This topic was closed on 03/06/19. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

Thanks for the replies. The important point from your answer is that if he starts paying the companies back, the default status will remain on his credit file. This means that the charity would have no way of knowing (from his credit file) if he was paying the debt off or not. Therefore there is no benefit from my son's point of view of recommencing payments. This is all very chicken and egg anyway. He couldn't start paying off until he was released, and then only if the charity provide the loan so he can start earning money. So not sure how the charity expect him to start making payments before they loan the money. There are few enough jobs around anyway, let alone for ex offenders, so his only viable option is to use his professional skill and start on his own.

My son is currently serving a six year prison sentence. When he first went into prison in summer 2008, he was unable to meet his credit card obligations and these lapsed into debt. He informed the companies involved that he was in prison and that he had no way of paying them. He is due out in three months, and as a qualified and experienced carpenter and joiner, is going to set up in business himself. A well known charity is prepared to loan him a substantial amount at a very good interest rate to get going. The problem he has is that the charity will credit check him before they give him the loan. He has 6 satisfactory's and 2 defaults. The defaults are the credit card and bank overdraft he had when he went into prison. The charity are saying that he should demonstrate he is trying to pay these off before they give him the loan. Morally, this is quite correct. However, his fear is that they no longer seem to be pursuing him for these debts, and the collective amount owed is similar to the amount the charity are lending him. If he suddenly contacts them and offers payment, he will then have all of his previous debt along with the new loan from the charity. This he fears will be too much to cope with at the time of his release when he is trying to get his business up and running. The charity advise that if he starts paying the defaulted amounts, the credit report entries would be changed from 'default' and the charity would see this and offer the loan. Is this correct? Whilst he knows he is morally and legally responsible for these debts, he could do with a bit of help in getting back on his feet. Any suggestions of a way around this would be welcomed. Chris

Update: The bailiff duly arrived. He was a very pleasant chap in his mid fifties. He accepted that I lived here alone and said he would not be back. However, he said that as the car was registered to this address, they could well be asked to come back next week??? He seemed to think that all the time the car is registered here, this will not go away unless it's paid. At least he didn't charge for todays visit!!

OK, thanks for your help. I have scanned and printed both bills and will show them to the bailiff when he turns up. I will also advise him that I am sending them to his office as proof of single occupancy and that I will view any further visits by his company as harassment.

I am. I claimed my 25% discount for single occupier shortly after my son left. I have last years bill showing no discount and this years bill (dated 04 March 08) showing 25% discount. If I show them these, do you think this will get them off my back?

Hi, I received a note through the door yesterday afternoon titled "Notice of Bailiff Having Visited". I was in but they didn't ring or knock!! The notice is addressed to my son who moved out on January 8th. I have no idea where he is as we have had a falling out. The money is owed due to outstanding parking fines. All correspondence addressed to my son has been returned to sender with "No longer at this address" written on it since he went. My worry is that they'll try and take something belonging to me. Obviously I'm not going to let them in but I'm concerned that they'll clamp my car on the drive and then the onus will be on me to prove it's my car and not my sons. Can they do this even though it's not the car which accrued the parking fines but happens to be at the address they have? I'm assuming they won't take my word that my son no longer lives here? I obviously can't let them in to prove there's only me here. In the mean time I've 'hidden' my car just in case. Any words of advice would be welcome.

My son's car is going in for warranty repairs on Monday and the dealership need it for a week. I just called A-Plan insurance to let them know he needs courtesy car insurance and they say they need to add it as an additional car thereby incurring additional cost. I suggested they just switched the insurance from his car to the courtesy car but they said that would leave his car uninsured. I said surely it would be insured by the dealership whilst in their care. They gave me a load of old waffle about what would happen if it fell off the ramp. I said it would be covered by the dealer's insurance and the guy at A-Plan said it wouldn't!! My son's car is a Subaru Impreza Turbo WRX and the courtesy car will be a small 1.0ltr hatch back so significantly less risk!. What's the best (cheapest) way to go about this?

This is standard practice for money back schemes with mobile contracts. I hold a contract on behalf of my son, and it is similar. It is £100 cash back. It also kicks in after 6 months and I have to send a £25 voucher in with the latest bill, also within a two week window. This I have done and they have paid up OK. I think you would be on shaky ground trying to challenge this as there is a set out procedure which does work if you follow it. Chris

I still have the originals. I sent copies. What I'm not sure about is whether or not I now deal with the court, or send a copy of my 'rejection' letter to the Halifax again? It seems they are not interested in the email versions I sent them.

I was offered £560 by the Halifax even though my claim was for £950. I sent my rejection of this offer to them by recorded delivery. However, it seems this letter has been lost in the post. I did not realise it had been lost so I was awaiting their reply. On checking the Royal Mail site though, it has not been delivered. I checked my Halifax bank account and they have deposited the £560 plus £80 costs. I now have their defence from the court stating that this has been done and that they have paid this amount because I can't prove they charged me £950. The letter I sent which has been lost included copies of the statements which they sent me showing they have charged £950. Now I don't know what to do?? How do I advise the court that I am pursuing the full amount? There doesn't seem to be anything in the defence which was sent to me. I emailed a copy of my 'lost' letter to them but they do not reply.

I'm not sure what's going on now!! The Halifax wrote and offered £560 as they had calculated that this was all they had to pay. They gave me seven days to accept. I wrote back by return (last Thursday) with a copy of the statements they sent to me with each entry highlighted!! This amounted to £925 and I told them that this was the amount I would accept and that I rejected their offer. However, I now see that they have paid £560 plus costs into the bank account!!! I have not received a reply to my last letter rejecting this offer. What are they doing????

Most companies have alternative numbers, often 0800 or 0845. These can be found at http://www.saynoto0870.com/

As a contractor, you are just there to be bled dry by the inland revenue who want to treat you as an employee (IR35). However, it seems we do not get any of the perks!!

OK. They have sent me the list of charges before I sent them any money! The "Preliminary approach for repayment" letter is going off special delivery this morning. I'll keep you advised.

Do you think it's odd that they've labelled it as a 'complaint'. It was after all a simple request for imformation. It show's how they are now perceiving these requests!!

No, but they haven't asked for it either.

Well, they have replied. A bit of a strange letter. Not sure what this is intended for? The text is as follows. I sent them the standard DPA letter from the library. There was no mention of it being a complaint!!

There's a similar question a bit lower down. The reply there is

My son used to have a Halifx account, but closed it because they were bleeding him dry with charges. He was a young lad with his first job finding his way financially. Even though we told the Halifax this, they weren't bothered. Every time he over spent slightly and missed a direct debit for his mobile or car loan, they whacked him with a hefty charge. They refused to give him an overdrft to help him out (this would after all help my son but not the bank) so we moved him to Smile with a £500 overdraft facility. NO charges in the two years he's been with Smile!! QED So, I have sent a letter off special delivery to the Halifax requesting all charges going back six years. Thanks for the site by the way. This is marvellous!!

Ditto. I also ended up here via that route. I have now sent a DPA letter to the Halifax re my son's horrendous bank charges. There were weeks when they took nearly all of his wages!!!!