Hi All I wont mention the companies as I know we have people watching...... I went into financial meltown 14 years go. with 15 CCJS to my name. In the end I paid some and not others. 3 debts I still pay to this day , I gave them my word I would repay as they promised they would never send any collection letters as I would have made me homeless if they did , kicked out of parents house. To this day 14 years later , I havent had any collection letters for this debt.. they havent done anything on my CRA file either , the debt and defaults were taken off early !! Today I have received a letter from the DCA but regarding the other debts. I aint fussed about this debt , its the other 3 ive beeb paying Today one of my other debts has used the orginal DCA agency for my other 3. I thought this company was in house bank one as it went first stage . The debt has never been sold on so still is with the bank ( other 3 ) What do you suggest , stay steady

Hi, I started my fight with credit cards early in 2008 by unfortunately using an agent who acted on behalf (stupid I know), he has now gone walkabouts so I am carrying on myself. I had an M&S money credit card which was opened in 2006 and during the time the agent was looking after te letters etc a credit agreement never appeared. I started receiving letters from DLC with regards the debt and I sent the a CCA request in which they have now returned a signed copy of the agreement and a statement of transations. Can anybody please advise what I need to do next as I have no idea if the agreement is enforceable or not, my signature is there and it is dated. Also looking at the statement of transactions M&S have added a substantial amount of interest onto the account since it was originally disputed are they allowed to do this? Sorry one more thing, how do I know if the debt has been sold to DLC as I have never received a letter from M&S stating this? Thanks

First post here and i'll start by saying hello all and thanks for a great forum.. Ive had a debt with MBNA which in Jan got passed to Moorgate I made 3 payments with them, the debt then got passed to Arden, after hundreds of unanswered calls and messages of them I sent them a cca request. They sent me a statement trying to fob me off I sent them a default letter, now Moorgate have sent me a letter saying they dont have a copy but are chasing it from mbna. I cant believe ive paid them some money and they dont even own the debt and the cheekey lot have defaulted me since Jan on my credit score Im going to sar mbna as ive ppi on the loan which when I became unemployed couldnt claim because I was working for an agency (04/05).. .What should I be expecting from Arden/Morrgate and can I get the money ive paid them back and my credit rating returned to how it was prior to Jan??? Thanks

My account has recently been passed to a DCA from the bank to whom I have been paying regularly £160 per month for a number of years. Needless to say this was presented as a 'fait accompli', I received a letter from the bank and the DCA on the same day in the same day, the bank saying they were within their rights to do this without notice(which of course the are), the DCA offering an assurance that there would be no change to the terms and conditions (i.e. no interest or charges) attached to the repayment schedule. As an aside, the DCA have issued a new account number and called it a 'loan account' a bit naughty to do in my opinion seeing as I have never had a loan account with the DCA. I requested a full and final settlement amount from the DCA who only quoted the outstanding balance owed to the bank. I wrote again requesting a full and final settlement based on a factor related to what they had paid to accquire the debt, not on the 'notional value' assigned from the original creditor. They replied stating that they would only consider an offer base on me providing them with a full financial statement detailing, a complete breakdown of assets, income, shoe size (joke) etc., they also stated that if they were magnaminous to accept my offer, they would only mark my credit file as .partially satisfied'. I have replied in the following manner 1). I have no intention of giving them details of my financial position 2). I made an assumption as to the value of what they accquired the debt for, and made a generous offer of a full and final settlement based on a multiple of what they accquired the debt for. 3). I have also stated that if they only mark the account as partially settled I want a statement in writing that the balance will not be passed on to another DCA for further attempts at collection. I do not know what others on this forum think, but I believe the law should be changed such that any settlement with a DCA should bear a correlation to the amount paid for accquiring the debt rather than the 'assigned value' passed from the original lender. The DCA trade association will tell you that their members cannot tell their clients what they paid for a debt as this is 'commercially sensitive' information , that being the case then policing is required from OFT to achieve two aims 1). Protect the DCA industry such that good rather than excessive profits are made 2). Give clients a better change of clearing their debts 3). Divest the DCA business of the cowboys who only want ecessive profits rather than reasonable ones

