Hi there, Not sure who to contact on this matter. I am planning to have an eye procedure that will improve the vision almost perfectly in my left eye, but still some need for glasses when reading because of my right eye. I have worn glasses or corrective lenses for almost 20 years as a driver. Do I need to get my information changed in the licence system once my left eye is healed? Or would I still be under the category for wearing lenses because I will need glasses to read? I found a medical issues number here but was not sure if it is correct. thanks, RM

I had to reregister. I was pj2, but CAG no longer has a password renewal option (or it doesn't work, as the page doesn't exist), so there was no way I could get back into the forum. After years of paying an old debt slowly, Robinson Way sent me a letter: "our client is today offering you a 50% reduction of the balance you owe in settlement of your account. Paying XXX will clear your account and you save XXX and become free of this debt. Please note that where this account is recorded on your credit file and you pay by reduced settlement, this will be updated as partially settled with a zero balance outstanding, and not as settled or satisfied however our client will not pursue you for any remaining balance. We may even be able to accept this over 3 monthly instalments... when you contact us, one of our customer contact representatives will discuss your current financial circumstances with you to ensure that any reduced settlement arrangement you commit to remains affordable". I would be very grateful for advice: how can I make sure I can't be pursued by anyone for the balance and that the balance cannot be sold on to a DCA. Shall I write and say I would like reassurance on this point specifically? Also, how do I avoid full disclosure of financial circumstances? Maybe email is better than phoning them but I don't see after years of paying that they have the right to trawl through my circumstances.. Could I just say, "I could raise" the money to pay it (without stating whether I already have it) and don't wish to discuss further, but agree to their offer? Thanks for any help.

Hi, I brought 2 sofas from Furniture Village on 20th December 2015 for the total price of £1000, they were on offer after being ordered by another customer and rejected on delivery due to a colour difference. We paid by debit card on the day but didn’t take delivery until the 5th January 2016, at the time we had a complete house refurbishment so stored them until early March 2016, 5 years’ warranty was standard then, now 10 years. In July 2016, we noticed the stitching coming apart on 2 seat cushions and on the sofas fame (one sofa), we called Furniture Village and asked the procedure for repair’s. We were informed that even though they still stocked the model type, they no longer dealt with the manufacturer therefore couldn’t offer a repair or replacement, they did however offer a credit note to the value of the purchase price, they also offered a refund to the purchase price. I advised Furniture Village that we had the sofas coated for stain protection (cost approx. £200) and my wife had brought some ridiculously expensive cushions / accessories to match the sofas (£180) I had receipts for everything, therefore taking a refund would leave me out of pocket nearly £400. I was asked to email my thoughts and what options I would like to take over the next few days. I asked on the phone and in a following email if they had experienced any problems (advised, no problems), I requested a replacement, if that was not able to be done I requested a goodwill refund of £600 to allow me to get the 2 cushions repaired, I also noted that if the £600 was refunded I would take responsibility for future repairs to that sofa, I included pictures of the cushions. A few days later I received a call from their customer complaints manager who advised that she had spoken with the manager of the store and was unable to offer a refund of £600, they would offer a goodwill refund of £400 due to the fact they could not replace the sofas or repair them. We had 2 companies come to look at the sofas and with quotes more than double the original purchase price no repair had been done, roll on to February 2017 both sofas are ready for the skip. All 4 seat cushions have split / come unstitched, I don’t mean a little gap, two of them have come apart by at least a foot in length, you can’t turn them over as the stitching has come apart both top and bottom, the other breaks are between 3 – 7 inches. Also, the rear back cushions which aren’t attached to the frame and just lent on have also come apart (3 out of 4, so both sofas and again by 4 – 8 inch breaks on the seem). Also, the stitching on both frames have started to become undone, showing the frame. I phone Furniture Village in January and explained that this was unacceptable, you might be able to excuse one as a manufacturing problem but two? and with every cushion coming undone in a year, I requested they pick up the sofas and offer the refund, I would have to swallow the protection and extra accessories costs. I was asked to send in pictures, I sent them and waited a week, I called back and was advised the matter had been passed to complaints they would call me in 72 hours, I waited 2 weeks, again I called them…. here we are late April, I have been told that I agreed to a fall and final settlement of £400 (I didn’t), I advised I had the email with my offer to them, this was rejected and they advised that head office had agreed that they have no liability, I had effectively waived my warranty. I mentioned that the goodwill payment was for two cushions on one sofa, and now all cushions across both are faulty as well as the frame, the fault had been identified in the first 6 months, admittedly we are now over 12 months, 2 months of that was trying to get a reply! Furniture Village would not offer any further assistance and mentioned I could speak to the furniture ombudsman, I could find the details online. Thoughts?

