Hi, I could really do with some help. I have been the victim of fraud by a builder working at my property accessing my credit card without my knowledge and running up a huge debt. I very rarely used the card and never received statements in the post. Turns out the statements were being sent but were being accessed and disposed of whilst I was at work. I have been fighting this debt since 2004 with the debt being sold from one debt collection agency to another. Finally Arrow Global instructed Restons Solicitors to take me to Court for the settlement of the outstanding debt which was not caused by me. Unfortunately I lost the court case and the Judge found in the favour of the Bank (they had a better Barrister than me) and now I have to pay back thousands of pounds of debt that I didn't cause. I have been told I cannot appeal the decision. I am being forced to pay the debt whether I like it or not! I am a single mum and cant afford this and shouldn't have to pay something that has nothing to do with me. I have offered a payment of £50 a month just to keep them quiet but they have rejected my offer. They want nearly £300 per month which I cannot afford. Does anybody know who I can talk to clear my name or is it too late now I have gone to court? They also want to do a charge on my property that I don't want. I have since found out this Builder has a criminal record and has done the same [problem] to other people. If anybody knows how I can deal with this, it would be appreciated. The Police were made aware initially when I first found out what was going on , but were unable to help me, stating it was up to the Bank or Credit Card company to protect me as the Consumer and their Customer. I certainly haven't been protected in any way shape or form.

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help with this situation: In May 2015 I received a letter from UKPCS stating that I had an unpaid Parking Charge which was issued in March 2015. The letter stated that it is now too late to pay the initial charge, and the fine is now £100. The charge was for Driver - Passengers observed leaving the site. This was a retail park in Salford, for which there is no charge or barriers to enter or exit. On the day in question, there was no ticket affixed to the windscreen when I returned to the car, so the first I knew of the alleged offence was when I got the letter in May. I returned to the site and yes, there are signs around the car park, at high level, and small text, but did not notice them at the time. I received two further letters but ignored them. as per advice read on various motoring forums, but yesterday received a letter from Miah Solicitors stating I now had to pay a total of £275, comprising the fine, admin costs and legal costs. Should I write to the solicitor requesting: 1. Proof from their Client that a PCN had actually been affixed to the windscreen. 2. Proof that I had actually been observed leaving the site. I have also read on these forums that this particular firm of solicitors is not regulated to collect debts, although their letter is signed from the Debt Recovery Team. Any advice would be helpful.

Hi I am a tenant living a block of flats. I have received at least 20 parking charge notices The main reason stated on the parking charge notice is" not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space within bay marking". After their initial letter and final reminders and DR agent letter, I have received a letter from their small claims solicitor stating: we act for UKPC and are instructed to recover the charges shown below incurred by you in relation to the parking of your vehicle The total is £900 ( 6 x £150) Im sure I will receive at least two or even three more of these as my notices are at least 20 ( ie a total of maybe £2700-£3000). Im panicking now. My worry is that I was parked on private land managed by the management company. I am a tenant not the owner of the flat. However, as we have two cars, but one car space, I parked within the perimeters of the property, but somewhere where I had never caused an obstruction. Whats really astonishing is that I have even received 2 charges on a single day, within 12 hours. I have also received 4 on four consecutive days inclusdng te weeknd when I was off work. I want to emphasise the difference between my case and others who have very kindly posted theirs on this site in that: 1. I was parked in a non designated parking area on the private property I live in, rather than the parking bay 2. I have not appealed any of the claims. The thought of £900, and even more, if they are successful is stressing me out. Cant sleep. Cant focus on work Tried citizens advice bureau, but not much of help. Tried calling some solicitors, but they aren't that interested. Tried rip off Britain and waiting. I feel all doors are closed o me and I will end up in court and lose. Im doomed and gloomed I feel. Pleas please please advise. I would really be very very appreciative. Many thanks Mo

I had an account with Xcercise4Less and i missed one payment because i was on holiday, When i got back i found i had all these charges on my account that made up to around £60. Obviously i didn't want to pay this, so i called them up and contacted them and they allowed me to make a new account with the charges on the old account being dropped. However a few weeks later i started receiving letters from Harlands saying i had to pay, i tried to phone them but they didn't answer after trying them a couple of times. So i just left it. I have now received a letter from Spratt Endicott Solicitors saying that they will take legal action in the next 7 days if i do not pay the balance of £241.40 . I am a student and can't afford to pay this much especially considering the yearly fees for the gym are £120. I just wondered if anyone could advise me on how to hand the situation? Thank you

Is this the end for Uncle Bryan?:whoo: http://www.credittoday.co.uk/article/18038/online-news/lowell-solicitors-launch-marks-new-era-for-the-group

Hi guys! I am not sure this is the correct place for me to post I hope you can help me with the following situation: Our factors' solicitors have unlawfully registered a Notice of Potential Liability against our property in regard to "the outstanding factoring charges" - not only we are up to date with all the payments, we have multiple bank statements to prove it. As owners and occupiers of the property, we never received any notification about the upcoming order and only found out the details after requesting a copy of the deed from the registers of Scotland. In addition to unlawfully imposing the NOPL, they disclosed this false information without our permission to the third party - our former solicitors with whom we have been in a process of dispute for the last year. Moreover, they also explicitly told our former solicitors that it is due to the factoring debts since our move (which there are none). We believe it is a serious breach of data protection act but are not sure how to proceed... Thanks in advance.

