Just got another one of these which has contradictory signals. From Central Debt Recovery Unit BN11 2RD, which I guess is another HSBC sub department? This one offers a 40% reduction on the debt, which seems like quite a desperate move. However, they also claim "we intend to refer your account to a firm of worldwide debt collectors based in Germany who will contact you to arrange repayment of this debt." Got no desire to battle with this **** in my reasonable but not legalistic German.

I don't know what they know about the German postal system but here you only get a letter in your postbox if your name's on the door. Maybe they know I've been receiving the letters?

Hope this is just no more than hot air from them. My flatmate just walked in the kitchen and cracked up when he saw the 40% but it's always a bit different when your name's on the letter..

HI gerson,

never saw your response last time round, looks like some really useful information. I'm gonna set aside some time to have a real look over it.

Central Debt Recovery Unit are owned by Metropolitan Collection Services, which in turn is owned by HSBC.

Just keep on ignoring. If they didn't realise their chances of collecting are zero they wouldn't be offering a big reduction, would they? Offer yourself a 100% reduction by just ignoring them. If you haven't found out yet that debt collection agenciues go away if ignored- learn from my experience. Every single one has given up and gone. No court action whatever. If they cannot make contact they won't do it.

And in the HIGHLY unlikely event they do pass it to foreign debt collectors- ignore them too.

Just got passed onto Bluestone as speculated by horus upthread. What's the group opinion on sending the 'prove it' letter? This is an overdraft and not a credit card so I was wondering if different rules apply?

Just ignore them buddy. That way they won't even know if you live there. Why do their work for them?

Why bother to worry about it? Debt collectors rely on bullcrap. Cross bridges as and when you reach them which will almost certainly be never.

Here's one thing that concerns me - in Germany, mail is only delivered if the name on the letter is also on the front door. Maybe they know this, maybe they don't. You're totally right about when and where to cross bridges. Just asking really so I can see the signs and recognise when a bridge has to be crossed.

How much did you say the debt was? Their logistical difficulties in trying to collect legally must be immense. That's why they write and don't act.

Generally, these people are professionals in the sense that they go for the easy one, not the difficult and complex one. Whats the worst that can happen, they take you to court, but you could either fight or pay when that happens. 95% says it will not happen!

So, it happened. Got a letter from a company in Bavaria wanting 2000€, of which 219€ is 'costs'. There's not much that I can do on the UK side of the internet now but I thought it would be useful for people to know that some people out there seem to be pretty serious about chasing this stuff overseas.

They can't add costs unless it was stipulated in your original agreement. Nor can they take any enforcement action unless they've previously obtained a CCJ in the UK, then they would need to ask a German court for permission. They will need to take legal action in Germany using UK law & given the amount they are chasing I doubt whether it will be viable for them.

It's viable for them to write letters trying to browbeat you into paying, BB. What is not viable, as Cerberus says, is to actually do something. I would not be too surprised if the people writing to you are some dummy subsidiary of an English company trying the old "there's no place to hide" routine. You really don't have anything to lose by continuing to give it the Nelson touch.

I'm getting conflicting advice on this. I know an ENglish guy over here who says he has some experience with debt law in germany and he thinks it could be serious. Gonna speak to a legal firm that helps migrants too and see what they think. I'll bring the advice back here for everyone to share. The company is called Bayerischer Inkasso Dienst (Bavarian Collections Service v roughly translated). Easily googleable and they have an english language part to the website if anyone wants to check it out (not sure about posting links on here). My impulse is still that if I do talk to them reasonably they won't be so interested in what I can reallistically pay and will make life hard for me so I hope what works in the UK works in DE also.

If it had been a debt incurred in Germany, then you could well have a cause for worry- I don't know; though the world seems full of people who are prepared to believe debt collectors' lies.

But their obvious problems are it's a foreigner and a foreign debt. That makes it difficult to prove in any court and for the amount you are talking about... no.

What do you have to lose by ignoring? If they do find some way of taking it to court, cross the bridge when you come to it! Otherwise you are sounding like the guy who committed suicide because he was afraid of dying... if you understand my meaning?

Hi everyone,

I'm a UK citizen living in Germany since 2010. I'm trying to secure my status here before Brexit, and one of the offices I'm dealing with to do so requires proof of earnings for a time in 2010 when I was living off savings with a UK bank (HSBC). I don't have records anymore, but I believe the account was closed in early 2011 by HSBC because I was using the overdraft without receiving regular payments into the account. (They were tough times for me )

I tried to contact HSBC to make a realistic payment plan but they demanded more than I could pay. There was later some attempt to recover the overdraft via German debt collection agencies but I was advised that they would have to use English law in a German court to enforce the debt, which would cost more than they could recover from the debt, so it was likely nothing would happen.

I'm unsure when I last received communications from HSBC/German DCAs.

Now my question: if the statutory limitation has not expired on this debt, what will/could happen re: the debt if I get in touch with HSBC re: obtaining old bank statements? :???:

If it was terminated early 2011 then its now statute barred.......send a DSAR to HSBC for the statements fee is £10

Andy

Thread moved to Debt management and Debt self-help Forum

sar clickme

Why would German authorities require Bank statements from 2010 ? Is this a fishing exercise to see whether there was a failure to pay German income taxes at the time ?

They actually asked for an employment record, but I wasn't employed (living off savings then HSBC overdraft for a few months), so I am assuming they will want me to prove what I was living on. Given my experiences of German state bureaucracy, it seems like a fairly routine request.

Looking back through some threads I posted here a while ago, and a bunch of old letters I found, I see I was contacted by German debt collection agencies (not HSBC itself) at least as late as April 2012. If that was the latest contact, would that have any impact on the potential statute-barred status of the debt?

How about contact with HSBC in-house DCA Metropolitan Collection Services in September 2011?

It seems like the thing I need to do now is find out exactly when my HSBC account was closed. Can anyone think of a risk-free was of doing this?

sar then - letters from wont reset anything.

dx

ive merged the old thread for ref.

dx

Any ideas on how to find when my account was closed would be welcome!

Also, if I travelled to the UK and went into the branch, would I be able to get them to hand the documents over there and then?

there no harm in you ringing HSBC

if you are to the UK you could arrange to collect the sar data at a branch with suitable identification.

Makes you think of the complications Brexit will cause UK citizens living in EU countries. They are hapilly living and may be working, they then are forced to only have a visa or apply for permanent residency. If they fail the requirements for permanent residency, then they will be on a time limited visa and could be kicked out when it ends.