Hello all, I had a query with a water company at my previous address whereby they charged me water usage charges of £475 for a period of a couple of months As a person living alone and being at work all day, having no hot water other than shower, no garden to water and no car to wash, I found this to be a little alarming and queried the charge (As my usual bill was about £18 a month) - I was on a water meter. The company in question (South Staffs) had the usual drongos on the phone who of course were not able to help in any way. I pro actively kept chasing and calling South Staffs to say I would pay a normal water bill but not one for £475 which in my opinion is completely unfeasible given my setup. This went on for a good month and a half of ME CHASING THEM to resolve this issue so I could pay them. Today I recieved a letter at my new address from a company called INTER CREDIT INTERNATIONAL demanding that I pay the client (South Staffs) said £475 within the next 5 days. To me this isn't a bad debt, its an invoice query that they seem incapable of resolving. Am I right in saying that a court would have to order me to pay this before a collection agency could really do anything? Whats the procedure? It's not even a matter of I cant pay - It's that I will NOT be bullied by South staffs just because they are a big company into paying charges which are nothing short of ridiculous. Any advice on this would be most appreciated. Best regards Luke

Hi, I have a few payday loans which have got out of control and with my current financial situation I am unable to make a repayment anytime soon. I have a couple of questions. 1) How can I stop these DCA from contacting my employer? as I am getting multiple calls each day? 2) How can I find out what DCA my debts are with? 3) At what point is it deemed to be harassment and who do I contact in regards to this? 4) I sent a denial of access letter to one of them and they continue to leave me voicemails and letters saying they are going to arrive unannounced, what can I do? Thank You in advance

Well today I have received a letter from DWP, claiming that I owe over 6k pounds. They also said not to ignore the letter. If I cannot pay off the amount still I need to contact them and arrange a payment agreement. They also threated me saying I don't they will eiter pass this to debt collection agency or recover from my employer and this will affect my credit scoring. They also said they conted me before but as far as I know I claimed JSA back in 2008 for several weeks as I was made redundant so to keep my NI contribution I claimed JSA and after about 3 to 4 weeks later I found a job so infomed DWP and stopped JSA. I would be grateful if you could please confirm whether they have the power to recover the sum from my current employer. Thanks very much for your attention. Kind regards Monmoy

I just want help in clarifying whether I received a Notice of registration of fixed penalty and collection order for £135 as the courts believe I didn't pay the initial Fixed penalty notice I received for £80 (the policeman crossed out £80 and said it had gone up to £90)? I was unable to pay £90 online or over the phone so paid the £80 set on the website for fixed penalty notices and got the payment reference number. I have now received a Notice of registration from London South East and Central Courts ordering I pay £135. I'm confused as the policeman said I would just have to pay the £80/90 and on the back of the FPN it says "if you choose to pay no further action will be taken in respect of the offence detailed in part 1.." Can anyone advise on why I have received this or what I can do before I phone tomorrow?

Hi, my husband and myself are being pursued by two different companies for two debts (one of my husband's, one of mine). However my debt is now being dealt with by the company direct and they have closed the case with the collection agency and my husband's debt has been passed to another debt collection company to deal with. However the two companies concerned are still writing to us trying to get payment. What are our rights?

Hello, I have a general question about debt collection standards by electricity providers... The OFT provides guidance on debt collection which seems to only relate to debts collected under the Consumer Credit Act. Debts arising from the supply of electricity seem to be exempt from the act. So my question is, does anyone know whether there are any other acts of law or authoritative guidance regarding debt collection standards for electricity accounts? Kindest Regards FFP

Hi Guys, My accountant has always filed my self assessments for me and I have been getting letters from HMRC for quite a while saying I owe them money. My accountant has written to them on many occasions to say there is no debt. They have also added penalties to the debt I don't owe. As a goodwill gesture I have been paying £10/week to the HMRC until this was cleared up............. Now they have assigned my non debt to Commercial Credit Services in Bromsgrove who have sent a letter stating CCJ etc. I need some advice as this amount apparently dates back to 06/07 and also wonder how they can threaten me when I am actually making a payment to them anyway? Many thanks for any ideas!

