In May 2015, I filed a Consumer Credit Act ("CCA") claim with my then bank ("CCC") for faulty goods that I had purchased for which they were jointly and severally liable. They ignored that claim but after I obtained a successful Ombudsman's decision they finally agreed to process it. In June 2017, while the CCA claim remained in progress, the bank sold the outstanding credit card balance (of exactly the sum of the faulty goods) to a Debt Collection Agency ("DCA"). The DCA immediately filed a default on my credit file against my old address for the alleged debt. In September 2017, I moved home. I also served a letter before action on the bank in respect of the still unresolved CCA claim. That letter stated my new home address, as would be stated in all subsequent litigation. The bank ignored the letter before action and a county court claim was duly filed. Meanwhile, the bank would appear to have passed my new address to the DCA, who in turn have now removed the purported June 2017 default and replaced it with a September 2017 default. As you might imagine, a default which is now less than 6 months old is causing me serious financial prejudice. Is it lawful for a DCA to register a default for one month before then removing it and replacing it with a more recent purported default for a new address? Surely a "default" can only happen once? Is it possible to enforce the reinstatement of the original June default until the litigation is determined?

I hadn't actually thought such might be possible until seeing bankfodder's thread: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?444374-ScottishPower-%96-do-you-want-to-sue-ScottishPower-in-England-%96-Contact-details but am now interested in doing just that. Cut a lonng story short: I am sick, weary and tired of having to do Scottish Power's work for it in terms of (a) accurate billing and (b) best practice customer service, neither of which seem to me to be concepts that this company even faintly understands. Six months ago it issued me with a final bill on my departure to Sainsburys Energy. (Had I realised at the time that Sainsbury's Energy is just a trading name of British Gas, I'd never have gone to it -- but that's another story.) British Gas / Sainsbury's Energy made a complete shambles of this routine switch and not only "lost" the gas meter reading I provided to it but then went on to give Scottish Power a meter reading entirely of its own invention. Scottish Power, therefore, sent me a Final Bill which bore no relation to my usage. As this wasn't SP's fault, I immediately telephoned -- BAD mistake, but at that stage it had my sympathies -- and spoke to an SP rep who brought my account details up on screen and within mere seconds said they had a logarithm (or 'formula'? Can't remember which: both words may've been used) that they ran to check a disputed bill. It was obvious from that, or so I was assured, that the meter reading they'd received from BGSE was wrong. I now provided the meter reading given to BGSE some six weeks earlier and was told the following: 'We will take this up with your new supplier as it's clear that a mistake has been made. Until we have sorted out the facts of the matter, the bill we have issued to you is suspended. This means you do not have to pay anything and you do not have to do anything until we contact you again with a revised bill.' (Note: rightly or wrongly, I don't trust any UK utility company to look after me or my money. Shortly before the switch to my new supplier occurred, I therefore cancelled my monthly Direct Debit payment to Scottish Power on the basis that I'd rather pay it what I owed than have it taking my money and, in the event of a billing dispute, being obstructive about paying any of it back.) Meantime, my supply continued from BGSE. I also received an apology from it for the mess it had made of my switch. As I'd been told not to do anything until hearing back from SP, I left it at that. It wasn't until August that SP got in touch again. I received by surface mail and by email a letter headed FINAL DEMAND requiring that I immediately pay an amount owing from March. The amount was higher than the original, "suspended" bill. No accompanying documentation was provided by way of explanation of how this FINAL DEMAND had been calculated. No explanation was offered as to how I was in receipt of a 'demand' that was 'final' when no other 'demands' had ever preceded it. Thus began a protracted to-ing and fro-ing of email correspondence which achieved nothing other than the waste of many hours of my time. SP's emails were, to my mind, a disgrace, each one beginning with a scripted 'apology' as cosmetic as it was meaningless, and concluding with an invitation for me to go online if I still had a problem because SP was sure I could find "answers" there. I repeatedly provided SP with all the information it needed to act reasonably and responsibly and, at one stage, even seemed to be making