Hey fellow members, I wanted to share my recent experience of resolving an old debt that was managed by NCO Europe, and purchased by Arrow Global. After a round of negotiations, I ended up with a partial settlement offer. At first, they declined, but after I shared my financial statements and expenditure breakdown, they agreed. In hindsight, I believe I could have pushed for a lower settlement. It's known that Debt Collection Agencies (DCAs) buy debts for a small fraction of their face value, so I reckon I ended up overpaying. Case in point, I owed another creditor twice the amount, and yet I settled with them for the same sum, effectively clearing a significantly larger debt. Despite some regrets, I can't deny the relief of no longer dealing with the constant barrage of letters and the mental strain. As Arrow Global has now been settled, they're a thing of the past and my peace of mind has been restored. The path to settling this debt wasn't a straight one. In a surprising and disappointing turn of events, NCO Europe blindsided me by adding a default to my credit file, as you may be aware of in this thread. This manoeuvre felt like a punch to the gut, especially knowing the default would stain my credit report for six years. What's worse, they played this card three years late - the default was lodged in mid-2022 while the debt had been sold way back in late 2019. The road to resolving this issue became more challenging when NCO Europe and Arrow Global passed the buck, suggesting I take it up with Vanquis. It felt like they were trying to sidestep responsibility, despite the fact that Vanquis had already sold the debt. Their dismissive stance added to my frustration. However, Vanquis stepped up and advocated on my behalf. They put forth representations to both NCO Europe and the Ombudsman who I had invovled, insisting on the rightful action - backdating the default. This collaborative effort paid off, and Arrow/NCO agreed to adjust the default to a date just prior to when the debt was sold. It was a victory that restored some faith after a seemingly unfair struggle. The impact was noticeable – once the default date was adjusted and the NCO/Arrow account closed, my credit score jumped considerably. For anyone dealing with a DCA-issued default, I recommend checking to ensure the date is correct and if not pushing for the date to be backdated, especially if your scenario mirrors mine. It can make a significant difference. Reflecting on the debt situation with Arrow Global & NCO Europe, it seems I overpaid Arrow Global in my haste to close the debt. It was a balance just shy of £2000 - in retrospect, maybe more negotiation was needed. Yet, there's some solace in the freedom from future correspondence and energy-draining interactions with them. On another note, I managed to clear a larger debt held directly with a bank, not a DCA. This required persistence, letters, and an appeal to their better nature. But the result? I cleared the entire balance by paying only 15% of the amount owed. Through all this, I've learnt some invaluable lessons. Primarily, it's crucial to strive to live within one's means, and avoid falling into debt in the first place. Easier said than done, I know, but these experiences have underlined the importance of this principle. I can't express enough how much I appreciate the support and advice you all, especially dx100uk, have provided throughout my posts. Thank you. Best, SN

Just seeing this. what would you like me to update it with ? I mean if it's deemed as may as well burn the monies as opposed to making a partial settlement deal, then why would I then update to instruct people to do the same if that makes sense? I think personally, I've been bumped by Arrow, even if I no longer have to deal with them which is basically what I did. Paid them whatever so I now longer have to see their annoying letters.. for peace of mind purposes.. I think your advice was the best, avoid unless CCJ is issued.. which probably won't happen. Especially considering they are a DCA and not the original lender.

Thanks DX for the response. Having thought about this, maybe your right, wasted money paying off Arrow Global as they are a DCA. However, at least moving forward, I wont' receive any more correspondence or waste any more of my energy dealing with them as they have now been officially eradicated from my subconscious. I just think I paid them too much to settle the outstanding balance which wasn't that much just under £2000. Never mind... The other debt which I managed to settle was held with the originated bank/lender and was not sold off to a DCA. I ended up paying 15% to clear the entire balance which was in the 1000's which I thought was very reasonable but I had to send in letters and really appease to their sympathetic nature in order for them to agree! I have but one creditor remaining also held with the original lender. Upon checking I haven't made token payments for nearly 2 years. I'll leave them be for now, not a major concern. If and when they ever crop up, I'll address the issue. I've learnt lessons in all this which is to try and avoid getting into debt in the first place and stive to "live" within ones means , if that is at all possible in this day and age. Appreciate all the help your guys provided throughout all my posts, appreciate the valuable input you all provided especially dx100uk Take care SN