I have been dealing with my parents' credit card debts since finding out about their financial difficulties last Summer. I've found lots of useful help on these forums but now need some guidance about what to do next please. I have calculated and set up affordable payments for them and reviewed and increased the payment amounts in April after one company wrote off a debt because of their circumstances. My current issue is with my Dad's Nationwide credit card account. (He is 76 and has heart failure and diabetes) Yesterday he received a letter dated 06/08/2013 on KPR Debt Recovery headed paper.(hopefully attached with a copy of my last letter to Nationwide). It refers to "previous correspondence" and a Default Notice (which has never been received). It is the first letter on KPR paper that he has ever received and he has been making the accepted regular payments without fail. I have already explained his health position and the need to avoid stress and anxiety etc. numerous times and they have a signed authority to deal with me but they continue to threaten legal action. Please could someone have a look at my attachments and advise me how to respond to this latest letter? Thanks for any assistance

Need advise please on what I can do next with the issue I have with an insurance company, BDML which seems to have been taken over by Capita. Quick run through: I had house insurance with BDML in 2010/2011, for a year. When renewal came about I cancelled this policy as I was moving. Heard nothing from them, no sorry you are leaving or any acknowledgment for anything else. Didnt think anything of it until I noticed in the May/June when I was sorting out my 6 monthly accounts that money had been taken from my bank account from BDML. Immediately I contacted my bank and requested that they cancel this payment, I enquired why this had happened as this policy had been cancelled. They did check and said that no DD was renewed for this company and advised to contact them to have the money put back in my account. Unfortunately at this time I became quite ill and had a short stay in hospital. Then sadly lost my mother later that year, which I hope people can understand, all thoughts about BDML were furthest from my mind. However in the December of 2012 I received a debt letter with regards to a cancellation fee and admin cost's for cancelling the DD for this insurance. as BDML was not mentioned I had no idea what they were referring to. I contacted them, to be honest I cannot recollect what was said, but Capita who have now taken over stated that I said BDML had canceled. If I did say this then I must have been quite confused at what this was about. Again I hadnt long come out of hospital. Any way I had heard nothing from them until two weeks ago asking me again to pay xx amount that I owed. Didnt say what it was for etc so this time I emailed them requesting the policy and other information. They came back with a copy of a renewal letter from BDML !!??!! Certainly not what I requested. It states on the renewal letter that If I had not contacted them in an allotted time scale, they would automatically renew my policy. This is where the penny drops and I now know why this company had been taking out money from my account after I had contacted them to cancel. I distinctively remember cancelling the policy when my year was up because they tried to persuade me to carry on with the policy for the new property and were quite forceful about it and I got a bit cross with them. So basically they didnt cancel the policy as requested. The email goes on and states that as a good will gesture they will take off the admin charges and all I have to pay is £42 for the cancellation fee, which is the rest of the years payments. They took 5 months of £8.80 which they shouldnt of had. I have emailed back to Capita explaining the above, however does any one know where I stand in all this? Should I pursue BDML for the unauthorised DD they took or have I to pay the 40 odd pounds cancellation fee. I really dont know where I stand in this situation. I just dont want to pay out more money for a service I didnt get even after cancelling. Thanks in advance guys

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Hi, my ex wife moved out of the marital home over a year ago and I am still getting debt collector letters for her - I only know this cos I googled the address on the back on the envelope and its po box 8743 Bellshills ML4 3WU - Since buying her out of the house I have no contact with her or contact information. I have written this on a note and put it in an envelope with the original unopened letter from them and have said if they send any more correspondence for her it will be destroyed. I just want to know if they will take notice of this as I dont need bailiffs knocking on the door or anything else as I have a new young family and don't want them to be upset and scared but also I dont need the reminder of my ex wife and her debts! She is no longer on the electoral role at this address and hasn't been since she moved so is that sufficient proof for them? I really dont want to be stressing about this, can anyone tell me if this can go further even though she's not been here a year? thanks

hello, I am expecting debt collectors/ court to issue - warrants, arrestment etc. I was wondering that what happens if one has savings which go to Credit Union unlike banks. Also, lets say a member opts for shares in Credit Union what happens in the above situations. Thanks

hi all, got a bit of a dilemma. I put my marine fish tank on ebay and had a fair bit of interest. I accepted an offer on it outside of ebay and agreed to end the listing on ebay if he paid a deposit to hold it and arrange collection. I did receive a £50 deposit via paypal £150 to be paid cash on collection. This guy arranged to come and collect last tuesday, he then didnt turn up and said hes been busy can he come friday so i said yes, friday he messaged and said hes going away for 4 days with family can he come tues or weds, so again i said ok but did warn him that i am going on holiday friday and if its not gone by then i will have to rehome the fish as i have no-one to take care of them while im away. I messaged him this morning saying you havnt given me a day/time yet when you will collect the tank and will need to leave work to meet you so need to know asap and again stressed im on holiday on friday. i have not heard back yet. where do i stand in terms of his deposit. im worried that friday will come and i will have to rehome the fish to the local fish shop and he will then kick off about it but i have warned him and did tell him it would need to be collected by friday. i feel like ive been messed about loads and had other interest and that really i should be able to keep the £50 he paid and re-advertise the tank. All the time im still paying for more salt water and food for the fish so im not happy. Any advice? Thanks

Today i have received a letter from Red Debt Collection Services They are requesting a debt to be paid on behalf of there client "Lowell" However i know the debt belongs to JD Williams "Originally" The letter goes on to say, "You debt remains unpaid" they are now wanting to take further action on this account. They go on to say what happens next and they state they have a copy of my credit file and are in process of obtaining my employment details (no chance as i'm unemployed) They then go on to say that you can avoid this by setting up a payment of 0.50p a day, £15 quid a month by completing a direct debit at lowells website. What advice can you give me so i can tackle this debt? Few things i know : The debt does have some charges (not sure how many) The debt is over 2 years old I'm trying to clear eveything now and would like some advice on what i can do to tackle this debt? Should i respond to this letter? what should i respond with? Appreciate the help!

