Ditto to you Paul. We haven't spoken for over a Year, but a big thanks for your encouraging words around last year. Much appreciated mate Vex

I'm indebted to you Paul. Will be speaking offline.

Hi all It has been a long path. A very very long path dating back to end of 2007, and middle of 2008 when Natwest issued proceedings. The light at the end of the tunnel was very feint when i first strated this (see the original thread at http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/getting-out-debt/127772-natwest-keep-racking-up-12.html ) but it has been 100% worthwhile I have to take my hat of to Paul ( aka pt2537 ) and the folks at Watsons who represented me, and have done me proud Their claim was for £15k against an unenforceable loan agreement, and another £15k in costs, and apart from some very small detail, Natwest have thrown the towel in and walk away with nowt! The overidding message here, is that if you know you are right, then stick to your guns and get used to their crap scare tactics. It works!! :smile:

Long time since i've been on the forum, and updated this. I'll start a new post, but will drop a link in that new post to refer interested readers to the whole history here.

You should take encouragement! When the issue in dispute gets passed to another DCA it usually implies that one DCA has given in, and another one has picked it up. This cycle continues until all the usual suspects are exhausted, and it ends up in the hands of the desperate one man outfit at the end of the queue. Experienced gained in squaring up to these bullies reveals the standard tricks 1/ they make sure the date on the letter is 7 days different from the postmark 2/ ALL letters arrive on Saturday morning - designed to make you sweat and ruin your weekend 3/ ALL pretend not to have received any responses you send back 4/ Most capitulate after the 3rd or 4th letter 5/ They ALL want you to ring them (this is not advisable as it seriously raises your blood pressure, even for experienced DCA dodgers) This is all from experience. The funniest letters are the one's that tell you about how badly your credit history will be affected. In my eyes, the best thing that's happened in the past few years has been having a poor credit record and not being able to run up more debts.

Felix My experience is that the date that the letter was composed, and the date received is usually a minimum of 7 days apart. Standard tactic used to make you feel that most of the time you would have had to consider your response has evaporated. Also find that these letters tend to arrive on Fridays or Saturdays - in my view designed to prey on your mind over a weekend, and tempt you into a rushed response. Either their systems produce letters with old dates on by default, or they print a batch at then end of one week, and post them the end of the next week. It happens with such regularity, that this must be a standard trick taught as part of any debt collection employees induction. Accordingly, so that if it goes anywhere, a judge can see the deliberate gaps in dates, if responding i always make a point in my first line "In response to your letter dated xx/xxx/xx, received here on xx/xxx/xx" Or, in short, standard crap produced by unimaginative drones Vex

could make it very difficult to 'gain' credit in the future!!!! Who are they kidding!! Every news report tells me that the banks are closed. I'm quite happy funding my interests from savings:lol: Worst thing i ever did was get credit cards and loans.

Hi AT Glad you have reached a situation that you find reasonable. BTW - Were there any clauses, should you fall foul of the payment plan, due to financial hardship etc? Thanks, Vex

The Tomlin order looks like it will be an order to stay proceedings for a period of time, whilst you pay the overdraft back. I imagine the terms of this arrangement are that you acknowledge the o/d, agree terms for repayment - monthly payments, but if you fall foul (or even they fall foul) you all pile back into court. I guess it is up to you how to play it. If you are still disputing the debt, then continue to court, or take the Tomlin offer. Vex

Pinky Point taken. My personal opinion is that the regulatory agencies certainly have been pretty slow in moving. I can't say my experience of 1/ mentioning OFT this or Trading standards that in my letters, or 2/ attempting to engage them, has done anything for my jaundiced view. Pinky, i accept that if that has changed or is changing then great, but you know how it is when you have churned out letter after letter, and you start to make judgement on what works and what hasn't Thanks, Vex

Hi Wilko Multi Track is a court process where sums > 15k are heard. Multi track is heavier on process and the costs are much much higher. Therefore the implications for a novice are substantial, and if not defended correctly, the awarded costs against the loser are likely to exceed the amount of the disputed claim. So, for example, a 15K claim may incur costs of another 15K, thus leaving a potential bill for 30k if the defending party loses. Hence my slight concern. As for making complaints. My feeling is that they are just a paper exercise.

Hi All The anniversary of my last exchange of letters with Halifax has probably sparked their drones back into life somehow. They are carpet bombing me with quite a few letters in last couple of weeks. I'm generally unconcenred except for the point that naturally Halifax are piling on the interest, and my concern is that it is creaping toward the Multi Track claim threshold. Any advice? Cheers, Vex

I don't know the process to follow now that you have this info ( i suggest you bump, or PM P Wilton). It's not the kind of clear admittance that you expect when so far into this process, however, i suspect that it is straightforward, but how to do that - i don't know. Cheers (you lucky sod) Vex

Hi AT Hope you are well Deadline for my Witness Statements passed yesterday, and nothing came in post from Shoos. They misssed deadline for SD too:roll: I can't remember if you have answered this before, but did you ask them for a copy of the agreement via a CPR 31 request?? Looking at your last thread here, it appears that as they have not mentioned an agreement (are you sure they haven't referred to it even once in your correspondence), but have filed a witness statement, then they are going to court on the basis of the moral argument - You have had the moeny, so you have a moral responsibility to pay the money back. Either that or they are playing bluff with you, and they are hoping you bottle it before they do?? All the best, Vex

Current status: 1/ 6 weeks after my CPR request, Solicitors eventually find my signed copy of Credit Agreement. This has quite obviously been amended after i signed it and the amount of loan is higher than that which i applied for. They added the set up fees to the total amount - twice! I understand that alone makes the agreement unenforceable (Thanks Paul) 2/ My request under CPR for a copy of each version they hold has been ignored. There appears to be 3 seperate different copies of the same agreement, owing to 'modifications and obliterations'. - Should i ask Judge to order disclosure or apply for strike out? 3/ CPR request also included request for default notice and / or termination notice. No sign of this from them. 4/ 1 month after submitting my standard disclosure, solicitors have not served theirs - Again, should i apply to the judge for an order to disclose or order for strike out? 5/ I am now 2 weeks away from deadline for witness statements, but without their disclosure, i have only slightly more information than when this case started. - As i am waiting for their disclosure, am i bound to stick with the judges order for witness statement, and if so, what do i write? 6/ Having done a refresh of my documents, the schedule of arrears that was sent to me in response to my CCA request is incorrect. It states an original balance that does not tally with the amount that was paid into my account - How significant is this error? That's all for now Thanks, Vex