Hello CAG Forum Members, I've decided to turn to this knowledgeable community to gain some insights into a situation I've been grappling with. I am seeking your collective advice and wisdom concerning partial settlements, their value in the context of defaulted accounts, and the typical amount one should reasonably offer. I've found myself in a bit of a quandary and would greatly appreciate any guidance. To provide some background, I have managed to negotiate partial settlements with two of my creditors thus far. However, I'm unsure if these settlements were the right course of action, especially when considering that these accounts were already defaulted. Do partial settlements offer any significant benefit after an account has been marked as defaulted? Moreover, I am unsure if there are standard guidelines or norms about the percentage of the debt one should propose for a partial settlement. Are there any such benchmarks or is it entirely a matter of individual negotiation? Previously, I had a thread on here about an old debt originally from Vanquis, which was subsequently passed to Arrow who then applied a default some years later. Some of you may recall my past thread about a debt initially issued by Vanquis that later got handed over to Arrow. Arrow managed to find my contact number through a Debt Tracking service provided by Experian and began to inundate me with calls. This relentless pursuit exhausted me, leading me towards a partial settlement, which they eventually agreed to. However, this experience has raised some concerns for me. Notably, I'm unsure about the amount I paid to settle the debt, especially since I used the same figure to settle another debt that was double the original amount. This has left me questioning the proportionality of my settlements and seeking guidance for any future situations. Thank you in advance for your time and any advice or experiences you're willing to share. It's much appreciated. Best, SN

I've been advised to contact arrow global and reach an agreement or alternatively speak to the financial ombudsman? Any input or we done here ?

Received a response from one of the credit agencies stating that the default cannot be disputed and will remain. So what can I do about this situation as a whole ? Can I approach the ICO about this or not really because of the information received via SAR ? I need to speak to TransUnion to ascertain why the default cannot be disputed. This is nonsense. How can they default me when the debt was sold to them in 2019. "Thank you for your recent dispute about your credit report. Unfortunately, your dispute has been unsuccessful, and the disputed information will remain on your credit report. The information that is displayed on your credit report is provided to TransUnion by various third-party data suppliers (such as finance providers, the courts and local authorities)" I don't buy it.......

I know everyone has gone quiet. The nightmare situation of all of my previous concerns depicted in this thread off the offset has come to fruition. I tried to obtain a SIM card only deal with 02 as part of a broadband upgrade with Virgin Media and something kept going wrong with the 02 side, and they couldn't give me or the Virgin Media representative the information as to why it's going wrong. When I called 02 they only made reference to maybe potentially a credit check. If you look in my credit file of which I will attach the PDF here. Arrow Global added a default out of the blue and you guys were aware of the situation as I was worried it was going to happen anyway. There are no previous payments, no history .. NOTHING just a DEFAULT APRIL 2022. I just got off phone to Equifax and they said, how on earth can they add a default if there was no historic data in terms of payments etc and NO history of vanquis. They are raising a dispute to have the entry removed based on lack of any historic data! I'm also going to raise the same dispute via Experian and TransUnion. SO... Anyway Arrow have gone quiet, haven't received any letters or anything since they pulled that dirty move. Look, I'm gonna be blunt here. I'm not paying them anything for the stunt they pulled on me. How dare they add a default out of the blue, considering there is no previous history regardless if they bought that debt from Vanquis in 2019. If a letter of claim comes through, I'll deal with it, if it doesn't they can most certainly jog on, and that's even if they did purchase a "genuine" old debt. Like I mention to you previously, if a creditor sells a debt, they should have flagged that as a default BACK THEN. There were no records of Vanquis in any or the credit agencies. We've already been over this and I obtained all these reports.. However, the SAR from Vanquis covers a different story altogether... DX100UK was talking about going to the ICO at some stage, I'm not even sure if this is still applicable in my case on the basis of the information which was received via the SAR from Vanquis. Not sure if slowly slowly catch Monkey still applies in this case? It would be good to have some clarity on the situation. Anyway a nightmare.. and now I can't even get a 02 SIM card for £6 per month contract. BUT, I'm not even sure if it is credit related. My score dropped 72 points from around 640 to mid 550's somewhere based on that Arrow default, would that hinder credit? I've got a credit card, I've also a PayPal credit account, I make regular payments etc, in fact, I'm in good stead so I have no idea what's going on with the "something went wrong" .. it sounds as though it is credit check related though. I also spoke with TransUnion and they told me blatantly that if a default was added just now in the last couple of months, of course this will affect credit and he is also of the opinion that it was a dirty move from Arrow. He said if the debt was sold in 2019 then the default should be pushed back. I'm really upset with Vanquis and Arrow to be honest.. WE have more important things going on in life than to waste time messing about with dead beat creditors. Bottom line - What an extremely low blow from the parasites over @ Arrow Global HQ (NCO) and anyway hope you guys still alive as everyone has gone quiet as hell. Peace SN Default April 2022.pdf

Is this the end ? Thoughts anybody ?

