OPOS repayment help

[tyrone0411]

Hi all,

 

I have a Minicredit loan that was passed to Opos recently for the amount of £651.60, which includes plenty of charges and fees that have already been added on. The original amount due was £245, but as Minicredit were refusing to negotiate a repayment plan, I agreed they could pass it on so I could sort one out with their DCA.

 

I received a notification from Opos last week that they now had this debt, and I sent them an e-mail requesting a repayment plan and offering £30 a month. Today I received a reply to my e-mail, which I have copied below.

 

My point with this is where on earth has the amount of £2,243.50 come from? It appears to have been plucked from thin air. Is this just an Opos attempt to bully me into repaying the £651.60 straight away? I would be happy to come to a repayment plan for the amount of £651.60, but I have no interest in even contemplating any plan for the £2,243.50.

 

Any advice on what to do next? Do I write back to them asking for a repayment plan again? Do I write to them and query the large amount? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Mini Credit Account

 

We have been instructed to recover £2243.50 for the above client.

Our client has informed us that you have borrowed funds and you have failed to pay them back.

 

To try and help you resolve this matter amicably and out of court OPOS would be in a position to accept £651.60 as a full and final settlement. With this settlement you would be saving yourself over £1591.90! Once the account is settled your credit file will be repaired and you would also receive a letter of satisfaction, explaining that this debt is completely clear and no-one will be chasing you for the remaining balance.

 

Our client will not write the debt off, therefore, this is the final proposal from OPOS. Should this balance remain unpaid we are left with no other alternative than to recommend to our client that we look to secure Judgment (CCJ) for the recovery of the above amount including any incurred costs. We may also apply for an attachment of earnings order.

 

A Final Notice of Intent will be issues within the next 14 days should you fail to acknowledge this request.

[renegadeimp]

Its an unfair amount and theyve been doing it a lot lately. Have you issued a full complaint with OPOS and the OFT? Also, im pretty sure trading standards might be interested to hear this.

 

I love letters like that. Notice the end:

 

A Final Notice of Intent

 

Intent of what? Its just full of random stuff that makes no sense. Should it ever go near a court, if you submit a defence, its pretty much guaranteed that they will do everything to settle out of court, or wont even turn up. I say this because they do it every single time. They hope to get judgement by default so they can then ask for enforcement orders to basically steal money from you.

[tyrone0411]

Only received e-mail today so not filed a complaint yet. Should I go straight to OFT then and step away from negotiating a repayment plan for now? Before this I would have been happy to come to an agreement, but this is just ridiculous.

[Welshy27]

I reckon it must have been Minicredit who added on those massive charges when they passed it over. They doubled my escalating debt with them by adding on an extra 120 days worth of interest which OPOS have agreed to drop. I doubt it's OPOS who have hiked up the debt with those massive charges. I would ask for a full breakdown of the debt and then dispute all extra charges by showing your awareness of legal requirements of debt collecting. Tell them you will only pay back the original loan and the one months interest. They should accept your £30 a month offer and you can pay it by standing order straight into their bank account.

[renegadeimp]

They were chasing my sister back in march for a lot of money. We even proved by way of bank statements and had it signed as a declaration of fact by my solicitor and her bank manager that she had paid more than the loan plus interest and a few extra charges, and they still wouldnt accept it.

 

It took a full complaint to Minimuppets and the OFT, and an official threat of legal action from my solicitor to get them to admit defeat. We havent heard anything now since april. Not even a phonecall or text.

 

But I think it was the solicitor letter that got them to stop, as his costs can be pretty high when he goes full pelt against someone.

[tyrone0411]

I'm fairly sure it is OPOS that have added the charges on, as their initial e-mail to confirm the debt had been passed to them quoted the figure of £651.60.

 

I will write to them again reiterating repayment offer and asking for a breakdown of the charges. Will let you know what happens.

[renegadeimp]

Minicredit and OPOS are the same company, so theyve both added charges on.