progress: one reply I received said that in light of the information I had (repeatedly) provided, the matter was being passed to SP's billing department to investigate with a view to issuing a revised bill if such was appropriate. But I never heard any more about that. Instead, another threatening email arrived -- the usual stuff, about jeopardising my credit record, this despite the fact that I had (repeatedly) said that I was furious about being treated in such intimidatory fashion. This last email was now either a downright lie or an act of blazing incompetence but whichever, it was clearly calculated to make me pay up whether I owed SP the amount stated or not: for the first time, the word "agreed" was incorporated into the text, as in "I can confirm that I have looked into your bill based on the agreed meter readings". Obviously, if the darn things had ever at any time been agreed, then there'd have been no need for me to expend so much effort, disputing the position. It seemed to me I had exhausted whatever level of collective ability -- if any -- might exist in SP Customer Service and so I asked for the matter to be elevated to a managerial level. I also made that request in writing, wasting yet more time reprising the facts. It wasn't merely that I was furious about being patronised / dismissed / misled / and (to my mind) lied to by this company, rather that I had provided SP with inarguable proof of its mis-billing and yet it was giving every appearance of seeking to wilfully ignore that and harass, and threaten, until it had, in so many words, extorted from me monies to which it had no right to claim. If that was how Scottish Power thought it could treat me, then God only knew what it thought it could get away with where a customer, for whatever reason, was less able to challenge its steamroller tactics. SP has sent me no further emails. Instead, I have received an unsigned letter from Pastdue Credit Solutions in which it is claimed that I owe its client a sum of money that is now even higher than the earlier amount owing that was in itself higher than the original bill which an SP representative assured me was "obviously wrong". I have written back to PastDue saying I don't recognise the amount it is saying I must pay immediately and as no supporting documentation was supplied in respect of that claim, would PastDue now kindly correct that omission within the next 7 days. Where we go from here, I'm not sure. A sum in excess of £200 is in dispute. The documented grounds for my challenging SP would instantly demolish its claim in any civil court. I don't, therefore, know if SP would even dare risk going to court -- but am worried (and no consumer should ever have to be "worried" by behaviour as repellent as this) that it might try to sidestep that process and mess up my credit history instead. More than that though: as I said at the start of this post, I am sick, weary and tired of being compelled -- because it is just that: compulsion -- to do Scottish Power's work for it. I have had to repeatedly demonstrate to Customer Service staff how they should be dealing with a genuinely distressed customer; I have had to repeatedly demonstrate how to even calculate a bill. All the hours invested in such labour have been wasted. But why should I be the one who is penalised for the indifference, the incompetence, and the sheer intimidation that is so evident here? I've no idea of what, let's say, a CS manager gets at Scottish Power but if it's £25k a year then I can't see why I shouldn't be on that same hourly-equivalent rate seeing as I've been required to do that same job . So-oo . .. Back to Bankfodder's original thread. I would really, really like to sue this company for compensation in regard to my time wasted / distress caused etc etc, using as a yardstick of claim the equivalent cost of 15 hours' CS Management pay. I haven't done the math because I've only just thought of it but that's by the by. The main question here is: Has any ordinary consumer ever attempted to sue a UK utility company and if so, on what basis / for what amount / and was her / his action successful? I'm guessing that at some point along the line, SP is going to have to roll over and may even offer to make a "goodwill" payment or "goodwill" gesture, coupled with an apology about how a technical hitch occurred or a misunderstanding arose or SP has been dealing with system problems which it has now overcome and really honestly genuinely we're very very sorry, never happen again, blah-blah-blah. But that "goodwill" will be as counterfeit as any and all of its apologies. That "goodwill" will make it appear it has never done anything wrong, and that it is a utility company fit and proper to hold a UK operating licence. Well: I don't want to allow it to skip away into the convenient obfuscation of "goodwill". I want Scottish Power punished. And I want Scottish Power's money in my pocket -- not my money in its.

