Has anybody successfully set up a repayment plan for Very?

[Eve-Sophie]

Hi, I find myself due to financial difficulties being unable to keep up with the monthly repayments for my Very catalogue.

 

My balance is £2000 and my BNPL period is just about to end.

 

I've had word from them that the first month's interest added on will be £178, and after that between £50-£150.

 

I have had to reduce my hours at work and have 2 young kids and paying a fortune in gas and electricity, food, nappies etc etc.

I really don't have much to spare at the end of the month.

Ideally I would like to set up a repayment plan but from what I see on the forums they sound a nightmare to deal with, threatening all sorts of action.

I have never seen anything to say that anyone has successfully resolved anything with Very and if they do ever give in and let you set up a plan? If anyone knows please reply! Thanks.

[dx100uk]

you dont negotiate

you TELL THEM

 

thats all they are going to get

 

just write a simple LETTER

TELLING THEM

due to financial difficulties i will only be paying £X for XX mts

 

i will them review my finances.

 

they have NO LEGAL RIGHT

to see you pes financial details

neither do you have to converse on the phone with

them or any TINPOT toothless DCA.

 

they have no powers EITHER!

 

pers i'd SAR them unless you have all the statements?

as i bet you've been hit with penalty charges for everything:

phone/letter/debt management/late/over]

ALL those £12 fees can be RECLAIMED

 

cat debts are the VERY VERY bottom of the pile

£1PCM MAX!!

 

dx

[Eve-Sophie]

Thanks for that dx. I think I'm about to be hit with the first charge as I couldnt afford this month's payment and I'm only one day late, already had a text off them saying please pay now!!

I can see from all the people who have dealt with Very get all this stuff and more - have you had experience with them yourself, or are all cat companies the same? I know its under Shop Direct so they must be worth a fortune. i will do as you say and write offering x amount, I think I'm just worried about the deluge of letters, calls etc. I'm just wondering if they ever do accept what you say you're going to pay and leave you alone or is it constant harrassment? Do they definitely not go near a court? have you heard of any instances of court action for this type of debt?

 

Thanks again.

[dx100uk]

if you are paying 'something' then if they did do court

they would look pretty stupid & probably get LESS out of him.

 

are you SURE you've no previous penalty fees i cant believe that!

 

again you've mentioned that word 'offering'

 

its YOUR MONEY take CONTROL

not let your debts control you.

 

you TELL THEM.

 

as for cat debts

 

the mrs had and still has many - all well in debt for many many months

 

never had an issue - even with some that are not being paid [as the sums they want are ALL penalties+int on those]

 

as for the calls/texts/letters

 

you are under NO LEGAL OBL to comms with them/

 

dx

[SURFBOY]

If you stand firm and pay them what you can afford, AND ONLY WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD, and ignore them when they throw their toys out of the pram, then you will have no problems with them.

That is MY experience with them. I TOLD them what i would be paying them and i TOLD them that i will only deal with them in writing. I continue to pay them what i can afford and when i can afford . To date i have had no more telephone calls or letters from them.

[Eve-Sophie]

Thanks both of you - I am going to write a letter today and say how much I can afford to pay. I know they will refuse it as my balance is really high and i'm going to get hit with charges etc (which I will attempt to reclaim). I just wish companies would accept that people's circumstances do change, they are totally unsympathetic. So I'll do my letter stating what i'm going to pay and wait! Surfboy - was your experience with Very/Shop Direct? and they really havent been harrassing you anymore?

[dx100uk]

no you dont say you TELL THEM.

 

dont give them the opo to refuse

 

i'm going to pay £10PCM as a goodwill gesture

sorry very poor

 

this will commence on xxx date until xx date when i will review my finances.

 

as a reciprocal goodwill gesture, please refrain from adding anymore unlawful penalty charges and freeze my interest.

 

should you fail to reciprocate, i will drop my payment to £1PCM

 

i will be contacting you soon concerning the reclaiming of your penalty fees and the interest they have attained

thank you

[Eve-Sophie]

Thats great dx thanks! If they write back saying they won't accept, do I send the same letter each time, and keep paying the £10 anyway?

[dx100uk]

you are not asking them to accept

you are telling them - end off!

