 a year!!! Not that it ever happened, so long as the store met its sales targets, and kept control of the debt, this "ideal" was overlooked. And, as it is easier to load existing customers than attract new ones, I suspect this is now common place. A phrase about eggs and baskets comes to mind!! PJ

Hi And where are they getting £162 from? How many agreements do you have? If your regular weekly payment is approx. £50, then going late this week, means that they will ask for 2 weeks plus late fees. For example, 1 weeks arrears, another week to get you back on time, then £3 late fee per agreement. So if you have 3 agreements, they will ask you for £109.00. If they are asking for £162.00, then at £50 a week I would say you are over 2 weeks late and have 4 agreements? You only get late fees applied once during a late period. It only recurrs if you bring up to date and then immediately go late again, by not paying the extra week to get in front again. But each week you are late will increase the arrears by the same amount. The attitude change does not surprise me, as you have now migrated from the sales customer status to debt. And the reason you had a van at your door, is because when you telephoned, you got through to a sales person, not an account rep or manager. So they didn't go into your customer file on the system and flag a commitment to pay, meaning they wasted some diesel, running your house. Tough on them if you ask me, but I wouldn't stress about it. You are right that they have no right to enter your home at any time and reposess these items. But before we go down this lengthy route, I would say that your situation is a long way off needing this sort of advice and is easily recoverable. It sounds like a typical, "storm in a teacup" brought on by BH's reluctance to use common sense. At this stage, keep the channels of communication open, and if you tell them you can pay on a certian date, then make sure you do and make it easy on yourself. Hope this helps and keep us informed. PJ NOT PB THANK YOU STELLA

Oh and I forgot to say. This letter came in the same post as another letter from Lloyds with my monthly loan statement, and gues what? Yes, you're right, they are STILL applying interest and charges!! PJ

Hi They call this practise "snatching". I know because they did this to me, but took it out of another account, in my sole name. They snatch as soon as enough cleared funds hit your account to make at least 1 months regular payment, and usually in multiples of your monthly repayment, depending on how much arrears you have. I called the normal customer services number when they did this to me, and I got the phrase from her words, but when I then spoke to the collection centre staff, and quoted the phrase "snatched" they went very quiet. However, just like further up in the thread, I had earmarked this money for more important things, and they refunded the money without question. However, recently, they have changed the computer systems and it now takes up to 28 days to actually make the money re-appear in your account!! Which is absolute ballcocks if you ask me. Only a bank could get away with this! PJ

Hi Guys Update for you. Finally, on 11th March, I received a letter from Lloyds, this time the Hove office (I wish they'd make their minds up). A guy called Matt Bartle, Operations Manager for Credit Operations, Customer Service Recovery, Lloyds TSB. He is merely apologising that I have cause to complain though, promising that he will get one of his minions to carry out an immediate investigation! He states too that because of the complexity, it might take a while to gather the necessary information and respond. He has asked for me to allow them 28 days to respond! A damn cheek if you ask me, as I sent the original "In Dispute" letter to them on 16th January! But I did get a nice, but very poorly photocopied copy of the bank's guide "How to Voice Your Concerns" leaflet. Wooppeedoo! PJ

Just as long as they don't help to educate their customers to the point that they realise they are being ripped off!

And now they are going to try and get un-employment back below 2 million!!! Press Releases | Press Release Distribution | Submit Press Release - BrightHouse trial with learndirect

This will make "the powers that be" a little more comfortale, should things get a little hot under the collar. Or will it? Press Releases | Press Release Distribution | Submit Press Release - BrightHouse successfully placed in Sunday Times Buyout Track PJ

This is great FB! You really ought to consider setting up an "alternative" mystery shopping company, and sell your services to these dim-wits! You did EXACTLY what they do all day, preyed on the VULNERABLE, and you caught them with their pants well and truly down! I LOVE IT! I have also noticed that business in my local BH store isn't exactly booming. I went and mystery shopped it last week with a BBC reporter as well, and I was shocked that we practically disturbed the ONE sales persons afternoon nap! Perhaps the BH boards claims a few months ago, that BH were bucking the trend in the credit crunch, were a little premature. Ain't that a shame??? PJ

Hmmmmm, "crunch, crunch, crunch!" That wasn't the sound of Lefty eating his words was it? Well done! Another case of Consumer 1 - 0 BrightHouse PJ

It does not take 8 weeks to either fix a TV or decide if it is too costly to fix! End of discussion! That's what you tell them and don't stand for any messing. It sounds to me like a typical problem being passed around different departments and the store has no interest in it as long as you keep paying. But now, you are not getting what you are paying for, and they are in danger of being in breach of contract, even though they have given you a loaner, for what it's worth! My guess is your TV has been sitting on a shelf somewhere, and hasn't even been looked at, and they have given you 8 weeks, as it will take them that long to remember what shelf it's on. Keep pestering them as this is simply NOT acceptable. A strongly worded letter, CC'd to Head Office and your local Trading standards might be the course of action, detailing the series of events so far. PJ

