Yes. We received a letter from Shop Direct stating that the account has been legally assigned to Lowell and all future communications and payments regarding the account should be addressed to them. Lowell have confirmed that they have purchased the debt. Don't get me wrong ... if I was in a position to pay this debt I would gladly do so but at present our outgoings exceed our income. It is many years since I used this site but I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to send them a CCA request to see if they have a legal right to enforce the debt. I am also wondering what is my legal position ( the debt is in my wife's name) with regards to stopping the phone calls and to remove the potential situation whereby my wife gets a doorstep visit from one of their "agents". As stated in my original post my wife is very easily intimidated (I am not). Is there any process whereby she can nominate me to act on her behalf in this matter? Any help appreciated.

Hi everyone, Due to severe financial difficulties my wife has recently had a "Shop Direct" account sold to a DCA called Lowell Portfolio (has anyone heard of these people?). Since then she has been afraid to answer the phone due to the bullying nature of the agents (she is easily intimidated). They will not speak to me because the account is not in my name. I have asked them not to call this number and to correspond only in writing but they have told me that it's none of my business and that they have every right to call my wife. The calls are daily and are usually followed by a voice text (which anyone who picks up the phone can hear). She has today received a letter demanding that she either pay the full amount (£2000+ which we don't have) or telephone their office. Failure to do so will result in them sending a "home visit agent". Now she is afraid to even answer the door. Any advice on what should be our next step would be appreciated. Dale

Hi Rob. It all depends how much you value your credit rating. Using a free service like CCCS (Consumer Credit Counselling Service) can be an excellent choice but will adversely affect your credit rating, however, allowing the debts to spiral out of control will affect it much more. The CCCS will negotiate with your creditors on your behalf and work out a single monthly payment that you can afford. As for a consolidation loan, that depends if you can find a loan that you can comfortably afford without a high interest rate. I would strongly advise against any loan that is secured on your property. Why turn unsecured debt into secured debt which could put your home at risk if your circumstances took a turn for the worse? Personally I would go down the CCCS route as i have done so before. Regards Dale

Their details are as follows: European Collections & Investigations St. Andrews House St. Andrews Road Surbiton Surrey KT6 4LX The footnote on their headed paper says: Credit Ancillary Services Limited trading as ECI. Registered office: Equity House, Ettington Road, Wellbourne CV35 9GA. Registered in England & Wales No. 4239825 Regards, Hairyman

Thanks andrew1, I was wondering if you have any information on a company called "European Collections & Investigations" (ECI). I sent them a CCA letter last week but the reply letter I got came from Cabot. ( The standard Cabot reply .. Thank you for your payment .. etc.) I am having a nightmare with this company but this will be a whole new thread. Didn't realise they were in bed with Cabot or part of the same company. Regards, Hairyman

Now that 12 working days have passed since Cabot received my CCA letter and are now in default as far as compliance goes, should I now contact them to remind them that they are in default or wait until the further 30 days have passed. Any opinions appreciated. Regards, Hairyman

Thanks for that. Would I be correct in assuming that the time limits for compliance are 12 working days until default then a further 30 calender days until the debt becomes unenforceable or have I misunderstood? Any help appreciated. :-? Thanks Hairyman

Hi everyone, I received the following letter from Cabot this morning: Dear XXXXXXXX Further to your previous communication regarding the above referenced account. We have today contacted Barclaycard to investigate your query, and hope to resolve this matter swiftly. Although we anticipate a reply within the next 21 days, it can take up to 8 weeks if the information we require has been archived, and we therefore request your understanding in this matter. Yours Sincerely Emma Robertson Customer Relations Dept. ( I wasn't aware that I was a "customer") Cabot Financial (Europe) Ltd. Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited is licenced under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Any suggestions for my next move? Incidentally this letter arrived almost a week after their first reply but was dated a day earlier. Cabot wouldn't do anything underhand like backdating letters would they? Regards (Worried) Hairyman

Thanks youngandfree. I've done that now Hairyman

Is it possible that they could deny receiving the letter and state that only the postal order was in the envelope? They seem like the sort of company that may do something like that. Surely, if they were in posession of the documents they would just send the copies rather than sending out sarcastic letters.

Hi everyone, A few years ago I got into financial difficulty and ran up quite a few large debts. Most of these debts are now in the hands of debt recovery companies. I have no objections to paying back the original creditors but I hate seeing these parasitic debt companies making profits from other peoples' despair and , after reading various posts on this forum have decided to fight back. The account I have started with as a tester is a debt with Barclaycard, from whom I had not heard for around 5 years. Recently I received a letter from a company called Cabot Financial. They are demanding the full amount (over £2600) and advise me that interest will accrue. I sent them the template CCA letter which I found on this forum asking for a copy of the original agreement and I enclosed the statutory £1 fee. I sent the letter by recorded delivery and have confirmation from Royal Mail that it was received on 5/10/06. Today (7/10/06) I received the following reply: Dear XXXXXXX Account No. XXXXXXX Thank you for your recent payment. We would advise that interest, where applicable, will continue to accrue on your account until we have a repayment plan agreed. It is to your advantage to contact us on the number above immediately to discuss your offer of repayment. If you have already made an arrangement then please ignore this letter. Yours Sincerely Alex Duncan Recoveries Manager Cabot Financial (Europe) Ltd. Does anyone think that I should reply and point out that the payment was not against the alleged debt but to receive a copy of the original agreement, or should I wait? Regards, Hairyman

Isn't the debt unenforceable anyway, once 30 days has passed since you requested the documents under the 1974 CCA act?

Hi everyone, this is my first post. A few years ago I got into financial difficulty and ran up quite a few large debts. Most of these debts are now in the hands of debt recovery companies. I have no objections to paying back the original creditors but I hate seeing these parasitic debt companies making profits from other peoples' despair and , after reading various posts on this forum have decided to fight back. The account I have started with as a tester is a debt with Barclaycard, from whom I had not heard for around 5 years. Recently I received a letter from a company called Cabot Financial. They are demanding the full amount (over £2600) and advise me that interest will accrue. I sent them the template CCA letter which I found on this forum asking for a copy of the original agreement and I enclosed the statutory £1 fee. I sent the letter by recorded delivery and have confirmation from Royal Mail that it was received on 5/10/06. Today (7/10/06) I received the following reply: Dear XXXXXXX Account No. XXXXXXX Thank you for your recent payment. We would advise that interest, where applicable, will continue to accrue on your account until we have a repayment plan agreed. It is to your advantage to contact us on the number above immediately to discuss your offer of repayment. If you have already made an arrangement then please ignore this letter. Yours Sincerely Alex Duncan Recoveries Manager Cabot Financial (Europe) Ltd. Does anyone think that I should reply and point out that the payment was not against the alleged debt but to receive a copy of the original agreement, or should I wait? Regards, Hairyman