Hi Wondered if anyone could help?? I have been payin of my debt for a LONG time through StepChange, to be precise i've paid off around £11k in 8/9 years and recently have changed to Pay Plan who have advised me to to a debt relief order which i don't really want to do. However my grandad recently passed away and my dad has £4k that he said he is willing to pay off my debt if i can get reduced payments on them all. Using the National Debt Advice Service templates and calculator i have sent letters to all my creditors which are all debt collection agencies to if they will accept a partial payment to settle the debts. I'm trying to get around 10k down to 4k. However upon checking my credit file, Noodle, which used to show all my defaults it no longer has anything on it so i'm wondering where these defaults or debts have gone? Westcott Service Ltd have recently written to me to say they have sent my offer to the Royal Bank of Scotland and is waiting for them to see if they will accept it however i assumed my debt had already been sold to Westcott so would be up to them. They also said my credit file would just be marked as partially settled which doesn't really bother me as i am a student and don't plan on even attempting to get a mortgage for at least 10 years by which time it would have dropped off my file. However if its not already there will the Royal Bank of Scotland add it to my file again. Hope that makes sense??

Hi guys, would appreciate your help on this. I currently have 25K of debt which is being administered with Payplan. I defaulted on all accounts in 2012 during a separation. Next year I should be receiving early inheritance to the value of 25/30K So I would love to clear all outstanding debts and be debt free. However I would like to apply for a mortgage with my new partner in a couple of years and understand that companies like Halifax look at your credit file in fine detail. A - Should I clear all debts at 100% of value before the 6 year default period ends (a couple are offering settlement options now) B - Wait until the 6 years are up? Then ask for settlement figures Full/Partial I don't want to partially settle if it reflects badly with high street lenders in the future.. I really appreciate your help! Thanks Roj.

Hi, all the charges are in my husbands name I did not know about them until they had already gone to court and been put on the property, they have been on the house since 1997 heard nothing from two of them no request for payment or anything since 2000 but one is with Adams & Sons and they contacted my husband last year have a lovely letter from them saying that they are going to get a local estate agent to drive passed my house to do a valuation then try to force me to sell it their charge is for £5000 offered them £2000 but they said no and havnt heard from them since. scrudge

Hello Please help me with this. I received this offer but went through many other topics and I'm worried that they can sell rest off balance to other company. I should go for that offer? Or I should ask for Full and Final?? Already send them email that I can afford 2,700. Thanks for any help 1st Credit Reference : 00000000 Original Creditor : Partner Finance Your Balance : £10,000.00 Dear EDITED , We would like to thank you for your continued commitment to paying down your debt and progressing towards your debt free day. To support you in becoming debt free sooner we are able to offer you a 70% discount by way of partial settlement as detailed below: Pay in August and we will write off 70% of your balance You Pay £3,000 You Save £7,000 If you clear your account by way of partial settlement any default that is registered in relation to this account would be updated to 'partially satisfied'. The outstanding balance will show as zero on your credit file and you will not be pursued for any remainder of the balance by 1st Credit or any other third party. Please be aware ‘partially satisfied’ may be considered less favourable than ‘fully satisfied’ by future providers of credit. If you wish to take advantage of this offer you can follow the step by step instructions at our website to make a secure online payment. This offer is open until 31st August 2016. Discount offers (as detailed above) apply on a first come first served basis and may be withdrawn at any time. If you are not in a position to take advantage of this offer we will continue to accept your agreed instalments. If this is the case a response to this email is not required. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, you can receive free independent debt advice by contacting one of the following organisations: Step Change (0800 138 1111) National Debtline (0808 808 4000) Your local Citizens Advice Bureau Should you have any questions please respond to this email, or for immediate assistance, contact a member of our team on 01737 237 370 during our opening hours of Monday to Friday 8:00am-8:00pm and Saturday 9:00am-1:30pm. Yours sincerely,