After reading all of the advice on here about Excel parking fines, I decided to ignore it. I then had a letter from them upping the fine, again I ignored it. I have now had a letter from a debt collection agency asking for £160. Should I continue to ignore this? Will it affect my credit score? as I am applying for a mortgage soon. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks

Hi everyone, Long story. I sold a mobile phone 4 months ago on ebay, i sent it recorded post as i know how easy it is for paypal to take money from you. I checked it was delivered fine as i was leaving to live overseas for a few months, and it was delivered fine. I came back today from overseas, to a debt collection letter from the company Iqor, stating i owe £137 to paypal and they will take me to court. I have logged into my paypal account and see the buyer of the phone opened a claim as he didn't receive the phone, when i actually have proof it was delivered. As i was overseas i didn't check my emails or paypal account as i didn't expect this to happen. i have called paypal, and they said, as the case has been closed theres not alot they can do, i can appeal the case, but theres not much chance i will win. i have done that, ive given the tracking number, and photos for proof of postage and am awaiting their reply. im guessing they wont be able to do anything. i need help, what can i do? Im not letting the debt collection agency take my money, as i am an honest person and have done nothing wrong, but i can't see another way out? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

I am being harassed by a DCA, Atdvantis, for an HMRC self-assessed penalty charge of £1200. It relates to failure to file SA two years ago - I have attempted several times to demonstrate to the HMRC that I wasn't liable as I owed no tax and therefore did not need to complete one, but they have ignored me. At this stage, they are just demanding repayment in full and offer no terms, it hasn't yet reached the county court stage. Couple of basic questions - just wondering if people here know the answers. * Is Advantis able to use any powers beyond the normal county court processes, because this is an HMRC debt? * Are they able to add charges or interest? * Is this debt collectible in County Court if I did not owe tax and I told HMRC that I did not owe tax? * If they obtain a CCJ, are they given any wider powers to collect other than the usual routes, so can I make a regular payment offer to the court? I am now unemployed so can afford very little. Many thanks for any advice!

Hi, I am a new user and don't understand forums that well but I could do with some advice. I have read similar arcticles of my concern on this site but they seem to cover Statute Barred at 6yrs. My issue is:- After 13 years I have been approached by a DCA about a debt and a CCJ that I was never aware of. I would be grateful of any advice on how to deal with thefollowing situation. Sorry if it’s long winded, wanted to get all the facts down. I received a letter from a DCA asking me to contact them, as far as I’m aware I have no debts I contacted them and they asked if I had lived at certain address which I confirmed I had, they then advised that I had a debt dating back to 1994 for £4,500. that they were chasing and required immediate payment of. I said that I had no debts and asked for evidence; they said I would have to send them a cheque for £1.00 for this information. I have never received any information or correspondence regarding this so called debt. I wasn’t happy with what they had said and looked on-line and found out about statue barred, I wrote to the company using the standard templates that are available on-line saying that I did not acknowledge the debt and as the debt was 19 yearsold it would be statute barred. They have now written back stating that a CCJ was securedagainst the debt in 2000 at the Northampton county court bulk centre and was subsequently transferred to a local court. They have not sent a copy of the CCJ from Northampton but they have sent copies of correspondence from the local court and the student loan company with the court advising of hearing dates, notice of non-service, progress report on attachment of earnings application and a final notice of non-service advising that the court was unable to serve the N61 order as the defendant is no longer at the address and there is no forwarding address. All of this must have been sent to an address I had long since left I wasn’t aware of any of this. However, I’ve always been on the electoralregister and all the normal registers that exist, it’s not as if I’ve been trying to avoid anyone. I’m more than concerned that 13 years after a CCJ that I’ve never been aware of, was awarded without my knowledge that this DCAis now saying I have to repay in full. I’m not clear if the original enforcement still stands or what to go back to the DCA and say. Any advice on my options or what to do now would be appreciated. I have never acknowledged the debt to them although their latest letter implies that I have and is now referring to two accounts!

Hello CAG, I come again in search of your help. I got a letter today in the post from Red Debt Collection Services on behalf of Blackhorse saying that i need to pay the amount owed in full or to arrange a payment plan with them. The last time that i paid any moneys to this account was in 2006/2007 not sure, but not after that and it was directly still to Blackhorse. I believe to be 2006 thinking... What's you advice? Thank you.