 

you only keep paying the £10 if they reciprocate

 

dx

[pjc71]

hi after many letters includin 2 complaining about the ammount of phone calls today very contacted me and have removed the charges and accepted my repayment plan so dont give up keep trying and make sure you get everything in writting...ive got a address i used after xmas to send my mail too and it seems this woman seems better than the rest if you would like it let me know and i will message u ....keep ur chin up and dont let them grind you down

[SURFBOY]

Thanks both of you - I am going to write a letter today and say how much I can afford to pay. I know they will refuse it as my balance is really high and i'm going to get hit with charges etc (which I will attempt to reclaim). I just wish companies would accept that people's circumstances do change, they are totally unsympathetic. So I'll do my letter stating what i'm going to pay and wait! Surfboy - was your experience with Very/Shop Direct? and they really havent been harrassing you anymore?

 

 

Yes, very and littlewoods. Both shop direct.

All i can say is dont take any rubbish from them. YOU ARE IN CHARGE not them. Please remember that when you deal with them.

[Eve-Sophie]

Thanks again dx I will stay firm. Pjc yes thanks that will be very helpful! How long did it take before you got the agreement today?

[Eve-Sophie]

Quick update

- I have now sent several letters to Very with my repayment offer and keep getting the same standard letter back from Marie Marsden, Collections Manager

- stating they are unable to accept my proposal as it does not fit their "minimum payment criteria".

 

I even sent a budget sheet prepared with National Debtline (My moneysteps) and they still sent the same letter!

 

I have now been hit with loads of £12 charges.

 

My offer was going to be £36 and the balance is really high so I knew they would not go for it.

 

All I am wondering now is will this keep going on for months/years with hundreds of pounds of charges being added,

me paying the same each month and it getting swallowed up into nothing and being no further forward?

 

I am starting to think of even not paying anything till they stop sending me standard letters, they aren't even addressing them at all.

 

What I am wondering now is - when will they pass this on to their next door debt collection team and will they start to threaten me with court action?

 

I really can't be bothered with the stress.

 

I wish they would just let me set up a plan.

Does anyone have any advice to make them listen?

Has anyone had any success? PJC71,

 

I wrote to the person you suggested but got a reply from Marie Marsden instead!

[dx100uk]

Hi Eve

 

you really need to get out of this 'permission' to pay thinking.

 

PAY WHAT YOU WANT - you dictate things NOT THEM.

 

do it by internet banking site and ignore them.

 

no doorstepper have any legal powers anyway!

 

no DCA have - they are NOT bailiffs and never will be.

 

get all your statements together and get a reclaim in.

 

if you've not got all the statements SAR the OC.

 

dx

[pjc71]

thats strange maybe she was away or moved on or something write again tell them thats all you can pay you have contacted the our chin up various organisations so you are doing the right thing.......tell them what you can pay and dont let them dictate....ive been paying my reduced payments for 3 months now they are keeping to there word but they have no choice i have it in black and white

 

keep your chin up took me 3 months to sort it out

[Eve-Sophie]

Thanks guys, I will have to keep at it and just keep paying the amount I said I would.

DX - your advice has always been brilliant and I do have the statements and intend to reclaim - can you point me in the direction of the link to the letter please?

PJC- thanks for the support - did you get them to agree or do you just keep paying what you said you would and they havent harrassed you since?

I just want to see an end to the letters thats all, saying I have to pay £400 now etc etc and risk being passed to external collections. I dread getitng their letters and they ring me 10 + times a day too, which I have on Call Blocker (great App on the Apps Market). I did say to correspond in writing only but they ignored me!

I noticed someone on here had managed to e-mail someone from Very who had agreed her plan straight away and removed the charges - that would be a dream come true!!!!

[pjc71]

if they are still ringing after you asked them not to report them i sent a letter and they stopped straight away i also got a reduced plan i am not working i lost my job due to cuts and they wanted £780 a month from me dream on i had £850 worth of charges and intrest removed and got a repayment plan off £32 a month for 12 months then they

will review it but really if they are still calling report them i hate them little hitlers last i spoke to one i said that hang on i am just going to record the call when i came back they had hung up gutless gits..

[Eve-Sophie]

Thanks pjc, so how many letters would you say you sent before you got the plan set up? Did you get those standard letters refusing payment? I just wish they would look at my budget sheet and take note, there is no more money! How did you get the charges wiped? Do you think because I work they won't listen? I only work part time and don't come out with much.

[pjc71]

i got about 12 letters from them i was going to give up and then i got that other letter i spoke to marie mardsen once oh my god what a u know what...could be that you are working but keep at them they will give in and will never take you to court