I am looking for some help please, I applied for remortgage a while back to be told that I was not accepted due to my credit history but I have never had bad debt and always cleared anything I have had. I got a copy of my credit report to see a default from Studio catalogue that I have never had and subsequently found out that this was taken out at my old address 6 years after I moved out! The name on the catalogue is mine but spelt incorrectly and with a completely different DOB, I told Studio this wasnt mine but they asked me to send my paperwork for my new address which I was not happy to do considering the way they do not seem to hold accurate information. The police advised this is not a crime in Scotland so told me there is nothing they can do. I then left things as I ddint hear anything for a while. About 6 months ago a debt collector showed up at my door and I again advised this is not my debt. Another debt collection agency are now chasing me and calling me at home, I have again told them the debt is not mine and asked them to remove my details from their system but they just do not believe me and keep calling me. What can I do from here? I know I shouldnt have left it so long but I am now completely stressed out and upset and hope someone can help. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

http://www.credittoday.co.uk/article/14456/online-news/debt-collector-to-pay-firms-15000-after-investigation

Hi I had a recoreded Letter deleivered today..I wasnt in to sign for it!! It has no name .just Ower/occupier..Im thinking this could be a SD Have DCA sent letters with owner/occupier before to catch ppl out ??

Hi, first post and in need of some help! Recieved a letter from a DCA. Unsure what it's regarding so I sent a prove it/doorstep letter rolled into one. Received a reply saying the account had been passed to them by another DCA who were unware of any dispute, as they had received no reply to letters sent it had been passed on to them. I don't remember getting any letters from the 1st DCA and I still have no clue what it's about. They have again asked for payment, and also said if a genuine dispute is logged with the 1st DCA they will be able to investigate and it will be temporarily suspended. So do I send the same letter again to the 1st DCA? Thanks in advance for any help provided (and I hope I've posted this in the right place)

Hi I am a little unclear on the rules around accounts and defaults. I have account which has been in dispute for a very long time with the credit company who kept passing the account from one DCA to another who then sent it back when I informed them of the dispute. Earlier this month the account was marked as satisfied with the credit reference agencies, and this week I received a letter from Lowell with the usual threatening tone. I have replied in the letter, and as well as stating that no debt is acknowledged I have also stated that no contract or agreement exists as I have received no notification from the original credit company. I have asked for a full list documents under CPR (they mentioned legal action so I took advantage). What I wanted to know is what right do Lowell now have about placing a default or even an account with the credit reference agencies since the original creditor has marked the account as satisfied. I have no agreement with Lowell and they have yet to produce a deed of assignment. If they place a default on the credit file, can I object to have it removed if there is no Deed Of Assignment?

I sent off a CCA request to a DCA with a £1 postal order payab;e to the DCA. They have returned it asking I make it payable to the Creditor. They have also asked me to cinfirm if I have ever opened an accoun t with their client and the balance. They finally state if I am disputing the balance or feel it may be subject of fraud I should supply full details. What is the best way forward do I send a payment payable to their client, and what is their role in this matter

I was a member at Reebok Sports Club I went just the once paid for three months then froze my membership as I was transferred in my new job to a different location. I then cancelled the member giving the one months notice. I have now been written to by Reebok saying I owe another months membership (£125) I ignored the demand. Now a month later and I have had two demands from ARC debt collection agency demanding twice that £250! They are threatening CCJ if I don't pay it within 10 days. I know its bullying tactics and I don't want to pay. Can anyone please advise me as to what I should do please? I can afford to pay it I just resent being bullied and do not want them to issue a CCJ or default against me as my credit is totally clean. Please can anyone help? G

This is a general question for most people paying a DCA. How come most of the experts on here ask why we are paying a DCA? My OC says "refer to the DCA" so I can't pay them (account closed). My DCA implies they will sue my sorry arse off if I don't pay them what they want (no matter if I can afford it). The advice from here is that DCAs have no legal rights. And that we should not be paying them. So what is the crack? How can we avoid paying Metropolitan for an HSBC debt (for example) without having our sorry arses sued off? Thanks.