Hello, this is my first posting – apologies if I ask obvious questions, but I'm new to the world of debt collection! Any help would be hugely appreciated. (Apologies, too, for the long post) I'm being chased for a debt from Three Mobile, which I don't believe I owe. The first I heard about the debt was an e-mail from a debt collecting agency – I had moved abroad, and so Three didn't have my address. (I therefore didn't receive any letter from the mobile phone company requesting the money.) After receiving the e-mail, I replied to the debt collection agency that the debt was in dispute and contacted Three to tell them I didn't accept the debt (it appears to relate to charges made after I cancelled my contract), giving my reasons and asking for an explanation/evidence. I also asked for details of how to make a subject access request. Three replied regarding how to make a subject access request, but did not respond to my request for clarification about the debt. I heard nothing more for almost 2 years, when a letter was sent informing me that if i didn't contact the mobile company to discuss payment of the debt within 20 days it would be passed to a debt collection agency. I replied within a few days, referring to my first letter, again making it clear that I didn't accept the debt, and again asking for explanation as to why they believe I owe this money (I still haven't had any bill relating to the charges) and evidence. The mobile phone company ignored my response and sold the debt to Lowell Group, who are now chasing me for the money. Apparently the mobile phone company has also put a 'default' on my account, which will negatively affect my credit rating. My questions are: - Is it legal to sell on a debt which has been disputed and for which no explanation has been given? And is it legal to put a default marker on an account, when the debt is disputed? - What action is Lowell Group entitled to take against me, and how should I respond? - How can I set about having the 'default' marker removed from my credit rating? Many thanks for your help.

Hi people, Firstly this website has been a godsend, with all the posts and help i have decided to take my head out of the sand and fight. I hate motormile, they are abusive, threating and pray on peoples lack of knowledge.... so i done my research and sent them this as they keep threating to come to my house. This was even after i sent the "Tort of Trespass" and repeated requests to stop harassing me as i take panic attacks Anyway i hope this helps others. Dears Sirs, Further to my email here are the OFT guidelines on Debt collection visits as i feel you may be unaware of them; Debt Collection Visits; 3.11 Those visiting debtors must not act in an unclear or threatening manner. 3.12 Examples of unfair practices are: a. not making the purpose of any proposed visit clear, for example, it is not sufficient to merely state that collectors or field agents will call and not state what they want to achieve by visiting the debtor b. visiting a debtor when it is known they are vulnerable (by reason of age or health or disability), for example, when a doctor's certificate has been provided stating that the debtor is ill c. not leaving the property when it becomes apparent that the debtor is distressed or otherwise vulnerable, for example if it is suspected that the debtor might have insufficient mental capacity to make an informed repayment decision at that time d. entering a property without the debtor's consent or an appropriate court order e. not leaving a property when reasonably asked to do so f. visiting or threatening to visit a debtor without his prior agreement when the debt is deadlocked or disputed g. not giving adequate notice of the time and date of a visit h. visiting debtors, unless requested, at potentially inappropriate locations such as work or hospital. These guidelines further substantiate my claim of harassment and if your current practice of threats continue i will file a complaint on these guidelines. Good Luck http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/21-12

Hello, I was hoping someone could provide some advice. I took out a storecard with River Island/GE Money when I was 18 which was around 9.5 years ago. I also took out an overdraft/credit card and stupidly defaulted on all of them. I started paying them off and was convinced that I had paid in full the storecard years ago. I paid off the rest in full last year. However around 1 year ago I was contacted by a debt collection agency out of the blue in relation to a £270 storecard which hadn't been paid off. I've since changed banks and didn't keep statements etc from around the time as it had been so long (I also often used my mums/grans card to make payments on it) so I don't have full records of payments towards the storecard. I've called the storecard providers several times over the past year requesting payment breakdowns for all payments made to the account however as GE Money no longer exists and is part of Santander they told me they do not have this and I need to speak to DCA dealing with it. What I find is strange is that the storecard had a £250 limit and they are chasing me for £270. I definitely made payments to this storecard so I don't understand the amount etc. If I've made a mistake and there has been an outstanding balance then I'm more than happy to pay but I'm almost 100% it was paid off. I've asked the DCA for statments/payment breakdowns and they all say they will put a hold on acc for a few months till they get them from the creditor however they never materialize and then DCA changes. All I want is a breakdown of payments made/dates so I can see proof that I owe this but noone seems to be able to provide this information. Can anyone help? Also I'm in Scotland and current DCA is Rockwell. Thanks in advance Lori