Hi, I have been in dispute with my rogue property management company for over two years. In a nutshell my chimney leaked significant rain water just before I was planning on installing a much needed electric fire in it (cold flat). I have had to endure two winters since with no fire so I have stopped payments until the works have been carried out. I have made it clear that I am more than happy to resume payments once it has been completed but I have had no meaningful response, just lies about builder trying to call me but when I asked for his number all emails stopped. To my horror today I got a letter from the "Property Debt Collection Ltd" for the collection of arrears of £3582.56 with an added cost of £192, the management company are called Redcourt Limited. Is there anything I can do, I am about to let the property to a tenant in a few weeks and relocate and I am extremely distressed by this letter! Regards

Hi, Would somebody be willing to look at the letter below and tell me if what they're saying is true or not? [ATTACH=CONFIG]44506[/ATTACH] My notes on what they've enclosed: Appendix 1: Current Terms and Conditions Just a printout of terms and conditions. No information to suggest this applies to me. No APR. Appendix 2: Notice of Variation to Terms A printout of updated terms and conditions. Has tables detailing APRs, etc, but these are all listed as (on your agreement) - no actual numbers are given. No information to suggest this applies to me. Appendix 3: Copy of Historic Terms and Conditions Yet another printout. No information to suggest this applies to me. No APR. Appendix 4: Credit Card Agreement Form Has HSBC's address. MCS or HSBC have hand-written my previous address and DOB into this agreement. I was at a different address when I opened this credit card account in 2005/2006. APR is blank. Has a signature box which is left blank. Appendix 5: Two recent statements Shows correct personal details and correct APR.

Bose Ltd have passed my£59.99 overdue account to Icon collections for collection. Icon collections have added a £24 charge to the account which I refuse to pay. Icon told me at first it's a collection charge and it must be paid. I have asked for a breakdown of how they arrive at the £24 and provided me with evidence or liability to the collection charge. Icon have got back to me today with the following ...."They are pre litigation costs, therefore they are payable. Your file will now be passed over to our solicitors to issue proceedings" 1. Are they allowed to add a £24.00 fee for pre-litigation?

Lombard Direct obtained a decree on a loan and were awarded 8% interest on the loan and £400 court costs in 2008. Anderson Strathern began collection of the debt, Lombard sent correspondence asking me to make payments to Arden Credit Management and not to deal with Anderson Strathern at all. I followed this instruction and then received email, letters threatening further action and then sheriff officers at my door re the collection, after phoning Lombard and being told they weren't discussing my case (i have the date, & time i spoke to them) and being totally freaked out that the sheriff officers were talking to my neighbours and Lombard's attitude i started paying Anderson again as it was the only way to get them off my back as apparently Lombard had given them instructions to do what they decided to debtors and made a complaint to them about the sheriff officers. They contacted Lombard and asked if this was true!! Sorry long story but i have now discovered it isn't £400 court costs but it has grown into 2.5k of legal debt, they will not give me a breakdown telling em i have to get that from Lombard as i am not their client and Lombard refer me to the debt management company IDEM who obviously have no idea of what i am asking for. What can i do and are Lombard allowed to charge me for what appears to be a contract between them and Anderson Stratheron and i am the piggie in the middle with ever accruing legal fees. I checked the court documents and it makes no mention of legal fees apart from the court costs of £400 Maria

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me. I have a credit card which I have defaulted on with Vanquis Bank who have passed the debt on to their collection agency Impact Collection Services. they are bombarding me with calls every day and it is doing my head in. I wrote them a letter asking them to only contact me by letter but they continue to call me saying they did not receive the letter. They will not give me an e-mail address when I ask them on the phone. Has anyone dealt with this company in the past and have an e-mail address for them so that I can send them an e-mail regarding the calls Would be Appreciated

I am being harassed by a company by the name of Final Demand based in Liverpool. The circumstances bare as follows I April 2008 I signed as guarantor for my Daughter on a rented property. This was on a 12 month tenancy agreement. During 2011 my Daughter entered into a dispute with her landlord due to disrepair of the property. She moved out of the property in January 2012 with 6 months rent arrears. Yesterday I received 2 letters in the post, one dated 1/5/2013 and the other dated 8/5/2013 demanding that I pay the outstanding arrears and added costs within 7 days or I would receive a visit from bailiffs who would remove property from my house. My Daughter rented her property from a company called Lex Developments but Final Demands client is a company called S&B Brickwork, they trade from the same address. I have reported Final Demand to the OFT and the Financial Ombudsman but I am really concerned that this company can target me in this way without first investigating the circumstances. I am currently off work suffering with stress and this has added to my symptoms and set me back. What can I do, any help is very much appreciated.