I took out a loan with the Halifax, PPI was also sold. I have been unemployed since early September. I am receiving JSA(C+IB) and things are now a real struggle. How does this affect the Halifax and DCA's harassing me for money and if I told the Halifax would this count as me restarting the statue barred clock? It has been a year since I acknowledged the debt, and it's been passed around all the 'usual suspects' eg Cr*pquest, Wetcloths etc.

Hi First time I have posted on this site so sure if this is the right place to post... but need some advice. I've just found out that my mother has been paying x2 DCA for approx 4 years. The debts are both are about 8-10 years old but she is still paying approx £40 a month to them. One via cheque every month and one by direct debit. After speaking to her, she is unsure if one of the debts belong to her. I was living aboard at the time and she just got scared by the letters and phonecalls she was receiving. I'd like to help her find out exactly what she owes and put a stop to it all. So, the question I have is, what should my first step be? Should I send out a CCA letter to both debt agencies and ask my mum to stop paying ASAP until we can determine what we/if we owe them etc? What is the difference between a CCA and a SAR - i.e. should I send an SAR instead? The debts ( I think) were orginally with RBS and consists of a credit card and loan as an FYI Thanks in advance for any help on this.

Hi everybody, thanks to the ones that are reading this and trying to help. I have a Limited Company, and I have a Corporation Tax that I couldn't pay in full yet. (this years). The amount is around £10k , I was trying to set up a time to pay with HMRC but they didn't want to because I was taking dividends. Of course, I am using the old trick of a low salary and the rest as dividends, suggested by all accountants. So I rely on the dividends every month to be able to subsist. The thing is I can and I want to pay this, but I can't do it at once, but I can afford up to £1000 per month. The DCA is legal because HMRC was taking about that company before (to me).. and now they have confirmed that the debt was passed to the DCA. So it should be fine. The DCA is " CCS COLLECT" and the letter says: Dear........ Due to: H M Revenue and Customs Amount Due... Acc No / Payment Ref... Our Client HMRC has authorised us to recover the full amount due to them as detailed above. CCSCollect is working with HMRC to collect tax debts and you will already have received notification of this under separate cover. You can further verify that CCSCollect has the authotity to act by visiting their website. http://www.................................. Please make payment within the next 7 days of the date of this letter using one of the methods stated overleaf. If you have a genuine reason why payment has not been made previously and, of which we are unaware, please contact us without delay and one of our agents will be able to discuss the matter and advise you of the appropriate next steps. Settlement is preferred withouth the need for further action so call us now on 0844 873 5780 ------------------------------ So the seven days finishes in 2. I want to pay £1000 per month, but I was planning to offer £500 just to go up just in case. Do you think they are gonna accept? What should I do? Call? Write? What? Please. HELP!!!!!!! Thanks a lot

Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong section - please move mods if it is the case. Ive owed ebay £40 in fees for the last couple of months, i paid off £10 through ebay. It then got handed to Newman DCA who rang me last week asking when i can pay. I said next friday (today - 21/09/12). So the debt is clear. I told newman this and they said i still owe them £8 in admin fees. So, can i mug them off and not pay, do i have to pay them. From reading on here i dont. But just want confirmation - i am aware they'll still chase me for a while. I said on the phone to them i wasnt going to pay an admin fee when they havent collected any money from me, they acknowledged and accepted id paid the debt off direct with ebay. But then said i still owed them the £8 admin fees - which again i said i wasnt going to pay as they hadnt collected anything off me, all i was told is you're still liable and you'll receive a letter. Also i might add, my ebay account is registered at my previous (parents) address, but i gave my home address, not thinking. But she accepted it as me confirming my details. Any advice appreciated. Thanks Gareth

Hi I havent posted on here before so please bear with me . I owned my own fashion store which closed 2 1/2 years ago leaving various debts which are pretty much cleared . Now after all this time I have received communications from a company called wescot credit servcies ltd . They are chasing an overdraft I had on my Natwest business account of £5000 , I had not heard from Natwest since my shop closed so I figured the debt was liable with the business rather than me. I was not a limited company so initially could not understand why natwest didnt chase me up? I am now unemployed and caring for my dad & 3 daughters struggling to make ends meet. I have received 2 letters from wescot asking for immediate payment of the 5k! I have ignored both letters but I am now very worried as the second letter threatens a door step collector and/or court proc eedings. They havn't tried to call me although I am expecting this as I guess Natwest will have a record of my home phone number. What do I say if they do? can anyone please advise me what to do next? If you need anymore info please ask. Thank you so much for reading