A friend has had a Money Claim but cited with a co-defendant with whom she has not had any business association whatsoever. There were two amounts - one hers and another owed by the co-defendant. Unfortunately she did not enter any defence and has received Default Judgment for both debts, Court Fee and a Solicitor Fee of £100 (no invoice submitted as proof). She now is prepared to admit her debt and offer instalments but needs to disclaim the debt of the other Defendant. What Form needs to be submitted N244 or N245 or both? As she has a very low income she can request a remission of Fees with Form EX180

Hi guys. My question is pretty straight to the point. I am trying to become debt free. I have a few accounts which have defaulted. The accounts that have defaulted are the following: 2 accounts defaulted in 2011 - £100 each, no payments made towards either 1 account defaulted in 2014 - £390 Currently making token payments of £1 for the past year I managed to clear off two accounts before they defaulted. Now, what is the best course of action regarding the 3 defaults, which remain for 6 years? both defaulted accounts in 2011 have offered a 60% settlement. Won't change the default mind. Not sure what is better in terms of my credit file since the defaults have already messed them up. Let them drop off after 6 years, partial settlement or settled.

hi, (back from a while ago) One of my creditors has offered a settlement figure, which is within my reach. (done all the CCA stuff, etc, as per earlier advice) The letter I received seems quite generic in its wording. Is there a specific wording I should look for / ask for? If I pay the smaller amount, can they still sell on the remainder to another company? What wording should I ask for, to ensure the settlement means no further sums are due, to them, or anyone else? thanks. (for info, a debt of 4400: offer 1200 accepted)

Hello All, I would dearly like some advice, if youcan provide. I got into significant debt (132K) with 29creditors. This was due to my ownstupidity thinking I was managing my debts. In the end, I was taking out cash on credit cards to pay monthly minimums! How stupid can you get? I’m sure others have done this too! In mid 2010 I just didn’t have the money to continue to pay. All accounts were defaulted and I utilised the fantastic services of CCCS, now StepChange. They set up a DMP for me which meant I could be debt free by 2021. I have been paying these debts since November 2010 and have been able to increase payments as smaller debts have been paid and my disposable income has increased. I’ve been fortunate never to have missed a payment. Unfortunately, mostly due to the debts my marriage came to an end. This meant we had to sell our house. It did mean some disposable capital was available and this coupled with a loan from my sister meant I was in a position to offer al lcreditors a partial settlement of approximately 60 to 75%. I worked with StepChange to ensure the amounts etc. were correct and decided to send the letters myself to all remaining 22 creditors. From these, some came back and counter offered however in total I have been able to agree with and pay-off 19. Three have declined these all are managed by Moorgate /Idem Servicing. Who was original company: MBNA What type of debt: Credit Card Amount: At default £ 13500, 12400 when transferredto Moorgate in 2012 Now £8900 – I Offered £6000. When account was opened: Originally opened July 2006 Which company owns the debt now: Moorgate Is account defaulted: Nov 2010 Who was original company: MBNA What type of debt: Credit Card Amount: At default £ 1750, £1470 when transferredto Moorgate in 2012 Now £1068 – I Offered £800. When account was opened: Originally opened Jan 2006 Which company owns the debt now: Moorgate Is account defaulted: Nov 2010 Who was original company: Halifax What type of debt: Credit Card Amount: At default £ 1300, £1275 when transferredto Moorgate in 2012 Now £795 – I Offered £600. When account was opened: Originally opened Jan 2006 Which company owns the debt now: Idem Servicing (Moorgate) Is account defaulted: Nov 2010 I have spoken to Moorgate on a number ofoccassions and asked them to re-submit slightly higher offers and each time they have been rejected. Due to divorce, my disposable income will be less and I told them this and that I would be reducing my monthly payment soffer for the largest account from £105pm to £40, at least for the time being. In regards to the larger debt, about £3000of this was in default/late payment/interest charges added after I stoppedpaying, until the DMP had been agreed. I have asked them over the phone to provide a true copy of the CCA and they have said because they weren’t the original lender, they will have to request these and it could take up to a month. They want me to continue with my monthly payments in the meantime. Is there anything I could be doing to tryto persuade them to accept the partial settlements or should I just make thenew reduced payments and accept the situation? One thing to note, Moorgate have been verypolite with me and thus far haven’t been aggressive. Any advice or guidance would be welcome. Thanks you