Yes Lefty, good point well made! Sorry, it totally escaped my mind. This wasn't an unusual situation, and we often encountered this with QR stuff. However, you are PERFECTLY WITHIN YOUR RIGHTS to ask that any payments you have made on your current agreement, be credited to the new agreement. And if it is a new laptop you get, then it will have to be a new agreement, as you can't switch-out a refurb, to a new. All they will do is knock however many weeks off the end of your new agreement. And when I was there, PC's were only ever over 2 years, 104 weeks. They may have changed this though, to get even fatter on your money! PJ

Bankfodder is right there. It ain't over til the fat lady sings! Anymore cliches, anyone? Don't believe what they may tell you until you actually have the new desired laptop. And keep badgering them until you get it as well. Also make sure you are not paying anymore for it. Where the difference should be reflected, between new and refurbished, is in the length of the agreement. The weekly amout should be the same. Rightly you have chosen not to take the OSC, as this is a waste of money for computers. I take it you do not have home contents insurance as you have taken the DLC? Are you aware that this may only protect future repayments and BH's losses, in the event of a claim? Where as your own contents insurance usually gives new for old (check providers terms). Hope this helps PJ

Ok. No contents, but definately OSC. I'll PM Clemma with a link to this thread and she will be along in a bit and tell you how your friend can challenge OSC, as I am sure you can. Meanwhile, you have a choice, which I am sure is acceptable with BH. You can either proceed with a DLC claim and try and fork out the £100, then have no further commitments. Or you can have both OSC an DLC removed, and continue to pay the remaining, much lower weekly repayments, which will cost you about £30 more over the remaining term, as opposed to the excess. It's not ideal, but it will make it more affordable. BH will probably moan, and they may not alow it, if for example, your friend has a patchy payment history. But, if your friend doesn't have the £100, you have no choice. You won't need to get any re-write letters, as you don't have an item for them to reposess any more! Nor do you need to provide contents insurance proof for cancelling the DLC, you have nothing to insure. OR, just be damn cheeky, go into the store and tell them you can't afford it, show them the crime number from the police and let them deal with it, after all you have paid over the odds for this item! Worth a try! PJ

Hi again £6 a week sounds like she doesn't have OSC in my opinion, but check anyway. If you were to continue with paying this, as opposed to paying the excess, you would pay £150 until the end of the agreement. If you were to continue without the DLC, you would pay just under £130. This as opposed to paying the £100 excess. Unfortunately, as you may well be able to reclaim OSC, this is not the case with DLC as it is an insurance. You cannot reclaim past insurance payments, just because you haven't claimed on it. It's a bit like not having an accident on your car insurance, then asking for your premiums back. The only exception to this is if you can prove that you were mis-sold the policy or forced into it. So, does your friend have contents insurance, and if so, did they mention this at signing for the agreement, and was she forced into it? PJ

Hi Goldlady Thankyou Lefty for replying! Unfortunately, Lefty is right here. There is an excess, as with pretty much all insurances, for DLC, but only on items that are portable and where circumstances such as this occur. It is a case of yet another £100 down the drain I am afraid. My notes I have posted on the CAG BH Factsheet of Lefty's, together with Lefty's own info, suggest why you should if possible, always use your own house insurance. You would still have to pay an excess, but you would also get a new laptop in the deal too. Did, you ever have OSC on this laptop, and did you ever have any servce issues? Perhaps it might be worth having a chat with Clemma, as I know she has managed to re-claim her OSC charges in full as the benefits for OSC on a laptop are worthless. IT takes a barrage of emails and letters, but it would more than pay your excess. Sorry we couldn't have been more help. PJ

There you go! Told you the Scottish law experts would turn up shortly! But with regard to all you questions in the post so far, I don't believe these differences affect you, unless you allow your accounts to run out of control to the point where BH actually repossess your items. But if you are in control because you have taken steps yourself, as above, then this shouldn't need to happen. Oh and of course, Scottish law only applies in Scotland PJ

As far as I am aware, any subtle variances that Scottish law would have on your circumstances, will not affect anything we have mentioned above. But as I am not a legal expert, nor am I Scottish, nor do I have any experience with dealing with Scottish law, if you are uncertain, then you should seek further advice. I am sure that anyone else who may be viewing this thread that does know the answer, will be along shortly to reply. PJ

To be honest, it may be worth a try, but BH tend to be a law unto themselves. However, CAB are a valuable resource, as it does help to "offload" this onto a real person, face-to-face. You know, a problem shared, etc etc. I personally do not have any experience with CAB, but they do provide a good service. Whether or not they would be able to make BH jump, I doubt it, but worth asking. PJ

