Small update: Bright House have chosen to ignore the letters I have sent them and haven't contacted me since sending the goon squad out. However, the tv that I have has stopped working (can't get it off standby) so now I have no tv. I know that if I call them they will a.demand all monies from me immediately and b.laugh at me for not taking out the optional service cover. Anyone know if there's anything I can do in this situation? The tv is 18 months old and I don't have home insurance.

Thank you so much for your reply. I sent letters recorded delivery to both my store and head office explaining the situation AND requesting that no more visits to my home be done without an appointment. If anyone turns up I will call the police- I have kept copies of the letters so can prove that I have asked for no more visits. I also said (in a nice way) that if they won't agree to reduced payments then they are more than welcome to take me to court. However, when I came home there was a big white van sitting outside my house (literally- on the grass in my front garden!) with 2 huge men who tried to intimidate me into letting them in. I decided that rather than take the risk of them barging past me I would go to my friends house instead so after telling them to get their van the heck off my grass I turned around and walked away to the sounds of them calling me names like fat b1tch and the like. Another letter is in the making expressing my disgust at their 'representatives'. I know that they provide a service to people (like me) who can't get credit elsewhere, but there is no need for the disgraceful treatment of their customers- just because we have bad credit for whatever reason doesn't make us bad people! Thanks again for the advice, I will keep you updated.

Thank you Am just trying to read my way round this part of the forum- my eyes are hurting there's so much to take in! Would I be right in saying that if they turned up and I let them in and they took the tv back WITHOUT me signing anything to state that I am authorizing removal that I can get back the money that I have paid so far? I just did a quick mental calculation and I think its around £800- I could buy a nice tv with that AND be free of the nasty people at Bright House! Is this an option?

I got a tv from Bright House in May 2009. I haven't had any major problems with them other than canceling the extortionate service charges in the first week (something along the lines of £9 a week). I had the occasional late payment, mainly due to my bad memory but I always paid the late fee etc etc. In June this year I had to go on income support as my partner left us for another woman and got me sacked from my job in the process. Obviously this put me in problems financially, so I contacted Bright House and asked if it was possible for my payments to be reduced and they said no. I then asked if I could give the tv back, they said that was possible but that I would incur a penalty which was a percentage of what I owed. I can't remember the specific figure but it was several hundred pounds. I wasn't in a position to pay a penalty fee so I carried on paying my £13 a week. In September my benefits were reduced by £25 a week to pay back an overpayment and a loan that I had last time I was on income support, a few years ago. This put me in dire straits financially- I now have a weekly income of just over £100 a week to support myself and my son. I have been looking for a job for several months now with no luck and I had to miss a payment because my gas bill was due. Then something else happened the following week....and so it went on. I don't want to give the tv back as I obviously don't want to be without a telly, but Bright House won't accept a lower payment plan from me. Someone came to my house today and put a letter through the door stating that they will come and remove the tv if I don't pay up. I didn't answer the door and have no intention of doing so- I don't answer the door unless I know who it is but for different reasons. Obviously I accept that if I want to keep the tv then I have to pay them what I owe. If they take me to court and I can show a judge that my financial situation isn't great can they make an order for a lower repayment plan? I am quite happy for it to go to court if it means that Bright House would be forced to accept a lower amount from me each week- maybe a judge can make them do what I can't! Judging by other posts here it would have been wise of me to make a note of dates of when I spoke to the store but I didn't- you live and learn. I'm not really sure which direction to go in now- I only got the bloomin tv because my ex wanted an all singing all dancing lcd and nothing but the biggest one available would do! I hope that someone can come along and give me some advice. Many Thanks