Hi this is a bit complicated by here goes I took out a loan in 2006 with Creation finance one of those buy now pay later deals. Due to financial difficulties I was unable to continue with the repayments from August 2008, and I had assumed that the account had gone into default. In the middle of 2009 I contacted Creation finance and offered them a partial settlement and after some wrangling they agreed that they would accept what amounted to two thirds of the debt and not chase me for any more. I cant remember if they accepted my terms as full and final or partial settlement, but it was probabally the latter. I paid of other creditors in the same way, and never really looked for credit again. Then in 2013 I started getting letters from Cabot demanding payment of the outstanding balance, and of course I lost the correspondence between myself and creation re the partial settlement of the debt. I ignored all letters from Cabot and then went and checked my credit file. With regards to this loan, my payment status on my credit file was 6 from feb 2009 until August 09 (which means that I prob hadnt paid anything since at least Aug 2008) then in sept 2009 it shows a 1 status, this is where I had paid of 2/3 or the debt, then the non payments reset and ive been at a 6 status since February 2010 Creation Finance only issued a default against me in January 2013, when it should have been done around feb 09 six (ie 6 months of no payments) or because i reset the debt clock by making a partial settlement in sep 2009 a default should have been issued in march 2010? I did a SAR but of course there is absolutely no information from them regarding this Loan after 2009, no record of our correspondence re the partial settlement. I had a couple of other loans with them previous to this and the Payment protection insurance on three of them amounts to more than Is outstanding on this debt In reality what I really want is this default removed from my credit file, so what can i do, Cabot finace have resorted to phoning my neighbours to find out if I'm still living at my current address which I think is very poor form and very embarrasing for me

OK, I've just had a call on my 'other' mobile (one I give to companies/businesses etc) from a withheld/private number and a woman claiming to be from the DWP Visiting team? Now I have never heard of them, so was understandingly abrupt and coy with her, she said she wanted to come and visit me tomorrow, to which I replied that she would need to make the appointment in writing, and that I do not discuss personal details over the phone especially when the caller has hidden their number. Having googled about, it does seem that there is such a team but there are varying reasons for them wanting to make a personal visit? I am on IB and receive a very small sum, in the tens of pounds, toward my 3 figure rent. I understand that there is a shake up of the benefits system, but am curious as to why now? And why hide their number? Miffed yes, and paranoid very.

Hi, been in a DMP for circa 4yrs+ now so my original defaults I guess were registered at the time I started to default which is probably circa 5yrs ago. I have opportunity to clear one of my creditor debts (£800) and contacted them hoping for a good percentage but they would not go below 75% settlement (ie offered me 25% off) . I had hoped for 50% as they had offered me that much back in 2013 but now say my account rules have changed because I am in regular DMP payments. I have been offered the full amount by a family member but to be honest as my credit rating is shot anyway I am unsure what actual benefit paying the full amount now is. Would it be £200 down drain when I could either not take it off my family or put it towards another creditor amount. Will paying the full amount remove the default - can I make that a term of full settlement? I was told that a default is only on my file for 6yrs but is that from the time it was registered or from the time it is settled either regardless of in part full. Seems stupid to 'waste' £200 if indeed it has no affect on my default listing / ratings at all. A quick reply would be very much appreciated as I want to finalise this settlement this month, July, if possible. Many thanks

Hi, I've been dealing with debt collecting agency by letter, regarding monies I owe, and can't pay back in full. I made two offers to pay the debt as "Full and Final", they accepted my second offer, and I have now received a letter as shown below, please can you advise me on whether to accept this, kind regards. "We can confirm we are willing to accept your offer of xxxx in partial settlement of this debt. Once paid, you will not be pursued for the remaining balance by us or any other third party. Once the account is settled, our entry on your credit file (if there is an entry) will show as 'partially satisfied' defaulted account with a zero current balance."

Hope this is posted in the right place... I have a debt that has been with Wescot since 2008. I’ve paid this monthly since the debt being with them but I’ve got some cash to make a settlement offer now. Original balance was around £10k, now down to around £6k. They have said they will only do a partial settlement of £3k but won’t sell on the debt to anyone else or chase me again for this debt. I have a couple of questions: As the debt is old I assume the default is off my credit rating anyway so having partial rather than full settlement won’t make a difference? What is to stop the original creditor, they apparently got agreement for settlement amount from Arrow Global, it was originally an MBNA debt, to chase me again for this? I’d really like to draw a line under this debt and not have it hanging over me each month. Any help much appreciated.

