It was the Aldershot Branch of Citi. I might still have it although we did have a clear out about 3 years ago of all old stuff that was paid etc.

Update: I put in a complaint to Consumer Direct and they confirmed that if I hadn't paid any money onto the debt in the last 6 years it might be time barred. They have also passed on my complaint to Trading Standards under the Consumer Protection Regs! Hopefully they will help sort this shower out.

Hi, Myself and the wife took out a loan with the above back in 2004 and were advised to take out PPI to protect against redundancy or sickness. A year later the wife was off work for 3 months diagnosed with depression (signed off by her doctor) and then was sacked by her employer for being off work for too long!! We tried to claim on the PPI for her losing her job and it was rejected as it did not cover mental illnesses! When we re-mortgaged we got this loan paid off (inc all the interest and PPI) and thought no more of it, except what a bunch of sheisters they were. Now with the ruling that the Banks must repay any PPI charges, I want to claim this back if I can! The loan was a secured type amounting to about 20k which paid off a load of little bits and bobs and got a lot of work done on the house (much needed). Who do I complain to, as I think the branch closed about 2 years ago and I think they are underwritten by Barclays? Ta

I'm beginning to see that! They all seem to be utter sharks that will try anything. If they had been reasonable from the start, I would probably have agreed to settle this, but I will not be bullied into it.

Hi Alf, Yes it was Thesis that sent the original letter back in 2009 and it was them that I sent the request and failure to provide letters to. It has been Link that have been harassing me this year and it was them that I sent the SB letter to. I will ignore any letter but keep it as proof of continued harassment and note the times and frequency of any phone call. I have an answer phone so I can leave their messages recorded too. Thanks for pointing me in the direction of the OFT guidelines Cerberus, much appreciated and a jolly good read, these people have done nearly all of the things they are not supposed to do!!

Ok, I have sent an email complaint detailing the history to Hants Trading Standards, and I will ignore any phone calls or letters I get from Link. I assume that Trading Standards will contact them and they will be told in no uncertain terms to wind their necks in? Or am I being naive? I have told TS that I can provide copies of the letters if needed.

Has anybody any thoughts on how I respond to this? I have just re-read their letter and they actually said that it is thae standard follow up letter that I sent, when a creditor fails to respond that is the acknowledgement of the debt, not the letter asking for the information. I used the template found on this site. Surely I still haven't acknowledged the debt and it is still statute barred? Help!!

Hi, For my request for information, I used letter template N, although i think it was an older version that i found as the one i sent had the wording I DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AND DEBT TO YOUR COMPANY in capitals, exactly like that. If needed I can scan and attach so you can see it?? Their response confirmed that it was a simple contract under the CCA. They also stated in their original reply that they werent a DCA but just a management company who had taken over management of the account. Obviously not true!! Statute Barred letter sent was template M. So, is it best to send them a letter stating that they are incorrect and can anyone help with guidance on what to say as I obviously want to word it very carefully so as not to acknowledge the debt. If I complain to Trading Statndards, would i complain to the office in Caerphilly as that is where they are based or would any office do? Thanks

Sorry, i have just re-read my post and it is a bit confused, too late in the day to be asking questions!! The loan was taken out in September 1996, not 2009!!

Hi Folks, Back in July 2009 I received a letter from Link regarding a student loan taken out in 1996 saying they had taken it over. I checked them out and saw they were debt collectors so I issued the standard letter template request for information letter with the words I DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY DEBT TO YOUR COMPANY and asked them to supply the relevant information within the statutory time limits. I then sent the follow up letter after receiving nothing within the 14 or 31 days or whatever and hey presto I got the info requested about a week later. Their letter just said to continue as I was doing, which was nothing so i did just that. About 3 months ago I got a phone call from them demanding payment followed up by a letter saying unless I paid in seven days in full further action would be taken. I checked in on here for advice and checked that as I had made no deferral since 2003 and made no further contact since then, aside from the Section 77 request, that this was statute barred, which it seemed to be. I then sent them the standard letter saying that I wouldnt be paying it as the debt was now statute barred and they could go and get stuffed (politely of course!!). The letter was sent about 10 weeks ago and I heard nothing. I received a letter this week ( i have been working away from home all week) saying basically that they acknowledge my assertion that i contend this as it is statute barred, and that my last deferral was in 2003, but as I had sent the letter requesting the documentation, this effectively reset the clock and the six years was now re-started from September 2009. They said that this was acknowledging the debt and this is why the clock was reset. Surely by clearly stating that i didnt acknowledge the debt, this is not acknowledging anything? Is this actually the case or are they trying to pull a fast one relying on my ignorance of the law? If they are trying it on, then I was going to respond basically saying they are wrong and that the debt is in fact statute barred and I expect the next communication from them to confirm that the account is closed. I was also going to put that i would consider any further attempt at pursuing this to be an act of intimidation and harrassment and they would be reported to the OFT or whoever. Does this sound reasonable? Cheers folks

Awesome, just wanted to clear that up. I have now sent the Statute Barred letter, hopefully these "people" will now get the hint and leave me in peace. I spotted a thread similar to mine in which someone on here has used this a few times and it has been successful in dealing with them. Most reassuring!! Thanks for all the help folks!!

I assume you mean no written contact from me? I was receiving statements every year but made no acknowledgements. If so I will send the letter.

Hi, I have a question which I am sure has been asked a thousand times but just need to get a bit of clarification on for my own peace of mind. I took a student loan in 1996 which I deferred until 2004 as I was well below the threshold, then we moved house a couple of times and I forgot to carry on doing it as i had other things on my mind. I then received a letter in July 2009 saying that Thesis had taken it over. assuming that this was a DCA i sent them the standard CCA letter then when I got no response within the 31 days, I sent them the follow up letter. About a week later, I got a letter from them saying that they weren't a DCA but they had taken over management of the Studet Loans and I should just continue to carry on maintaing the account as I was. I hadn't paid anything so I did as I was told and just carried on. I got a phone call from Link in Caerphilly (who it transpires are Thesis in another guise) saying that I had defaulted on my agreement with them and unlessIpaid it all back instantly they were going to take legal action. They also asked if I was a homeowner or tennant which I refused to answer. In fact there were several questions which I refused to answer as I didnt want to give them any ammunition. I explained that I did not have the money (just over 3k) and that I wouldn't be able to raise it so if they wanted it then they would have to arrange a payment plan which was refused. As I have not acknowledged this debt in writing since 2004 when I last deferred, or paid anything, am I right in thinking that I can claim this as Statute Barred (as I have seen in a previous thread). I spoke to a lady at Thesis who confirmed that no agreement had been put in place and as such I could not have defaulted on it. I was thinking that I might be nice and phone them and offer to set up a payment plan of about £150 a month, but to be honest they were so rude and intimidating that I am losing inclination to do that. Also, if I do that will I then be acknowledging the debt or does it have to be in writing to be a formal acknowledgement. Many thanks in advance for any help!!