I've had a good look through the account log in the SAR as suggested by dx and there is no note of a default, d or a dn or any mention of a default in those notes whatsoever. It does look like I had an original debt with Vanquis looking through these notes, they know about very specific events that happened in my life in the last few years including bereavement etc and this is stated in the SAR account notes. It appears that vanquis sold the debt to Arrow Global (managed by NCO) and did NOT apply a default on my account, they just sold it. It's just odd that vanquis was not listed on my credit reports with the known credit agencies which is the sole reason why I created this thread in the first place and now Arrow added the default which I think is most certainly unlawful and a low blow generally as I am lead to believe that vanquis should have carried out that action prior to selling the account. Moving on I'd like to know if there is anything I can do moving forward - There is a note in the account notes that states the following: "06 Sep 2018 Customer sent Purchase expiry notification on 07/09/2018. Purchase rate offer will expire on 01/10/2018" Arrow most certainly bought this debt probably for pennies on the pound so my question is do I cave in and resume payments to these parasites who have now hampered my credit score by applying a default unlawfully or can I contest this (maybe with ICO) which I do apologise profusely because I keep mentioning this default. Did Arrow / NCO actually have the right to add the default notice to the credit reference agencies and only last month which appeared this month? I may actually call Equifax to ask their opinion on the matter. Anyway look I appreciate all the input thus far , but I'm stumped as to my next steps especially now that the debt from vanquis has confirmed to be genuine. Now sure if I can go down the ICO route still ? Anyway I think from the advise given of which I have most certainly taken heed, I will keep an eye out for the post and letters from these people and will ignore until a letter of claim comes in. I'm sure they'll start making threats soon. Oh, and before I forget, how strange is it that within the SAR itself, there was not CCA which Arrow had sent me which contained my signature scanned. I would have definitely thought that would have been included. How bizarre this all is. It would have been nice to squish these guys. but hey can't win 'em all Regards SN

So what are my envisioned next steps ?

Ahh I clearly forgot it's all PDF. Sorry about that

It doesn't allow me to upload a JPG which is odd.. you able to remove that docx file for me ?

Hello again Hope you are all keeping well. OK we have new developments; First one is that Arrow Global went ahead and added a default to my credit file (which I was worried about all along) which I can only presume has been spread to all credit report agencies - I have attached snippet here - The impact I don't think is that serious but my score tanked around 80 points or so. Second: The SAR from Vanquis, I received it in today's post. So what are my next steps from here? I haven't heard from NCO/Arrow so far, but I'm sure that their letters demanding settlement will start flooding in soon because the 30 day "hold" has now lapsed. Just a quick one regarding the SAR, there is no included credit agreement like the one that Arrow/NCO sent, they've included the following: Key to abbreviations (2 pages worth of acronyms) Customer base view with some very detailed and personal information pertaining to myself Statement balances dated back to Aug 2014 (I crossed referenced these with the ones received from NCO/Arrow and they seem to tally up) Customer SMS records going again back to 2014 That's the entire SAR total of 42 pages - I found it very strange that they did not include a CCA or the same CCA that Arrow sent me which was signed etc. Regards SN default_snippet.docx

Holy smoke.. Badtimes it's you.. I'm rushing replying to these messages and I thought you were the other person Andyorch who has just jumped into the thread. Listen, what's going on isn't normal and there is no way I'm prepared for my credit report to be tainted by NCO with foul play antics. No chance. I did SAR vanquis signed for on the 24th just the other day. I posted it 1st class, signed for. Look if this is a genuine debt then Vanquis should have put something on my credit file and back in 2019 now marked now by NCO and what in June 2022.. NO chance.. The way in which this entire thing has been dealt with is really shady and not only am I upset but the fact they told me in a letter it would be placed on hold I'm sure for 30 days and then they bust this move is not acceptable. Look in my binder.pdf I sent across containing everything., Look at the letter dated 23rd March 2022 which was in response to my FMOTL .. They state account will be placed on hold. Then without any new developments whilst they are still trying to obtain documents from Vanquis on the 19/04 they threat with the default in that letter. Then on the 22nd April they sent another letter apologising that they have been unable to obtain the documents yet . 17th May they come back with some bogus evidence. I'm not taking.. I can't wait until the morning until I call the FCA and all the credit reference agencies to expose these fools trying an alternative way to extort me for money which I may not even owe to being with. Go to bed man. I'm going to bed as well..

Just found another old credit report from 2017 from Equifax .. again nothing. Why do you ask ? I'm ever so confused, but i'm defo calling up FCA & Credit reference agencies in the morning.. There is no way i'm letting NCO get away with this foul play. I think this is illegal. I'm going to find out tomorrow for sure from the horses mouth