I ordered a power supply from a retailer 17 months ago and it developed problems. I sent it back they found problems and they said that a replacement was not available so they would refund me, but they would only refund me £20. The product i bought (XFX 1050W Fully Modular PSU) cost £150. The warranty they provide is 2 years. They gave me some crap about it being only expected to last 2 years. Now im sorry but a top end PSU only lasting 2 years is ludicrous, its beyond crazy. I would say a 4-5 year minimum on high end top quality PSU's indeed i have 2 others which were both high end at the time of purchase and they are both still going strong 6 and 4 years on. Can i do anything here? Its quite frankly an exploitable part of UK Law and no matter what I say they just say "warranty 2 years = expected to last 2 years". I have tried explaining that the PSU in question should be expected to last for at least double the 2 year warranty but to no avail. Im thinking of giving trading standards a ring cos I don't care what the retailer says they are ripping me off big time. Would this be a viable option or would i just be wasting my time. Thanks in advance.

If anyone can help with the following it would be most welcome - I have a deadline for this of the 30th September 2014. I will keep it as brief as possible.... I have had two credit cards (HSBC and MBNA) for ~ 7 years. During this time I kept up with monthly repayments of ~ £50 a month. 18 months ago I entered a bout of ill-health which culminated in me having to resign from my job. At this stage both cards were at ~ £2000 each. I went on to benefits which gave me enough to live on but not enough to keep up with the card payments. I informed the providers and they both transferred my accounts to the specialist teams (due to ill health). After 7 months they both informed me that the accounts would soon default. I was informed by one of them that I could make a partial settlement for some of the balance. I researched partial settlements and got the impression that they were a bad idea - that the remainder of the debt was often sold on leading to pursuit from a third party, and that you needed it in writing that it was a "full and final settlement". I made offers of £400 for F&F settlements using a letter template from a debt advice website (my Dad and sister agreed to help me out as much as they could financially because they didn't want DCA's knocking on my door whilst I was suffering with ill-health). The offers were accepted, but both letters state they will be a partial settlement (not F&F). I have rung both companies numerous times requesting it be F&F and they always say that is not possible because the full amount isn't being paid. Today I rang Stepchange, the Financial Ombudsman, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Money Advice Service and read the letters out to them. None could give me much advice except for the FCA who said whilst listening they were looking for the words "cancelled" and "zero balance". I rang HSBC / MBNA asking if I could have letters with those words in but they said they only send out standard letter templates, not tailored letters. The FCA also said to ask what happens to the remaining debt. HSBC said it goes to an internal bad debt department where it sits (for how long??) but that it is no longer associated with your name. MBNA said that it is simply "written off" but didn't say what happens to it. I don't understand; if the debt is written off, why can't I have it in writing that there will be a "zero balance". If the balance isn't zero then doesn't the debt still exist? Here I will give two excerpts from the two letters, the only letters they are willing to send out: HSBC: "Providing funds are received by the above date, your account will be closed and you will be released from all liability in respect of this account preventing further action being taken." MBNA: "After receipt of the required payment, we'll close your account and register a partial settlement with the credit reference agencies". I have also managed to get the following email from MBNA: "What happens when you proceed with a partial settlement? We will: · Register a partial settlement with the credit reference agencies for up to six years, which may affect your ability to obtain credit in the future. · MBNA as well as any other third party will take no further action to recover the remaining balance. · Close your account." To me, it sounds as though the debt really will be written off in both cases, and that there is no chance of me being chased by either company or by a third party. However numerous forum discussions from around the web state that partial settlements are a bad idea, and you don't know whether you will be pursued further down the line. I don't understand why they are so cagey about saying the debt is written off and that there is a zero balance. According to HSBC, the remaining debt still exists but stays internally in the "bad debt" department. HSBC have said categorically on the phone that they rarely sell on such debts - the operative gave me his name, staff number, and call time / date, and said if there was any issue in the future to ask for a recording of the call. Can anyone provide a final answer to me as to whether I should go through with these partial settlements? I want to settle these debts once and for all, but at the same time don't want to be taken for a mug - if they end up chasing the rest, what is the point in paying the £400 in the first place? I fully accept that my credit score will be affected - I know that is unavoidable. However my concern is that the debt still exists, that there is still an outstanding balance - both companies have stated I can call up any time in the next six years and pay the remainder, and restore my credit file accordingly. Surely that means the debt still exists? I am worried that they will somehow find a way of recovering the remainder of the debt. Apologies for the long post - any advice is welcome. Thanks, Charles