Hi I have just recieved a phone call from convers money regarding a debt i have with them and the person i spoke to Hussain was very rude, he originally called and spoke to my OH about this issue even though he didnt know it was my OH telling the OH how they will be starting legal procedings against me blah blah blah. Then he phoned back again on private number and when i challenged him asking why he was speaking to someone else about my finances his response was well they answered your phone so i can tell them what i like. and then continued to say i am not getting into an arguement with you and then said we will see you in court and hung up. I also got an email which said the following ·Solicitors being instructed to commence legal action or personal bankruptcy proceedings ·A debt collection agency being instructed to attend your home to collect the debt or assess your assets prior to legal action Can they get me bankrupt??? I have sent them an email requesting them that they only contact me via letter which i will send by letter too. i tried calling the two numbers i have for them but both are constantly engaged. Are these people regulated by anyone as i could not see any license numbers for fsa etc on there website. Anyone know anything on Convers money or any advice would be really appreciated Thanks

Hi, I hope someone can really help me. I have received a letter from Rockwell Debt Collection Agency on behalf of Arrow Global Ltd saying that I owe in the region of nearly £14K. I have absolutely no idea what this debt is for or indeed who Arrow Global are. Any ideas on what I should do? Regards Steve

Hi there We recently completed a Voluntary Repossession on our old house. We have not been living there for 4 years and were renting it out, which was not covering the mortgage cost anyways, we were adding more ourselves on top of it so we did not default. The tenant stopped paying so we evicted him and gave the house to the bank. Within 2 months they had sold it for way under the value rate, obviously selling it at auction for as fast as they can, rather than as much as they can. First of all, is there any way I can dispute the amount they sold it for? As it has left me with a deficit of £35k to pay. Secondly Mick and myself have been calling HSBC to arrange paying this off a certain amount each month. We have both been calling since receiving the first letter. Each time we call they say they cannot do anything about setting up a payment plan at this stage. On the 21st we received another letter stating as we had not contacted them with regards to making any payments they demand the whole balance at once. Again we both tried calling them. On the 21st Mick was advised the debt had been passed to a collection agency. I called Jan 11th, spoke to a lady called Anet who agreed to call me back the following Monday to arrange the plan. She did not call back till Tuesday at which point she told me the debt had been passed to Metropolitan debt collection (again?) that day so she could not do anything. She did not call on Monday as she had a training course she did not know about. Well that’s not my fault as far as I’m concerned. She made an appointment to call me to arrange this but did not keep it deciding instead to call me the next day, which by that point was to late. I should not be forced to deal with a collection agency because Anet did not want to call me on Monday. She could have arranged for a colleague to do it, or just kept to the appointment! Not to mention all the other times we called and kept getting fobbed off. I have no idea where I stand with this, and even if I dispute the handling of this, I have a horrible feeling I will be continually hounded by Metro. Any help would be appreciated, Thanks.

