Leaving The Country In Two Months Advice Needed!

[TheKernel]

Hi,

What a BRILLIANT site! I can't believe I didn't find it earlier.

I have a number of questions, sorry for the multi-topic post. If you kind people could give me advice relating to any of them, I would appreciate it.

My fiance and I are leaving the UK permanently in August. We won;t be coming back.

Background info:
1. We are about to start reclaiming our bank charges.

2. Yesterday I had a phone call from a DCA trying to reclaim unpaid car insurance charges + interest (£276) from a policy I cancelled a year ago. I no longer have the car. Apparently I was supposed to pay the full 12 months despite cancelling the policy, however I wasn't informed of this at the time. I told the woman on the phone that I wouldn't pay the charge and to go ahead and refer it to their legal department. I no longer live at the same address as I did when I had the policy, and I changed my phone number yesterday.

3. I have a Barclaycard with about £700 on it, and read a very interesting thread on here about how Barclaycard write off millions of pounds worth of debts every year because it costs them too much to try and reclaim them all.

4. I used to have a very acute sense of conscience and obligation to financial organisations/ authorities when it came to paying bills and fees, (the perfect customer) but the more I see people get shafted and these places make enormous profits, the less I feel like that, and now I am just mad that they get away with ripping so many people off. I feel like doing some ripping off of my own.

Questions:

1. How long on average do bank charge reclaim procedures take? Have we left it too late?

2. What is the likelihood of the DCA being able to find me and try to recover their debt for the unpaid car insurance within two months?

3. Should I just keep making minimum repayments to Barclaycard until we leave and then 'forget about it'?

4. If the relevant organisations have no records of where we are going, and seeing as the monies owed amount to less than £1000, what is the likelihood of them crossing international borders to get it?

5. What would you do it if you were in the same position? Would your guilty conscience get the better of you, or would you cut and run?

[Bigmac versus]

Hi TheKernal best of luck with your move.

1/ Due to the OFT test case most cases have been stayed or had sists applied, there is information due this Thursday from the test case so at the moment there isnt an average time but you certainly havent left it too late, get it started now.

2/ Who knows.

3/ Thats a question no one can answer for you.

4/ I would think unlikely.

5/ I would look at what can be claimed back (charges) and put it to them that they pay them back to you or take them off the balance due. Do you know for sure you wont be back as by ignoring the debts they wll default you.

[TheKernel]

We aren't British, and are returning to our home country where we will be getting married and hopefully starting a family.

It is highly highly unlikely that we will return within 7 years, and if we do I will have a different name.

[TheKernel]

PS- the bank charges are for my current account with Halifax, not the Barclaycard. I have been very good at making repayments for that.

Thank you for your reply and well wishes Bigmac.

[Chesterexpress]

Pay your debts before you go, what gives you the right to just walk away from your responsibilities?

[TheKernel]

Originally Posted by Chesterexpress

Pay your debts before you go, what gives you the right to just walk away from your responsibilities?

I had every intention of doing just that.

However-

1. I feel that the car insurance people have not given me the relevant information regarding this payment, nor did they inform me of my obligations when I cancelled the policy.
I have received no information or requests for payment, and they didn't even inform me that it was being referred to a DCA.

I feel that this charge is unfair, and could possibly be unlawful as they do not have a copy of the terms and conditions with my signature on it.
I don't feel it IS my responsibility to pay for something I no longer have and didn't ever make a claim on if they can't be bothered to inform me of said responsibilities.

2. RE: the other stuff, this website has provided me with some very insightful information regarding barclaycard, and the temptation to leave without paying the full balance is very high.
I haven't decided definitely that I WILL shirk this responsibility.

If I am successful in reclaiming all the bank charges, that will probably satisfy me enough to continue to make my repayments.

As I said, I still have quite a guilty conscience regarding these matters and a healthy respect for financial responsibilities (apart from the car insurance). However, the more I read about things, this is changing somewhat.

I merely asked what you would do, and what your opinions on the matter are.

Thank you for yours Chesterexpress, clearly you would pay all debts before you left.

Can I ask you though, wouldn't you even be slightly tempted?

PS I will have paid for large sums tax and NI that I won't ever benefit from as a result of leaving the country, yet I don't begrudge that.

[TheKernel]

I am just considering my options and would appreciate other peoples opinions.

[Chesterexpress]

Originally Posted by TheKernel

Can I ask you though, wouldn't you even be slightly tempted?

No, not at all.

Originally Posted by TheKernel

PS I will have paid for large sums tax and NI that I won't ever benefit from as a result of leaving the country, yet I don't begrudge that

You may well have paid tax & NI, however I also disagree with your thinking on this. Whilst you have been in this country, you have been entitled to free medical treatment, education and many other benefits. You may or may not have used any of these, but they were available to you!

