Leeroy23, I don't have a specific answer for you, but it does sound extremely dodgy. What benefits are you claiming that said they might be affected? If it was me, I would ask exactly what they mean by 'my benefits could be affected'; then if do you feel like you need to give a statement, make sure it starts with words to the effect of "I am making this statement today after being advised by that if I do not do so, then my payments of will be stopped." Don't sign it unless you see that included. In my opinion, they are just trying it on with idle threats to get a result in their case, and if you go back and ask them specific questions about what exactly they mean, and what powers they have to compel you to give a statement etc, they should realise they are not going to pull the wool over your eyes. Best of Luck. Kind Regards,

Hello ele88. It looks as like you have added this on to somebody else's thread. You are better off going back to the forum and clicking '+ Post New Thread', and asking again. In the meantime however, don't worry at all. I don't know how long it takes for RLP to send the first threatening letter out to you, but when it arrives, remember that all it is, a threat with very little basis in reality. There is no way a disputed claim for goods worth £4 with no police involvement is ever going to see the inside of court room with advice from the start. What I would say is when you do post your on thread (and you might want to wait until you get your letter first, it may be a while) would you confirm that there was no police involvement, and when you say "they aid me on cctv and all that" do you mean they SAID they had on CCTV but didn't show you anything? Kind Regards

Bruno, Are there any grounds for making a reduced offer, excluding the inherent commercial advantage in coming to a swift resolution? In addition, a few more details would be helpful. How did the arrears come about? Do you know how the balance breaks down? Roughly what time span are we talking about? Did you make any payments before the account was passed to the DCA? Is this the first DCA you have had contact with? Who is it? Some narrative background will help decide how to proceed with making a without prejudice settlement offer, if that's your choice. Kind Regards

bruno, It depends on the circumstances of the debt - if you agree £202 is the fair balance of the account, then yes, an offer of what you can afford each month might be an appropriate response. If, however, you have reason to dispute the debt is yours, the 'prove it' letter as above is your one. If the debt is yours, but you dispute the balance is fair and reasonable; if you missed a payment or two, and the vast majority is made up of late payment fees or charges, or that the mobile phone company mishandled your account in some way, for example, then you could consider making an offer that is less than the amount claimed ; offering your £100 perhaps. If you do, you should mark your letter 'Without Prejudice', and include the words "..this offer is made without prejudice, and without any admission of liability." which means that if the offer is rejected, the company can't use the fact you made it as proof that you acknowledge the debt or use it against you in any later claim. Feel free to provide more details on the circumstances before electing on a course of action.

glasmale26, Reading, it sounds as though you had an oral agreement to vary the terms of contract you had with Abby regarding the imposing of contractual charges (the recovery of which by your own action, as ims said, is a non-starter). You have nothing in writing, but the banks conduct would support your contention that an agreement exists as you stated. I agree with ims, in that starting a claim would not really be the easiest thing the world in the circumstances, but I do think you have a defence to any claim they might make in respect of the £350. Exhausting the complaints procedure, including the FOS, is a good idea, but in the meantime, if you havn't already paid the £350 but paid the rest of the arrears, and Santander are passing the balance to a DCA for collection, you could write (never phone) to whatever DCA it ends up with and put the account in dispute. Tell them that you had an agreement to vary the terms of the overdraft, you have paid the balance you are liable for, and that accordingly no further payments will be forthcoming. Tell them that any claim issued in respect of the £350 you dispute will be vigorously defended. It is likely that you will receive 101 threat-a-grams, but no claim. Generally, these DCAs are looking for the easy targets without a prospect of defending their claims (if it every gets that far without selling it on), and wont expend the time and expense over a genuinely disputed £350. By the time it gets that far, you should have an answer one way or another from the FOS.

So, you have 2.5k in unsecured debt, currently at 0%, but about to start incurring interest? I would suggest the best course of action is to continue making payments as you can afford, and as soon as your creditors start charging interest, you can always make contact, plead hardship on account of the fact you are currently unemployed (and presumably in receipt of benefits) and ask them to freeze interest and charges while you continue making your token payments until such time as your circumstances change. If any of your income is currently paid in to either of your accounts with the overdraft, you should open a new one with a totally new bank and get things moved pretty quick, however.

This question ("Date of First Contact") is also routinely used in at least one other major banking group. I can imagine plenty of people stumbling, even if the year is usually sufficient.

Xexxa, Am I right in assuming you are asking Santander if they would consider removing some adverse information from your credit file once you have paid off some kind of arrears? What exactly was the adverse information? Was your account defaulted? You mention in your letter "I have admitted my faults and Santander admitted theirs..."; What exactly was the nature of these 'faults'? Kind Regards.

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