If anyone can help with the following it would be most welcome - I have a deadline for this of the 30th September 2014. I will keep it as brief as possible.... I have had a MBNA credit card for ~ 7 years with a balance of £1,800. During this time I kept up with monthly repayments of ~ £50 a month. 18 months ago I entered a bout of ill-health which culminated in me having to resign from my job. I went on to benefits which gave me enough to live on but not enough to keep up with the card payments. I informed MBNA and they transferred my account to the specialist team (due to ill health). After 7 months they informed me that the account would soon default. I was informed that I could make a partial settlement for some of the balance. I researched partial settlements and got the impression that they were a bad idea - that the remainder of the debt was often sold on leading to pursuit from a third party, and that you needed it in writing that it was a "full and final settlement". I made an offer of £400 for a F&F settlement using a letter template from a debt advice website (my Dad and sister agreed to help me out as much as they could financially because they didn't want DCA's knocking on my door whilst I was suffering with ill-health). The offer was accepted, but the letter does not state that the settlement is full and final. I have rung numerous times requesting it be F&F and they always say that it is not possible because the full amount isn't being paid. Today I rang Stepchange, the Financial Ombudsman, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Money Advice Service and read the letter out to them. None could give me much advice except for the FCA who said whilst listening they were looking for the words "cancelled" and "zero balance". I rang MBNA asking if I could have a letter with those words in but they said they only send out standard letter templates, not tailored letters. The FCA also said to ask what happens to the remaining debt. All the operatives at MBNA will say is that "it is written off" - what does that mean? I don't understand; if the debt is written off, why can't I have it in writing that there will be a "zero balance". If the balance isn't zero then doesn't the debt still exist? Here is the letter: Dear .... Settling you credit card account Thankyou for your partial settlement proposal, we're happy to accept your offer of £400.00 in partial settlement of your account. This is conditional upon us receiving your payment no later than September 30th, 2014. After receipt of the required payment, we'll close your account and register a partial settlement with the credit reference agencies. Credit reference agency information lasts for six years, so this may affect your ability to obtain credit in the future. What happens if you don't make the payment? It is very important that we receive payment of the above amount, in cleared funds, by the date above. If this doesn't happen, then we'll take steps to register a default with the credit reference agencies. Once registered the default information would last for six years and may affect your ability to obtain credit in the future. We'd also close your account and may sell the outstanding debt to another company, who would try to recover the money from you. If we do sell your debt or pass it to an external debt collection agency we will make sure the details of your financial circumstances and recent payments you have been making are passed to the relevant company. .... .... Yours sincerely Head of Collection Operations I missed out some of the letter, but the above contains all of the salient points. After speaking to the FCA today, I spoke to MBNA and asked for a letter specifically containing the words "cancelled" and "zero balance". This is what I got back (letter-headed, at least): What happens when you proceed with a partial settlement? We will: · Register a partial settlement with the credit reference agencies for up to six years, which may affect your ability to obtain credit in the future. · MBNA as well as any other third party will take no further action to recover the remaining balance. · Close your account. To me, it sounds as though the debt really will be written off, and that there is no chance of me being chased either by MBNA or a third party. However numerous forum discussions from around the web state that partial settlements are a bad idea, and you don't know whether you will be pursued further down the line. I don't understand why they are so cagey about saying the debt is written off and about saying that there is a zero balance. Can anyone provide a final answer to me as to whether I should go through with this settlement? I want to settle this debt once and for all, but at the same time don't want to be taken for a mug - if they end up chasing the rest, what is the point in paying the £400 in the first place? I fully accept that my credit score will be affected - I know that is unavoidable. However my concern is that the debt still exists; that there is still an outstanding balance. I am worried that they will somehow find a way of recovering the remainder of the debt. I know people will say - "Ask for F&F settlement" etc. but they categorically refuse to do that because I am not paying the full amount. (NB. The F&F team at Stepchange said they don't get involved with F&F settlements with banks unless the debtor can provide half the amount of what is owed; the current settlement I have with MBNA is just under a quarter). It seems impossible to get anything out of them other than a standard letter - if anyone can guide me as to how to get a letter out of them saying what is needed to ensure this is the end of the matter it would be warmly welcomed. (i.e. what is it that needs to be said, and how do you get them to put it down on paper - they always say they can only send out templates; do you have to speak directly with a senior manager?). Apologies for the long post - any advice is welcome. Thanks, Charles