After I lost my job, all of my bills and debts went unpaid, I was evicted from my home in October 2011. I have since started work as a temp with an agency (self employed) and have a fairly erratic income which is less than half my previous salary and I am just living week to week. I do not have a fixed address of my own anymore so am staying in the cheapest places (or free when available, ie friends) but of course in order to maintain a bank account and my driving licence I need a postal address, a friend allows me to use his address where I pick up any mail and check my emails and stuff. He received a personal visit from someone from HCE Group who was attending to remove my goods, when he was told that I don't live there he demanded to see some ID from my friend to ensure he wasn't me. He left a letter for me stating that they will return to remove my goods with or without my presence, but of course I have no goods there, in fact, prior to being evicted, I sold most of what I owned just to get by, the kind of things I do have are an Android mobile phone and laptop, both of which I need for work, and of course my clothes. What can I do about this problem? Can they really enter his address and take items? The debt they are chasing was originally for £3200, they are now demanding £9703.49. They are by no means the only outstanding debt, but I feel that I have no way to make any kind of offer to make payment, especially for an ever increasing amount. What would happen if I said to them that I could make a payment of £10 per week (for example), then another debt agency turns up and makes demands, or work becomes infrequent and my income drops below even being able to cope with my current bills as it has done numerous times this year as work gets light? As I am self employed (sole trader) as an agency worker, I have a separate bank account (Business) for the money I have to set aside for the HMRC at the end of the year, can they demand that money in some form of part payment towards the debt? Can a court demand that money? If so what legal implications would that have on me with regards to the HMRC? Many thanks in advance for any advice you can give, Colin.

I would imagine if your anything like me, I end up frustrated because the system isn't geared to listen to the small man. We find ourselves in a spot of bother and need some time to get clear, and all you get is hassle by mail...by phone...even people knocking on your door. Well their is one way to vent you frustrations, and believe it or not, Google is your helping hand. It's called Google places. Search for a company using Google, in my case it was Credit Solutions Limited in Purley, Surrey, then on the left hand side of the search results page where it offers you different ways to search (images, maps, videos etc) click on maps and find the company on the maps search, if you have a FREE Google, you can leave a review on the companies Google places page. and if enough people leave appropriate reviews the company will notice, especially if they are detrimental. Unlike Qype, Yelp and other review directories that will remove a poor rating form the listing, Google don't, unless its in-appropriate, so 3 rules, Get a FREE Google Account Leave a review on the company you are in disagreement with Don't make it innapropriate. So there it is, a place to vent against the company you are having trouble with. Good luck