[TheKernel]

Originally Posted by Chesterexpress

No, not at all.

Well done for being such an honest person.
Perhaps leaving the country may never be an option for you.

Originally Posted by Chesterexpress

You may well have paid tax & NI, however I also disagree with your thinking on this. Whilst you have been in this country, you have been entitled to free medical treatment, education and many other benefits. You may or may not have used any of these, but they were available to you!

Precisely why I don't begrudge it, as I said in my last post.

Not sure which part of that you don't agree with.

I am not one of the people who come here and "take your jobs", nor have I claimed any benefits whatsoever.

I have made an enormous contribution to the NHS over the last 6 years.

I suspect you may think I am someone who has come to the UK for a "free lunch". I can assure you that this couldn't be further from the truth.

[miss muppet]

This person is a troll and has been on here many times trying to cause mayhem

[Chesterexpress]

Originally Posted by miss muppet

This person is a troll and has been on here many times trying to cause mayhem

Who is?

[TheKernel]

Who me?

I am not a troll, I promise you.

I found this site looking for help on reclaiming bank charges.

The advice I wanted originally was pertaining to that, however upon reading some of the forums I have found a few things out that I was unaware of.

Then, yesterday, I had a call from a DCA who are trying to sting me for money that I am not willing to pay for, as I don't think they have followed debt recovery procedure correctly, and I DO begrudge paying for a service I haven't received.

I would like more advice on this issue please.

I also object to being contacted by a DCA in the first instance, when the company they are working on behalf of could have phoned me themselves, or could have informed me of my obligations when I cancelled the policy- I would have been more than happy to settle it then.

The barclaycard issue is secondary really, I had every intention of paying that off until I saw the thread that its ex-employee started.

Debt evasion isn't my bag at all, however many people on this forum seem to have got away with it, and the fact that I AM leaving the country to never return makes it all the more tempting.

Whether i give in to that temptation is undecided at the moment.

[TheKernel]

So has anyone else got any opinions or advice?

Not trolling, not trying to start a fight, I genuinely feel in a bit of a moral vs financial dilemma, and its always good to hear other peoples viewpoints on this.

Also want to know whether I have any rights regarding the DCA business.

[Bigmac versus]

Hi again, i understand the issue with the car insurance and would myself fight what i thought was an injustice, if time left before moving didnt resolve it then I certainly wouldnt pay it unless forced to which by the sounds of it wouldnt happen.

Regarding the DCA: Tell them you dispute the debt with the insurance company and follow the procedures in the forum which are available.

The BC is a moral vs financial dilemma and one that only you can choose, I understand how tempting it must be but by paying it you can return to UK at any time without the threat of legal action against you.
Also when people do this the DCA who will eventually get involved will trace and contact your family and possibly friends, so you have to consider this also.
Your choice and I for one wouldn't judge you on your decision.

[TheKernel]

Thanks Bigmac- thats more the kind of reply I was looking for!

I will do that with the DCA. I have SO many things to do before we leave, that yesterdays phone call was the last thing I needed!

Your are right, the BC IS a moral vs financial dilemma. The ex-Barclays employee that posted that thread obviously had a bit of an axe to grind, and I am intelligent enough to take his thread with a little grain of salt.

For now, I will continue to repay it as I am in a position to do so (I have budgeted to ensure that it is fully repaid before we leave) its not an enormous sum of money.

I do take my finances very seriously, and my dilemma is that if you get away with something once, obviously the temptation to do it again gets stronger, and I certainly don't want to make a habit out of doing something like that.

Ask me again the day before we leave! (JK)

[old_andrew2007]

Originally Posted by TheKernel

Thanks Bigmac- thats more the kind of reply I was looking for!

I will do that with the DCA. I have SO many things to do before we leave, that yesterdays phone call was the last thing I needed!
Hi I'm no expert but IMHO it may be useful to discover if a reciprocal agreement exists allowing creditors to pursue for outstanding debts when you are back home.

Your are right, the BC IS a moral vs financial dilemma. The ex-Barclays employee that posted that thread obviously had a bit of an axe to grind, and I am intelligent enough to take his thread with a little grain of salt.

For now, I will continue to repay it as I am in a position to do so (I have budgeted to ensure that it is fully repaid before we leave) its not an enormous sum of money.

I do take my finances very seriously, and my dilemma is that if you get away with something once, obviously the temptation to do it again gets stronger, and I certainly don't want to make a habit out of doing something like that.

Ask me again the day before we leave! (JK)

Regards

Andy

[miss muppet]

Sorry Kernel, didn't mean you, just didn't want you getting the wrong idea about the site and having to argue your case rather than getting advice