If anyone can help with the following it would be most welcome - I have a deadline for this of the 30th September 2014. I will keep it as brief as possible.... I have had a HSBC credit card for ~ 7 years with a balance of £1,950. During this time I kept up with monthly repayments of ~ £50 a month. 18 months ago I entered a bout of ill-health which culminated in me having to resign from my job. I went on to benefits which gave me enough to live on but not enough to keep up with the card payments. I informed HSBC and they transferred my account to the specialist team (due to ill health). After 7 months they informed me that the account would soon default. I was informed that I could make a partial settlement for some of the balance. I researched partial settlements and got the impression that they were a bad idea - that the remainder of the debt was often sold on leading to pursuit from a third party, and that you needed it in writing that it was a "full and final settlement". I made an offer of £400 for a F&F settlement using a letter template from a debt advice website (my Dad and sister agreed to help me out as much as they could financially because they didn't want DCA's knocking on my door whilst I was suffering with ill-health). The offer was accepted, but the letter does not state that the settlement is full and final. I have rung numerous times requesting it be F&F and they always say that is not possible because the full amount isn't being paid. Today I rang Stepchange, the Financial Ombudsman, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Money Advice Service and read the letter out to them. None could give me much advice except for the FCA who said whilst listening they were looking for the words "cancelled" and "zero balance". I rang HSBC asking if I could have a letter with those words in but they said they only send out standard letter templates, not tailored letters. The FCA also said to ask what happens to the remaining debt. HSBC said it goes to an internal bad debt department where it sits (for how long??) but that it is no longer associated with your name. I don't understand; if the debt is written off, why can't I have it in writing that there will be a "zero balance". If the balance isn't zero then doesn't the debt still exist? Here is the letter: Dear Mr. Dean We write in reference to your phonecall with us today. We are prepared to accept the following: Credit Card: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Payment Amount: £400 This agreement is on the basis that the funds are received and cleared into your HSBC account within 14 days from the date of this letter. Providing funds are received by the above date, your account will be closed and you will be released from all liability in respect of this account preventing further action being taken. Please note that in view of the fact that we have agreed to accept a partial repayment of your debt and agreed not to pursue the remaining balance, your credit file which is held with Credit Reference Agencies will be updated accordingly and may affect any future credit applications you make. We trust this is satisfactory. Yours Sincerely Senior Collection Manager To me, it sounds as though the debt really will be written off, and that there is no chance of me being chased either by HSBC or a third party. However numerous forum discussions from around the web state that partial settlements are a bad idea, and you don't know whether you will be pursued further down the line. I don't understand why they are so cagey about saying the debt is written off and that there is a zero balance. According to HSBC, the remaining debt still exists but stays internally in the "bad debt" department. HSBC have said categorically on the phone that they rarely sell on such debts - the operative gave me his name, staff number, and call time / date, and said if there was any issue in the future to ask for a recording of the call. Can anyone provide a final answer to me as to whether I should go through with this settlement? I want to settle this debt once and for all, but at the same time don't want to be taken for a mug - if they end up chasing the rest, what is the point in paying the £400 in the first place? I fully accept that my credit score will be affected - I know that is unavoidable. However my concern is that the debt still exists, that there is still an outstanding balance - HSBC have stated I can call up any time in the next six years and pay the remainder, and restore my credit file accordingly. Surely that means the debt still exists? I am worried that they will somehow find a way of recovering the remainder of the debt. I know people will say - "Ask for F&F settlement" etc. but they categorically refuse to do that because I am not paying the full amount. (NB. The F&F team at Stepchange said they don't get involved with F&F settlements with banks unless the debtor can provide half the amount of what is owed; the current settlement I have with HSBC is just under a quarter). It seems impossible to get anything out of them other than a standard letter - if anyone can guide me as to how to get a letter out of them saying what is needed to ensure this is the end of the matter it would be warmly welcomed. (i.e. what is it that needs to be said, and how do you get them to put it down on paper - they always say they can only send out templates; do you have to speak directly with a manager?). Apologies for the long post - any advice is welcome. Thanks, Charles