Hi All. New here and I can't believe it has taken me so long to find such a good forum... I need some advice on a debt that is with Direct & Legal Collections. It comprises of two debts that HSBC put together - an overdraft and a loan - in 2008 after I defaulted on them. Both debts were created previous to 2007. The combined debt is being collected by DLC and I am up to date with my agreed payments on it. My question is - can they legally do this without my agreement? Surely this creates a new debt that I did not agree to? I cannot find the link now that says combined debts are unenforceable. I am not looking to avoid payment - just push back on the horrible phone calls I get every 6 months demanding more money. TIA.

Whilst i was self employed i ran up a debt of £450 with my accountants. I had to cease self employment and get a "proper job" as i was losing money. My accountants were very good and said "pay what you can,when you can. In july of this year they offered to do my final accounts for the revenue and i paid them £100 off my outstanding bill. They then sent me a bill for another £180 for the work done in July. This week i sent them a further £100 to my surprise i received a letter from a debt collection agency asking for £706 which was the 350 + 180 + interest +compensation £40 + costs £100 (the £100 must have crossed in the post.) My question is: can they just pass this debt on to an agency when, as far as i know,we have an agreement in force and i am keeping to that agreement? I can't pay any more than i am doing as i am up to my limit on my overdraft and also my credit cards.

Afternoon everyone. Can anybody tell me where I stand when a DCA sends me letters offering discounts on debts or sends me letters asking me to make an offer to settle? Having glanced through various threads, am I correct in assuming these DCA's are going to be in a spot of bother if I ask for a CCA report and statement? Just want to get a few things straight before I take action. Any help much appreciated. Many thanks

So who do they use? My account is over 60 days in arrears with no arrangement plan in site as they won't agree to my repayment option and want 2 or 3 times as much as I can afford. Keep saying it is being reviewed for third party collections. I can't pay then anything as they only allow methods which they control or charge me.

Can anybody tell me how DCA'S get hold of your phone number when you are ex directory?

Hi, New here. Worried I'm unemployed and don't have a way out. 1st Credit claim to be the legal owner of a Bank of Scotland debt (mine, allegedly ). It's 'years' old but under six years. They're making noises about taking me to court. I don't have the ability to pay them, so engaging with them seems a bit pointless. Do I respond to them and keep them talking (knowing that I can't pay), or do I ignore them and wait for them to bankrupt me? (Not all that keen on bankruptcy).

hi all got a default on crap1..limit was 1000 now 1.600 with added late payment fees etc..been paying token payment of 1.00 since september..they now passed to debitas,sent them all expentiture details has crap 1 was ignoring the fact that i sent thm my expenditure details etc about 4 times ..kepted getting letter saying they wanted this that etc.. i sent debitas all the details on the 25 feb ..no reply i didnt send recored so im hoping they have got them ..since then they are phoning bout 7 times a day,my nxt port of call will be a harrassment letter and a letter asking if they received the expenditure /proof of benefits etc ..is this the best thing to do ?? cheers guys

Hi, This is my first visit here, and was hoping you could help with a problem I'm having with Mackenzie Hall. Firstly, I took out a contract with Virgin Media for Broadband, TV and Telephone. I had recently moved into a rented flat on starting the contract. When I originally signed up for the services, It was all done over the phone with a representative from Virgin Media. I at no point ever signed a contract, and the man from Virgin Media even stated to me, he will put a squiggle where I need to sign, so he wont have to send the contract in the post to speed things up. After approximately three months I lost my job and had to give up my flat and move back with my parents. Obviously, this was quite distressing and I just left the flat and did not contact Virgin about the situation. A stupid move, but, I was certainly not thinking clear at the time. Two years on and having moved to three different addresses I have had Mackenzie Hall track me down. I have not spoken to them or acknowledged anything. All I get is constant phone calls and text messages which I have since black listed on my mobile. At my previous address I began getting threatening letters. Could anyone please give me any advice on what to do? Many Thanks