Oh, and don't stand for any messing if they say you have to bring your account up to date before they give you an EPO figure. This is just them asking for yet more profit, as the EPO figure will reduce fractionally compared to the arrears you pay off. Another thing, is go in as a family, not as an individual. Safety in numbers. It turns the intimidation back on them and pressures them into doing the right thing. And wait until the store is a little busy. No-one wants a scene in front of new potential customers! Just little pointers to hep you. PJ

If you are returning items that you are currently in arrears for, and you owe past payments, then simply returning the item should suffice. It would be like rubbing salt into your wounds, for them to ask for the arrears after you have given the item back. They won't ask, but if they do, tell them to ask the Chairman of RBS!! Late fees are another way of making profit! If you have been affected a lot by late fees, we will see if we can fight to get these charges refunded to you, much like bank charges. But we'll do that later when the dust has settled. The branch is heavily targetted and late fees being dicounted is always a hot potato, but there is nothing to say you shouldn't ask. Beware of personal favours, STAY in control of your OWN finances. Make sure this is on YOUR terms. Reducing your weekly payments is a difficult one, as OSC is already off, and you have taken steps to reduce your weekly expenditure, I hope, by returning some items. Have a look at how long you have got left on some of your older agreements. It might be worthwhile finding out an EPO (early pay off). Sometimes, towards the very end, this can be surprisingly low, and this will be one less weekly expense and you will own the item! Be very careful if anyone suggest re-writing the items to a lower weekly payment, as the only way they can do this is to increase the term. This will tie you in to them for even further than you need. I doubt they will do this for you, I only ever knew of a few circumstances like this, and never did any myself. Take a look at this thread: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/brighthouse/130871-cag-brighthouse-consumer-fact.html It gives you an insight into the T&C's, and there are letters there too that help in the event of needing a re-write, that will protect the rights you have so far built up in the current agreements. Hope this helps some more, but if there is anything else you need to know, just ask. PJ

Hi me again! Just had a phonecall from Lloyds about 2 hours ago. Recognised the 01273 ****** number right away! Tried to get me to go through all the security details and I refused, stating that all communication should be now in writing and asked them to write to me instead. Operator then said that I needed to go into my branch in person as they needed to tell me something!!!! I said that this wasn't very convenient and why can't you put it in writing. After which the operator was keen to say Bye and hang-up! Anyone got any ideas what the hell they are up to?? Or is this just a routine reply when you refuse to go through security, cos if I knew it was that easy, I would have done that ages ago! PJ

Hi, and welcome to the forums. All to often though it's a welcome under these circumstances, and I am sorry you are experiencing these problems. You are now all out of work and your benefits are less than you were expecting. Benefits are there to help with the emergency items, such as food and shelter and warmth. Rightly so they do not provide for you to pay for HP items. Now BH have already removed the OSC, is that the case on ALL your agreements? Are you still also paying for DLC? You can only remove this is you have your own house contents insurance. If this £92.00 a week is without any OSC, then I would still suggest that you have an awful lot of stuff. I know I would struggle with affording nearly £400 a month on HP items. So, before you think I am sounding judgemental, you need to ideally look at all your agreements in a new light, that is the light of necessity. Make a list, starting with the most essential items first, that you simply cannot do without (washing machine, cooker, fridge) Then whittle it down, so the last things on the list are "luxury" items (2 Xbox's, 50" plasma TV for example). Now, starting at the bottom of the list, work out which items you have paid the least on so far. This is where you have to now be brutal, and start returning these items. You can't afford them, and hopefully you haven't paid a lot for them yet, but the very essence of a HP agreement is that you are paying to use them until the agreement ends and you either buy them or give them back. I know you no longer have OSC, and they might turn round and say that you have no right to return them using "pick-up-and-hold", but that "benefit" isn't worth the paper its printed on even when you are paying for it. If they kick up a fuss and the item is portable, just take it into the branch and return it instead of paying for it (get a receipt). As a "responsible community focused" lender, they simply cannot refuse you returning this item, as you are taking direct steps to fix your debt! And I know these forums, a lot of debt action charities, and a good few journalists, would bery very keen to hear if it was otherwise! I know that after reading this, you are first of all going to say "no way", I am not returning my items. But think for a second. Is all the hassle you are likely to receive, if you don't do this, really worth it? You and your family's world has been shattererd by being out of work. You can't afford these items now. And they are not technically your items either. BH will send you threatening letters, they will phone you every day, they will knock on your door. In other words they will add stress to what is already a stressful situation. BUT, if you show them right away, that YOU are in control of your finances and NOT THEM, it will make things a whole lot less stressful. I know you have a lot of tough decisions ahead of you, but make it easy on yourself. I wish you all the best. PJ