EE/TMobile & Lowell - Disconnections and Early Terminations

[alexpn]

Hello all, hope you're all enjoying the gorgeous weather.

 

After having several years of financial issues, and being chased by every DCA under the Sun,

I decided earlier this year, now being self employed and earning ok money,

I would work my way through my creditors and pay back as much as possible.

 

My credit record is shot anyway, but the calls/emails were getting too much.

Being a business owner, Bankruptcy was not an option.

 

Lowell own quite a substantial amount of my accounts, and to be fair,

since I called them offering a payment plan, they have been ok with me.

 

I am expecting to have cleared 3 (worth about £2500) by the end of 2014,

however there is one which has an ENORMOUS balance which relates to T-Mobile/EE.

 

I had the contract with T-Mobile circa 2010, pay monthly contract, and several months in,

lost my job and couldn't pay the bills.

 

At that stage I had about 2 months of bills to catch up with totalling £336.22,

inevitably TMobile disconnected me and that was that. I changed addresses a couple of times for work,

and eventually got another phone - with EE!! Typical.

 

Lowell have now started to ask me questions about this previous account,

and are pushing me to address it alongside my other debt,

however the amount owed has rocketed by an extra £916.63 due to contract cancellation/early termination,

meaning the amount owed is £1252.85!

 

Is there anything I can do to dissuade Lowell to pursue the full amount?

It seem completely and utterly wrong, especially since I am still a customer of EE.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

Cheers guys, AN.

[Bazooka Boo]

Firstly you shouldn't even be talking to Lowlifes, least of all paying them money they're not entitled too.

 

Get onto EE, regarding the account and send them a SAR if needs be, find out exactly what you owe, and what fees charges you can reclaim, if any.

 

IGNORE lowlifes, never speak to these clown over the phone EVER!

 

What exactly are you paying them, and what debt is it for?

[alexpn]

thanks for the response.

 

To be honest, it's mostly low level small balance stuff,

a mixture of credit cards with small balances,

a Next Account and one or two bank accounts.

One has already been paid back, the majority of the rest will be complete by the end of December.

 

Lowell WOULD NOT leave me alone, quite frankly my name/number is all over the internet due to my line of work,

so I just couldn't keep running from them,

 

they called my office so many times, including my business partner,

who started to ask questions, and it was too sensitive not to at least address things with them.

 

In the list was a

Capital One Credit Card,

2x Halifax Bank Account,

Next Store Account,

Vanquis Credit Card, and obviously the

TMobile one mentioned here already.

 

Payments currently total around £400 per month.

 

The reason I am doing this is to try and improve my credit score and attain at least some

`satisfied' accounts with Experian & Equifax

- I have no house (I want one eventually) and inevitably my business will suffer with poor credit history.

[2Grumpy]

I think that any early termination charges are really just trying to recoup the cost of the "free" phone.

 

They didn't give you the opportunity to use the inclusive minutes because they cut you off, yet at the time that they cut you off had every intention of demanding the full amount of the contract.

 

The phones are "free" to avoid the CCA. They might have sold the debt to Lowell, that shows how enforceable it is. You need to find out more from TM & Lowlife.

 

I wouldn't have thought that you will be able to improve your credit rating by much unless the defaults are removed, just paying doesn't do that.

[alexpn]

So not worth paying any of this stuff back at all then? I would have thought the accounts being satisfied will at least contribute to a healthier picture? Has anyone else been in a similar situation - paid their debts back and levelled out their files?

[bigshoes...bigsocks]

Lowell WOULD NOT leave me alone, quite frankly my name/number is all over the internet due to my line of work, so I just couldn't keep running from them, they called my office so many times, including my business partner, who started to ask questions, and it was too sensitive not to at least address things with them.

 

 

Are the debts business related? if not then they have no right to contact you at work?

[alexpn]

Argh! I need to get my head around this, so confusing and frustrating.

 

So basically, if the debt is coming up to six years old, it will disappear from my credit file anyway - so I should really be aiming for those ones that are the most recent.

 

Most get sold on to a DCA anyway, so I can't just do nothing.

 

Really need someone to hold my hand through this process, could be losing thousands!

[alexpn]

Are the debts business related? if not then they have no right to contact you at work?

 

No bigshoes, just all personal debts from the past.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi,

 

 

Care is needed dealing with Lowell they have been known to consolidate all the accounts they hold for an individual and issue statutory demands for payment, (1st. step in the bankruptcy process).

When exactly were these accounts defaulted?

[2Grumpy]

In a similar situation, I asked for a copy of the invoice for the early termination charges so that I could ensure that it was accurate. The mobile company (orange in my case) declined to provide one and eventually decided that there was nothing to pay.

 

Have Lowell bought any/all of these debts or are they just acting as DCA? (you should have received letters of assignment if Lowell own them)

 

Given the timely warning above, it's worth finding out from TM if they have sold the debt, how much it was for, and get a copy of your last few invoices

 

Meanwhile write to Lowell and tell them that you believe that the TM debt to be incorrect and that you are contacting TM

 

While you are paying Lowell and disputing the other debt, I don't think that they would get very far with an SD at the moment, but definitely something to be aware of

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

In a similar situation, I asked for a copy of the invoice for the early termination charges so that I could ensure that it was accurate. The mobile company (orange in my case) declined to provide one and eventually decided that there was nothing to pay.

 

Have Lowell bought any/all of these debts or are they just acting as DCA? (you should have received letters of assignment if Lowell own them)

 

Given the timely warning above, it's worth finding out from TM if they have sold the debt, how much it was for, and get a copy of your last few invoices

 

Meanwhile write to Lowell and tell them that you believe that the TM debt to be incorrect and that you are contacting TM

 

While you are paying Lowell and disputing the other debt, I don't think that they would get very far with an SD at the moment, but definitely something to be aware of

"Prove it" letters to the creditors may be of use on both new and old debts if a DCA is actively chasing them.

[dx100uk]

I question your 'wisdom' in paying these debts at anything bar

 

seems like because you've been ringing them

they've spoofed you hook line and sinker!

 

the important date on your credit file is the default date in the debts summary top line.

 

NOTHING you do will improve your file until

the default date reaches it 6th birthday

then THE WHOLE acoont will vanish

 

doesn't mean the debt is not owed mind still!

 

 

I hope you've sent these people atleast a CCA request on the cards debts?

 

you cant do that for the bank account

nor the mobile one.

 

but if on those debts you've any kind of PPI/PENALTY charges

[i take itthe bank ones are overdrafts?

 

I bet yo've loads of charges there to dispute.

 

dx

[titch123]

I know they are not supposed to phone you, if you contact them and forbid them to do so. I instructed them to contact only in writing, took a while for them to get the message, but at least everything now is in writing, which helps sort matters. On each of the account they hold I would instruct them that contact should be in writing to and give them the address you want to receive your mail. I am in similar battle with lowells over a dongle, not to the extent of yours, but just as annoying

[kirstyo]

I had an issue with an old Vodafone account which ended up allegedly at almost £1000 including termination fees etc. I refused point blank to pay this and eventually managed to get it down to around 300 so its definitely worth arguing with them over it.