If a claim was dismissed, can the solicitors have a 2nd bite ? POC are identical ? Can you advise on CPR or any case law applicable. Old utilities bill circa 2010, value 1500.00 Final reading provided, final supposed bill paid. Came out of blue. Defended grounds back billing rules, produced final bill in court that was paid. Claimant wanted to not go before judge in meeting before hearing, I insisted we did. Judge dismissed case. Any help appreciated... C

Evening Folks, Apologies if this is in the wrong section, if it is could the mods kindly move it. I have arrived home today with my wife to find that my wife has kindly received in the post a CCJ obtained by Lowell(Claimant)/Bryan Carter Solicitors on 16/09/2015. Now this has come as a bit of a shock as we have received no prior correspondence from them regarding this debt or anything to state there would be any date to appear in court to deal with this. The judgment has also been obtained in my wife's maiden name, despite us being married for 3 years. I would greatly appreciate any help to urgently deal with this. Many Thanks G__M

Hi all, back in June 2015 i was a passenger in a vehicle that was hit from behind whilst waiting to exit the motorway. A couple of days later i was contacted solicitors firm. I naively thought they had beed directed by Hastings insurance (the drivers insurance company) to act on my behalf for a potential injury claim as they had my details including mobile number. They arranged for someone to come to my house to complete the paperwork for the claim. This was a no win no fee basis .They arrived and all seemed legitimate (as for as i could tell as i had not been involved in an accident before) forms were completed and they went on their merry way. I spoke to the driver telling him about the Solicitor he called Hastings and they denied instructing the Solicitor to contact me and in fact they had instructed another company to contact both me and the driver about the claim. Alarm bells rang and i decided that i would cancel the agreement i had the Solicitor. I emailed them to with the instruction to cancel the agreement and this was 10 days after signing the agreement. I thought i would be covered by the standard 14 day cooling off period? Just after i sent the email i had a call from the Solicitor asking why i wished to cancel and i explained that i wasn't happy with way they conducted their business. I had a letter from them some weeks later saying that as they had not received contact from me the case would be closed. Then today i received another letter asking me to pay for the costs they had incurred on my behalf. The bill amount is for £1,143.00. I don't know what to do. Can someone please advise if i have a leg to stand on? I just haven't got that kind of money. :shock: Gary

Hi. I wonder if anyone can help me. In June 2013 I received a parking charge notice at Chatham Maritime car park. It stated that I had been observed 'leaving the site', indeed I did leave to deliver a letter but then returned to the shopping centre where I purchased a few items. I wasn't aware that leaving the site was not allowed ( I used to regularly park in this car park and go to University) and did not notice the parking ticket until I got home. At the time I was all set to appeal and had written an email to send them but having browsed the internet I found the advice being given at the time was to ignore it and not acknowledge receipt of the ticket in any way. I subsequently received a few letters but for the last 18 months or so had heard nothing more so I assumed it was over. However last week I received a letter from Miah Solicitors stating that they had been instructed to pursue the outstanding amount ( now £275 - the original £100 charge, £25 admin fees and a further £150 legal costs). I was wondering if there is any time limitation on how long after the original fine they can continue to pursue it? I am now unable to find the original ticket ( I may have disposed of it, thinking that it was all over, or the receipts for the shopping) so am unsure if I would be able to appeal now or should I continue to ignore? I am now very nervous about the situation but am unwilling to pay £275 when it should have been free parking. Thank you in advance