Hello All, Need some advice, I recently SAR'd HSBC, I had a business account in 2002 which was closed in 2003/4 I think and I also had a current account at the same time which ran until 2006. HSBC have sent me my current account transactions but they are only for the period of July 2005 to July 2006. According to the sheets they sent me, the sheets are numbered, the first one is marked at sheet 60 and the last one numbered sheet 84. They haven't sent me the sheets previously. The letter that was sent said and I quote.. "As discussed on the phone, the earliest statements held on our database are mid 2005. Earlier statements have now been purged to ensure we adhere to Data Protection Act 1998 regulations that personal data must not be kept longer than necessary." Also they sent me a "screenshot" of my business account details on a sheet which says "No Statements Found" Additionally they say... "With regards to your business account number xxxx with HSBC, whilst we can still see the account number on our system and that you were a business customer since 2002, any background information has now been deleted. This would mean that the account closed prior to mid 2005. I have enclosed screen prints as confirmation that the data has been deleted" I thought these banks held this kind of data for years, weird seeing that I spoke to RBoS yesterday on the phone and they are sending me my old account statements from 1992 to 2004 !! Are they just deleting peoples account details who send in a SAR so they cant claim back unfair charges and call it "purging their systems" under the pretext of "adhering to the Data Protection Act 1998?" What can I do now? I know I am missing statements and I haven't a clue as to how much or when they were excessively charging me etc??? Wulfen40

Hi guys, this has undoubtly been asked before but finding the answer is beyond me. I have agreements in place at 0% interest with 3 debt recovery agencies. I have sold my house and car and i am in a position to try and negotiate a deal. I have asked all the questions and used the template letter and sent it to the companies but what i want to know is, is it worth settling the full outstanding amounts or should i just partially settle. The defaults will be 6 years old this year, so the defaults will be removed from my file pretty soon. Will a partial settlement be detrimental to my credit rating as i intend to obtain a new mortgage in approx 3 years? many thanks. Danny.

Good afternoon, This is my first post so apologies if my etiquette is out! I have recently looked to improve my credit score. My history in the last 4 years is pretty good (2/3 late payments aside). However on my credit file I have 2 defaults (one is 4 years old for £1096, one 2 years old for £210). I'd like to clear these defaults off my account. I cannot afford to pay both straight up and have looked into a partial settlement. Can someone please advice me on the best approach to handling this debt? Is a partial settlement worth it? What will happen to the debt after 6 years? Will a payment plan clear the default? Thanks is advance, Murp

Hi everyone, This is my first question here, The background to my query: On the 7th March I purchased several items related to vehicle servicing from an online store using my Mastercard. The total amount of the order (including all items) was £118. Part of the order was delivered within a week, however the order sheet enclosed with the goods showed two items marked with "to follow" and those items were not included with the original delivery. I emailed the shop on the 7th April to express my concern that the two items remained outstanding. I requested that if the shop could not fulfil my order within the next week (now elapsed) that I would appreciate a refund for the non-delivered items. The response was that they were expecting delivery of the items themselves 'shortly' - no mention of progressing any refund, although I do appreciate that I have not made a formal request for one. Today is April 17th and still no missing parts, so that leads me to my question: If I email the shop again and receive another less-than-helpful response, can I issue a section 75 claim for the cost of the non-delivered goods (£40). My understanding at this stage is that I cannot because, although the total value of my purchase was over £100, the value of the items being claimed for is not. If that is the case, what are my options? Very many thanks, Fraser.

Hi, I hope this is the correct site to post this thread:???: I purchased an item from a major oxford street retailer via an online account. It was a present for my wife and was purchased 27/1/14 and was presented to her on 28/2/14. A fault was identified and the item was returned with agreement that I would be re-imbursed for the postage . Subsequently I have had a "partial" refund made to my account for the item cost and not the original delivery charge of £4.95 I am in discussion with the store over other factors but I want to be clear. Does the sale of goods act cover the original delivery costs I incurred at point of purchase? I have looked through the stuff on the trading standards but am a bit confused:oops: Thanks for any guidance. Stuart.