It's intimidation and harassment they're causing - a criminal offence. I'd cut straight to the chase and threaten them with the Police if they don't stop harassing you. They'll soon back off

Only since last summer. I had a Vanquis card with a £500 limit. Stupid, I know now. I stopped paying the monthly payments last summer ( july/aug ) Now the debt is £ 748.85!

Thanks for responding. Appreciated tbh, I've buried my head in the sand over my debts for the past 6-8 months and only now do I have the fight within me to face it all. I've no idea who holds what information on me anymore. So, my credit file is the best place to start, you think?

Hi All, I wondered if I could have some of your valuable opinions and advice please I've received a letter from Colemans-ctts in respect of a debt that I've not paid and they're threatening legal proceedings. I'm not disputing I owe the money but something doesn't seem quite right. My original creditor was Vanquis Bank. I got into debt with them and they passed the debt to C.A.R.S (Creditlink?) who have subsequently now instructed Colemans-ctts solicitors to deal with me. Now the issues I have are, that the letter is dated 19 March 2012, yet I only received it today ( 25th April ) and the return address is PO Box 8743, Bellshill, ML4 3WU. My understanding is that the return address is M/Hall. So, my question is - Why would a letter from Colemans-ctts solicitors have a M/Hall address on the envelope? Also, it's strange that a letter with such significance as legal action, takes 5 weeks to get here. Any advice / comments / opinions would be welcome Thankyou fellow Caggers Many thanks Phil

Ah. Thankyou. Not the news I wanted to hear, but at least I know now. I'm the account holder and therefore responsible for running the account correctly, so I have to take it on the chin but when I spoke to Sky cust serv , at no point did they inform me that I'd potentially lost my number. I paid them £39 reconnection fee in good faith too, naievely thinking that all they had to do was 'flick the switch' and I'd have a landline once more - as it was. Had I realised that I'd got to wait until 17.05.11 and with a new number, I'd have jumped ship and gone to another more reliable/cheaper provider... Jeez, what a nightmare. All this because I was 6 weeks late paying off the bill....

Wow, that was quick! Thankyou for the advice. I'll fire off an email to JD this evening. I'd better calm down first though, just in case I say something stupid...

Dear CAGGERS I've been with Sky ( TV/Broadband/phone ) for the last 2 years. Due to financial reasons, I had my services cancelled by Sky in Feb. I paid the overdue amount 2 weeks ago and had the TV service restored almost instantly - no problem. However, the broadband and phone has proved a nightmare. Sky are refusing to reinstate and will only consider a totally new order. This means a new telephone number and a 3 week wait. I don't want a new phone number. I didn't ask for it and don't need it. I just want my phone and broadband reconnected. However Sky are insisting BT pay me a visit before they reconnect me and they are refusing to give me my old number back. (Hearing this,I lost my rag with cust serv and started threatening them with Ofcom which probably didn't help relations...) Anyway,my question is: can Sky just take my telephone number and refuse to give it back? I've had the number for years and losing it is a great inconvenience. Any advice and help is greatly appreciated. Many thanks Phil

Hi AFW Currently, the FOS are trying to mediate, but as SD are a bunch of disrespectful bully boys, no agreement has been reached, nor will it ever sadly. In fact, SD have set NDR on me now! More idiots to deal with. Anyway,I am in the process of escalating the matter to the OFT, but in the long run, I think my case will end up in court. Fine with me as I have a wealth of evidence against them! It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in this predicament. Best wishes

best advice i've heard in ages!

Hello there AFW, Sorry to hear of the trouble with SD. They have a reputation for being difficult to deal with. Not a very nice company. Rude, unhelpful, underhand. You'll be hard pushed to find anyone who has had any success with them. How much does your daughter owe? Is it possible to pay it off and get rid of SD entirely? FWIW I've been battling with them since March 2007 and at the moment my situation is a stalemate. They won't back down and neither will I. Your daughter might be in for a long battle too. Best regards

I sympathise totally with you. I can't offer any real legal advice, but I do feel that you need to be aware that Littlewoods / Shop Direct have a reputation for pulling this sort of thing. They rely on you getting frightened/confused. Don't let them get away with it. Stand firm, demand explanations and start throwing your weight around if they fail to respond. Plus, don't forget - Get everything in writing. DO NOT speak to them (unless you record the conversation) Good luck and best wishes

Clearly, the amount of telephone calls is not acceptable. I would follow the advice given by Cobee33 and coledog. Tell ( don't ask,tell ) LLoyds to contact you in writing only. They are obliged to do this and cannot refuse.

Good luck with this one. Don't give them an inch. If you can only afford £1 a month then stick to your guns and only pay them £1 a month. Littlewoods are well known for trying to bully customers in financial difficulty

I don't think I've ever seen a more obvious con.

14 calls in 72 hours. I've snapped!! I've been forced to threaten Littlewoods with a visit from the Police ( telephone harassment ). If that doesn't stop them I'm in trouble!