Hello! Last summer I paid off the final amount on a Barclays Partner Finance agreement, for a camera I bought about 10 years ago from Jacobs (I was paying off a small amount a month after an initial large payment and closed the account by paying the last £90), I just called up Barclays and the lady was really nice and I paid off the account then got a letter stating the account was closed and had a balance of zero - phew! A month or less later I started getting letters addressed to me at my parents house in Northern Ireland (I used it often as I was in a different rental house very year in London and travelled quite a bit). They were from Apex credit saying I owed over £3K on a Barclays Partner Finance account. So I called Apex and they couldn't tell me any details of the account (and were very rude), so I called Barclays Partner finance but they wouldn't give me any details because I couldn't give the right postcode (I have lived t about 20 addresses over the years). So I came on here and after another threatening letter from Apex- saying that I hadn't contacted them when I had been on the phone twice - I sent a letter to Apex, requesting account information for the money they were chasing. I got yet another exact same letter from them saying that they are pursuing me and unable to contact me (even though I had sent a letter - and changed my address to my new house), so I called them just before Xmas. I asked again for information for the account, saying it seems very weird to get a request to pay a similar amount from the same lender and for, it turns out - Jacobs cameras... but for a different account number. They said they were unable to provide the details, they have since said that I need to send them copies of my bank accounts with relevant details blanked out, but evidence of me paying the account and a final statement from Barclays - which I did - along with a lett of complaint. That was December, I heard nothing until yesterday when I got a letter saying that they were handling my complaint and would get back to me as soon as it was resolved BUT it still had the £3K outstanding at the top of the letter. Then today I got a text message asking me to call them straightaway - should I call them? I am currently working part-time and part-time post-grad studying. When I applied for a loan to help me pay the fees last year I got refused even though experian had me down as a 99% all round good egg borrower... (I requested it after getting refused as the only debt i THOUGHT i had was my £2K overdraft.) I am currently living in my now £2.6K overdraft from Halifax and only get paid £900 a month, so can't see a way out of it or any way to even pay them a little bit. It has kept me awake at night and I feel a bit sick when I think about it. I haven't the means to pay a debt of that size. There's only one possible thing I think it could be, I got a replacement camera in about 2005 but I thought it was added to the Jacobs account I already had, and thought I was paying off ever since. It seems weird tht there is only a problem now.... what should I do next? thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me out with a problem I'm having with Scottish Power. I moved into my new flat at the start of September, having previously lodged so hadn’t had an electricity provider for several years. The electricity provider at the flat was Scottish Power but I wanted to go to LoCO2 so never got in touch with Scottish Power. I sent all my details, including a reading from the day I moved in, to LoCO2 in the assumption that it would just be back dated. In hindsight that was not the correct thing to do, but I really didn’t know. Anyway, about two weeks ago a debt collection agency got in touch demanding payment of £45 on behalf of Scottish Power. I was quite bewildered as I had never even received a bill or reminders from Scottish Power. I got in touch with LoCO2 who told me that indeed I should have let Scottish Power know but they provided me with the switch over ‘readings’ so that at least I knew approximately what the bill was about. I then phoned Scottish Power, explained the situation and was told that I had been sent two bills, and according to the man I spoke to, that I had paid one of them (in cash, possibly at the post office according to him)! I suspected that these bills had been addressed to the previous tenant and so would have been forwarded to him. After I strongly protested that I had never even received a bill, let alone paid one, he suggested he send copies of the two bills, so that I could check whether they had been addressed to the previous tenant. This was two weeks ago and I still haven’t received any mail from Scottish Power at my address. However, I am being called by the debt collection agency who not only wants me to pay a bill I have never even seen but also pay a 15% administration fee. Although I explained the situation, they of course just want me to pay and are threatening me with legal action and to ruin my credit rating. It’s not that I object to paying Scottish Power for the month between moving in and starting with my new provider but I do want to see a bill before I pay and I certainly object to paying a debt collector as I don’t feel it is my fault that I haven’t paid. Can anybody help me out as I really don’t know what to do with this? Thanks.

Hi guys. Does anyone know anything/have any experiences with NDR which is a branch of the Orange company. They seem to be being very nasty with my family. Any advice on how to stop them with this attitude?

Hi, Just a quick one wondering does anyone know if this is lawful- I requested an invoice that the claimant mentioned in his POS as the invoice amount seemed like a higher figure than I was aware of - he has sent the invoice after I requested it using the very helpful request template on this website CPR 31.14 however he has added $400 for 'debt collection' onto the invoic hence the higher figuree- can he do this? it just sounds totally trumped up

Hi all, I really need your help. I posted up a few days ago a letter i received from my previous employer, claiming i owed them money from an overpayment of £325.01 despite them owing me at least 40 hours overtime during my employment there. Today i received a letter from Newman Debt Collection Agents stating the following:- I have already sent a letter to them the other day recorded delivery and obtained a signature of NEWMANS and all they have done is ignore me and now they are going to leave me with a huge debt from court to which i refuse to acknowledge. How can companies get away with this? All i wanted was a job, and now my personal records are going to be tarnished for being unwilling to pay money that i know for a fact i dont owe if only my previous employer would tell the truth! What can i do? I dont have time to ring them and letters can take more than 3 days to arrive, especially when i have no money!

