Wescot

[mazza1970]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been paying Wescot £5 per month to pay of a debt I owe. I am now receiving letters of them threatening me with a doorstep colector. I contacted them and asked why they were sending letters even though I am paying, and they said they will not accept £5 a month of me anymore and want me to send in my I & E details. Now I don't really want to do this as I don't want them knowing my details, and as far as I am concerned I am paying my debt off so I am making an effort to pay them, it's not as if I am trying to avoid paying. Is there some sort of letter I can send them saying that I don't want to give them my I & E details.

 

Thanks

[count orlok]

They have no right to see your I & E. You could allways write back to them and say you contacted National Debtline and filled out their I & E form and you are sorry but you now realise you'll have to reduce your payments. Out of interest how are your making payments, and have they provided proof that they have a right to collect on the debt?

[Arkhipov]

Hi. My understanding is such that *no* creditor can insist on how much is paid or at what rate: this can only ever be stipulated by a judge in a County Court. I have had dealings with Wescot in the past and they never sent anyone round to my door. Even if they did, you are under no obligation to answer as they are NOT bailiffs. If you are currently paying them by Direct Debit, I would consider switching this to a Standing Order, just in case they pull a fast one. It sounds very much like hot air, for my two pence worth. You have, it seems, made good-faith efforts to pay them so far, so they need to realize that I want does not necessarily get! I would be inclined to just continue paying as you are, and not worry too much.

[mazza1970]

They have no right to see your I & E. You could allways write back to them and say you contacted National Debtline and filled out their I & E form and you are sorry but you now realise you'll have to reduce your payments. Out of interest how are your making payments, and have they provided proof that they have a right to collect on the debt?

 

I pay by standing order, and i have gone down the road of the CCA which they provided.

[the_shadow]

Whilst no DCA can force you to fill in an I&E, it shouldnt be discounted altogether... what say perchance if your I&E (which doesnt have to be down to the minute detail) show's that you cannot even afford the £5 you are paying now.... they will have no remit then to attempt to increase as you are paying more than you can afford..

 

The national debt helpline website has an I&E sheet to fill out which should be used if you do supply one, rather than the DCA's overly intrusive ones.

 

Just a thought.

 

S.

[mazza1970]

Hi. My understanding is such that *no* creditor can insist on how much is paid or at what rate: this can only ever be stipulated by a judge in a County Court. I have had dealings with Wescot in the past and they never sent anyone round to my door. Even if they did, you are under no obligation to answer as they are NOT bailiffs. If you are currently paying them by Direct Debit, I would consider switching this to a Standing Order, just in case they pull a fast one. It sounds very much like hot air, for my two pence worth. You have, it seems, made good-faith efforts to pay them so far, so they need to realize that I want does not necessarily get! I would be inclined to just continue paying as you are, and not worry too much.

 

I pay most things by standing order, don't really like paying by DD! Thanks for your advice.

[noragchick]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been paying Wescot £5 per month to pay of a debt I owe. I am now receiving letters of them threatening me with a doorstep colector. I contacted them and asked why they were sending letters even though I am paying, and they said they will not accept £5 a month of me anymore and want me to send in my I & E details. Now I don't really want to do this as I don't want them knowing my details, and as far as I am concerned I am paying my debt off so I am making an effort to pay them, it's not as if I am trying to avoid paying. Is there some sort of letter I can send them saying that I don't want to give them my I & E details.

 

Thanks

 

They are entitled to be shown proof that your income is not sufficient to keep to the terms of the agreement. Were they to seek legal enforcement.,the court would expect to see a completed means enquiry from you to establish that you genuinely can't afford to keep to the arrangement. Then again, you could just ignore them. They often give up and go away intermittently without really doing anything further to enforce the debt. Then again, they often come back and pass the debt on to some other DCA and the whole cycle starts over again. You have very little to fear because DCA's are largely very stupid and not as difficult to ignore as people think.

 

Tell them you ware not willfully avoiding payment and you intend to cooperate but you will not discuss the matter via a home visit and should a debt collector come to the door, you will be reporting the matter to Consumer Direct, the FSO and every other bugger you can think of.

[Tingy]

Shadow is absolutely right. Do not discount sending an IE form. Only you know your situation and only you know what you want to achieve. Providing an IE form could be very helpful in achieving what you want, or if you have excess income it could be a disaster.

 

Only a judge can demand an IE form so if £5 is what you want to pay and you don't feel supplying an IE sheet would be helpful, tell them you understand only a judge can demand to see an IE sheet as it is personal information and is going to stay personal, but please rest assured you'll continue to make your payments and will notify them if your circumstances change dramatically.

 

As far as the doorstep collector goes this is an idle threat. By law they can only do this with an appointment`agreed with you. If they do turn up, just tell them to go away again and shut the door.

[mazza1970]

Thanks everyone for your advice, much appreciated

[Arkhipov]

I do recall, after making a certain offer to these guys a few years back, receiving a letter from them in the post which employed the most extraordinary language. Essentially, they wrote back and said that they had (grudgingly) agreed to 'give me the right' to pay them £xx per month. 'Give me the right'?!?! They're a BUSINESS, not the judiciary!!! What they *should* have written was: 'We accept your offer, Mr X.' EXTRAORDINARY!!! Lol!

[the_shadow]

I do recall, after making a certain offer to these guys a few years back, receiving a letter from them in the post which employed the most extraordinary language. Essentially, they wrote back and said that they had (grudgingly) agreed to 'give me the right' to pay them £xx per month. 'Give me the right'?!?! They're a BUSINESS, not the judiciary!!! What they *should* have written was: 'We accept your offer, Mr X.' EXTRAORDINARY!!! Lol!

 

Its true these businesses like to give the air of superiority over you, I think its a psychological thing that they think it puts them in a better position to gain advantage in their dealings. So long as you know your rights it can make reading them quite funny.

 

S.

[Bazooka Boo]

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/budget_sheet.php?country=england_wales

 

Thats the I&E sheet off National debtline, use that fill it in and work out what you can realistically and comfortably afford, be mindful that you need to have a life, and that unless this debt is secured or a priority debt, then it is the last thing that gets paid.

 

Beside for wetcloths cheek of refusing £5 a month, I would offer them £4, and if they refuse that, drop it by another pound, until they cut their nose off to spite their spotty face and you end up paying them the token payment of £1.

 

They will begin to learn to be happy that they are getting 'something' rather than rocking the boat and getting next to nothing.

 

Have you asked wetcloths if they have the right to collect this alleged debt?