Hi all, So yesterday I opened a rather well padded envelope from someone in Cardiff. Yep, you guessed it - GoDebt. Inside was a claim for £1,200 more than the original defaulted balance - which goes stature barred very, very shortly. I have already disputed the 'penalties' in my original conversation with them nearly two years ago. Also inside were three sheets of paper. One was a leaflet on how they could help me come to some arrangement if only I would call them - they would be sympathetic to my circumstances. One was a incomings/outgoings form and the last was a sheet asking for my preferred method of contact. Is this GD just looking to be seen to be doing the right thing now but still demanding 'penalties' for default over 5 years ago?

A year on and nothing changes I think. I just received a letter from GoDebt informing me I am registered on the electoral register and I should contact them right away. Didn't say what about though, but it was in my best interests.

Hi, I was reading back through and noticed in a previous post you mentioned that even though a debt is statute barred, it is still collectable by any means short of a court order? Does this open up another can of worms i.e. their methods become a little more unsavoury knowing that a court would not be interfering in recovering an unenforceable, but still collectable debt?

So I want my Equifax credit report because according to checkmyfile.com, it is still displaying an account that should have stopped reporting in October 2012. Online I complete the application form and at the end I do not get my CR but instead, please call this number (0844...) to complete your order. I call it in all innocence and am connected to a Rep who wants to 'check' all my details including asking for the answer to my "secret question". So I decide to ask where the Rep is based and she says somewhere in Asia (I get this after several attempts). I cancelled the order. Firstly - I did not have this hassle registering with Experian. Second, I will not give out that information to someone based outside the UK. Sort yourselves out.

Shredder it is then! Brigadier, you are a complete star. Mind rested - waiting game ensues.

I'm guessing then would these be pre-letter searches to try and match a name to an outstanding debt?

OK, I can live with that - gives me a chance to save up for my 40% deposit On CRA files, I am assuming then that the CRA state they will retain records for 6 years after the default date but Statute Barred is counted from the first outstanding payment provided no further payment is made? Making them different scenarios. This gets more headache inducing.

Ah, the date of the last payment or the date of the default registration? Basically - I got in a mess when there was a loss in the family and shortly after a messy break-up so paying bills was the last thing I was thinking about. I am all straightened out now but when I was digging into sorting all of this out about 18 months ago - the benefit of paying up was another six years on my CRA file AFTER the final settlement date (I worked out it would take me three years to clear them all) so I chose to ride it out. Foolishly I have never done a 'prove it' or SAR letter to anyone thinking it would open a can of whoopass I could do without. The default registration dates are (according to checkmyfile and Experian) Feb 2007, April 2007 and May 2007. All reported until the same time 2013. I have had no contact with any of the OCs and made no payments to any since at least two months before the defaults (hence the defaults). Out of interest - there is another one due to fall off in Sept 2013 (but Talk Talk can go whistle for that one - there is another thread with a similar story to mine about phantom charges). What happens to my credit profile after that? Then there will just be a bank account, will I still find it impossible to get a mortgage? Thanks.

Hi, Sorry but I am trawling the Ruthbridge posts as yesterday I got a letter of transfer from them and in the same envelope was a letter from Cabot. Now Cabot claim to have three accounts (three if you look at CallCredit and Equifax but only two if you look at Experian) according to my CRA reports all of which go SB between Feb and Jul 2013. So from what I have read, it looks like I am going to get a bumpy ride from these guys in the very near future. The best thing is, there have been several searches by "Organisations: Not Recorded" in the last few months and I was wondering if the two are connected? My biggest concern was the resetting of the 6 years which is why I decided to ride out the last year or so (that and the very s*** way I was dealt with by one DCA who called my mother and threatened to take her car away and then come and sort me out for messing him around). Have I got a sound plan or am I doomed?

Hi, Maybe I am the only one experiencing this but I looked over my credit files after getting an obligatory Ruthbridge/Cabot threat yesterday to discover searches made by organisations who have not left their name. So on my record they show up as "Organisation: Not Reported" I checked this on checkmyfile and also with Experian. I thought companies had to tell the CRA why they were conducting a search and if that is the case, why is the CRA not reporting the name of the organisation making the search? Getting annoying now. Any help appreciated.

Wow, I was considering using these guys (Close) to finance a car purchase but am thinking now, it's probably not a good idea! Cheers CAG.

This will make you laugh. Last week I got a DCA letter demanding £279 for eBay fees unpaid from an eBay 'acknowledged' fraudulent attempt to buy my mobile phone for £10,000! I have no intention of paying this 'fee' because - get this - eBay emailed me to say they had spotted a fraudulent attempt to buy my mobile phone. Incredible! And all this was in 2005! After many attempts (back then) to ask eBay to stop proceedings, unlock my account and allow me sell again - I ended having to create a completely new account. Don't get me started on my Paypal account! Utterly crap. I appreciate they have limited people and rely almost entirely on automated systems, but even by most dot.com standards their customer service is worst than appalling!

Thanks everyone, So knowing that I can leave these behind me...something I was asked by my partner which I had never thought about, how can a DCA put a default on an account if they are not the Original Creditor? I thought only the OC could put a default onto a credit history. I never asked for a CCA as I have a tendency to bury my head and stick my fingers in my ears.

OK, so after 6 years those on my credit file will drop off and I should then be able to look at getting a mortgage within another a year with my girlfriend which is what she has always wanted. Will any unpaid defaults affect this plan (even though I know all the gumf tells me it shouldn't, I do not really trust anything to do with the finance industry) AND My plan is to offer to settle the accounts outside the six year statute so they will affect my credit reference - am I off my head for thinking this is a good idea?

Thanks, I am not a bad person but I have dealt with DCAs and found them to be a rather disagreeable bunch. I have a few anecdotes about phone calls and threats but a visit to my local CAB and more importantly to this site gave me the confidence to read up and get myself educated. Great site, a Godsend for people like myself who want to get rid of debt.