I had a number of debts originating in the late 90's which resulted in me being credit blacklisted and spending a few years (mostly 2000-2003) being chased by bailiff's at various addresses. I part-paid these debts over a number of years with the last payment to any agency being made (at a rough guess) somewhere between 5 and 7 years ago (but most likely more than 6 years ago). I am not 100% sure what I still owe in total but was under the impression it must have been written off as have had no contact with any debt collector for approx 6 years and my credit rating has restored itself and is now good again. Rather annoyingly only about a month ago I shredded all my financial documents relating to that time period (basically anything that was over 5 years old) so have no evidence of anything from that time. Recently my parents received a call from Link Financial agency looking for a contact for me which was then followed up by a badly written letter to them which they have not acknowledged. They did not give out my phone number or address but I have now received a speculative letter from "Link Financial Outsourcing Ltd" to my correct address which states that my address has been highlighted to them "as a potential new address for our customer with whom you share the same name" I need help with the following questions:- 1) As this letter is worded in a speculative manner I presume it is best not to acknowledge it in any way? I do not know if they are simply "fishing" or have actual evidence that I am the person they think I am. It is possible that they have traced me through a friend/ colleague or online but I suspect they've just gone through the electoral roll as my credit reference report where I currently live shows no evidence of anything bad from the past. 2) Assuming their letters get worse and/ or more threatening what can I do? I believe this particular debt is my student loan from the 1990's. As I said already I believe that the last time I had any contact from anyone in relation to this was 6 or 7 years ago and in the 3 or 4 years prior to that it did the rounds with me receiving letters from about 7 or 8 different agencies. Is this covered by statute of limitations assuming 6 years have passed since I last made a payment? if I'm misremembering the date of this then at the very least it's been 5.5 years since any last contact. 3) How can all of this affect my current credit rating? As they now have my correct address (albeit that they dont know it's the correct one) can the fact they're chasing me again affect my current rating? Sorry for all the questions!

Hi, I would like to reclaim PPI and payment penalties on debts I am still paying off from 1999. The debts were transferred to collection agencies. My question is how do I go about reclaiming my PPI? Do I write to the original lender or the debt collection agencies? Is it possible some of these debts are unenforcible and if so how would I go about doing all 3 ie PPI, unfair charges and unenforceable agreements? Sorry for all the questions but new to this and really confused! Thanks

Hi Forum Members, I have been getting letters from Lowells demanding payment of outstanding credit card debt for over a year now...Every time I write to these jokers they ignore the content of my letters and persist. They know without a doubt that I have two permanent medical conditions, and that my benefits income is 'inalienable', and they have received a voluntary statement of income/expenditure that proves I cannot repay anything ( this was "kept on file" and duly ignored !). Their response was to demand monthly payments in excess of my total benefits income. Now they threaten with home visits (not allowable without my permission), and also state they will obtain a credit reference report and use court action. Are they legally entitled to obtain credit reference files ?? What can they use those for ?? What else can I do about these jokers ?? At present I am preparing a complaint to the OFT, since they are the ones who licence these companies. I shall complain on the grounds of harassment, and not following OFT guidelines. Any other defensive action I can take ?? They really are getting too much now... Any advice welcome... Thanks. 8-)

Hey guys, First of all, I'd like to thank all the people here who do a bang-up job of helping others with their issues. Unfortunately, it's now my turn to ask for help because while I think I understand the basics, I need some support with this issue. I've recently gotten a letter out of the blue from Triton Credit Services demanding that I pay them £450 immediately. They have not yet threatened court action, but they're robocalling me 3-4 times a day often at obscene hours (such as 7am all the way up to 8pm). This debt was originally a Natwest Student Credit Card. Like I said, this was literally out of the blue, no warning from Natwest at all. Most of this (especially given the credit limit was £350) seems to be Natwest's lovely £12 charges every time you annoy them. The life of a student, eh? Anyway, I'm going to proceed with this on the basis it isn't enforceable to start off with. Am I right in thinking there are 3 things I need to do? 1) Send a CCA request with a £1 postal order to Triton 2) Send a cease-and-desist letter telling them to stop calling me and to use letters instead 3) Send a SAR with £10 (does this need to be a postal order too?) to Natwest. Any help here would be much appreciated - rest assured that if this works in my favour, a donation will be made when I am able!