Hi. We had a credit card with a limit of £1500. We'd used £1415. Always made the payments, sometimes more than minimum. Generally kept it in order. Now they've dropepd the limit to £1400. The same day we received the letter was the day they did it putting us £20 over the limit straight off. I cleared the excess that day but still got a £12 charge. My question is: Don't they have to let you know IN ADVANCE that they're going to do this? Thanks for any info.

Ah thanks for the heads up. I don't want to give them any reason to find a loophole as it were! I think i might just bite the bullet and do the credit agreement request. It seems as though they have a poor track record of supplying the needed papaerwork in the required time if what I read is right... Thanks everyone for the replies. It doesn't let me rep you...

Lowell are now offering to halve the debt and are being extremely polite in letters. Although they don't know my address I have a friend who receives the mail at my old place. I haven't contacted or acknowledged Lowell in any way yet although they are getting crafty and ringing me from normal number mobile phones... My current policy is to refuse to give out personal details over the phone to them so they cannot confirm I am me and can't discuss the debt with me at all... Seems to work well at stalling. They also seem to have a few other entities. hamptons legal, red and another one I've forgotten. Still no sign of court action though... According to my credit file only a year and a half to go till it falls off.

Interesting. The point that they haven't taken me to court yet is the one I find funniest. I have to wonder why they haven't bothered? I too have had quite a few DCAs try to get the debts but as of yet NONE of them has taken me to court. It surprises me as to why they don't bother. *edit* I'd rep but assume this has a 50 post limit before rep is worth anything?

Lloyds have an extremely high charges system, even though they as other banks did, changed it from a service charge to an unauthorised overdraft. The fees actually seem to work out as MORE expensive than before though. Barclays for instance charges so much for every 5 days you are within your 'reserve overdraft', (£30 I think). However cancelling that means they return all items when you don't have the money to pay them and charge £8 a time. Much cheaper than keeping the reserve. As I understand it Lloyds continue to charge an excessive amount even if you cancel that unauthorised overdraft. My fiancee simply can't afford to pay with all these charges going out and the interest they charge. I'm sure they're as illegal as the old system but no doubt because they've changed the name of it all it's legal now... I hope not.

I've been ignoring all calls, threats, and mail from these people for about 3 years now. I spoke with them once way back at the first letter telling them to either take me to court or bugger off. Neither of which they have done. How long do they have to pursue a bought debt if they aren't prepared to do anything further? The debt was an unpaid overdraft to Lloyds for £330ish. About a year after it started I actually got £750 back from Lloyds in bank charges anyways. If they'd been that bothered by the debt they could have removed it from that money. I had the same problem with Natwest and ended up owing them £250ish. Lowell bought up that one but have since seemed to stop persuing it, (as of about 2 years ago). Natwest also later paid me over £1000 in bank charges. Any info would be appreciated. I've lloked around the forums a bit but most people seem to be asking for info specific to their case/problem. What I want is a general guide to deleting Lowell from the planet, or failing that, info on what they have actually done, actually can do, and are actually legally entitled to do. I did read about the letter requesting full details in another thread but I don't particularly want to draw attention to myself. lol. I appreciate the fact you have most likely seen this sort of thing a lot on these boards and am grateful for any info.