Hi all, A parking ticket was placed on the windscreen of my car from UKCPS last December (06/12/2014) whilst in the Staples car park in Hull which the PPC have named 'West Quay Retail Park'. The initial ticket which I cannot currently find stated that the driver was observed leaving the site and therefore according to the sign been displayed in the carpark states I entered into a contractual agreement and would result in a parking charge notice. This been £100 and discounted to £60 if payment was received within 14 days. (see Attachment 1) After talking to numerous people I decided to ignore this parking charge notice and did not make contact with UKCPS. Following on from this I received a NTK dated (09/02/2015) stating that '(vehicle) was observed parking Without a valid permit or authority'. The letter also stated that the charge of £60 had not been paid in full and therefore a charge of £100 was now due in which I had 14 days to reply. I also ignored this letter. (see Attachment 2) Another letter stating it was the final letter before court proceedings are instigated, dated (26/02/2015) appeared on my doorstep stating that the amount owing was now £125 if I settled the debt in full in the next 7 days otherwise may result in court action been taken with costs which could exceed £325. Once again ignored and thought it was an empty threat. (see attachment 3) Letter 3 dated (30/06/2015) looked near enough the same, amount now owing £125 and is the final letter before debt recovery action will commence. Failure to pay or make a binding agreement to pay within 14 days of receipt of this letter will automatically lead to recovery action. Once again ignored. (see attachment 4) The final letter which I have now received yesterday is from 'The Miah Solicitors', Debt Recovery Team. They are now telling me that the sum now due is £275. This been due to the £125 last demanded, £25 client administration fee and £150 legal fees in which I have 14 days from the letter dated. (see attachment 5) I am now starting to get worried that if I don't pay this amount that it may go to court, but from what I have been reading online this may also be an empty threat as the Solicitor of the firm was fined £68,000 after been in a Boiler Room [problem]!!! I have read numerous threads all with different advise. Could somebody please advise me on this matter as I am really uncertain on what I should do now and it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Well more interesting news from the Grapevine... Interesting... I wonder if it means that BC will be bought out or if they will go from scratch...

Hi All, Wonder if you can help. Last year we parked in a retail outlet car park, which is 2 hour free parking. We went into the shops within the retail park but also to shops in a neighbouring park and on our return found we had been invoiced by UKCPS as we had 'been observed leaving site'; although we were only parked for around 90 minutes. I ignored the window sticker and awaited the first begging letter which arrived 66 days later so duly responded asking them to harass the driver of the vehicle and that I was under no obligation to inform them who that was. I, stupidly, thought that would be the end of it; alas no, they really are a persistent bunch. On the 16th June I received another letter telling me this was my final warning and that I had to pay up immediately, I then received another letter on the 17th June telling me this was my final warning and that I had to pay up immediately. These letters I ignored and now I have received a letter from The Miah Solicitors telling me I have 14 days to respond or court action 'may' result and that the letter is being sent 'in accordance with the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct contained in the Civil Procedure Rules' The letter is signed Debt Recovery Team; however I cant work out if this yet another begging letter with a new heading to scare me into coughing up or if this a letter warning that the next correspondence will be court papers? Any advice on what my next move should be would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks!

Hi All I am a first time user here please accept my apolgies for any mistakes I make! I have received a County Court Claim form from Bryan carter solictors acting on behalf of Lowell Portfolio the original debt was with welcome finance 9 years ago. I fell into financial difficulty due to divorce and was unable to pay the loan to Welcome, the last payment I made to Welcome finance was 22nd May 2009 ( although I need to clarify this payment with my bank) and the Issue date of the paperwork was the 22nd May 2015. I have never acknowledged the debt to Lowell or Brian Carter solicitors or made any payment to either of them, I also received a letter from Frederickson International as well (9th April 2015) also stating that was acting on behalf of Lowell Financial Ltd again I did not respond. I have answered the claim form stating I would like to defend the case and was looking for some advice on how to do so. I have followed some advice on here and sent a CPR 31.14 request along with a £1 postal order along with a letter asking for a full breakdown of my account. I also sent another letter requesting copies of the default notice, assignment and Formal demand. I received a reply from Bryan Carter ( attached) stating that its a simple contractual matter and part 31 of the civil procedure rules will not apply and in any event the notices of default and assignment left the control of the claimant when they were dispatched to me, they also state it is the original creditors policy to issue agreements at the start of the contract and statements throughout the agreement and in this regard we ask you to refer to my own records. I have not yet received a copies of the following: A copy of the agreement A copy of the original assignment form and any consideration paid a copy of any formal demands or default notices I have received a breakdown of costs allegedly from Welcome finance which includes £734.25 worth of charges and fees ( Total debt £3953.67 ) The Claim form states a total claimed of £4534.98 as they have added the court costs and solicitors fees twice by mistake! I am just waiting for a court date what if anything can I do in the meantime, my credit file is now decent for the first time in 6 years! Many many thanks in advance!

Damn! Another one has been snapped up. Cabot Have just bought MCS - Mortimer Clarke. They have now bought all of Marlin Group. Worrying! HERE Marlin Group Own Marlin Financial Services Mortimer Clarke Solictors They were subject to the Channel 4 Documentry on Debt Collection Practices through Dispatches.

Hi i have an ongoing dispute with Npower since April 2013 when they turned up at my rented property with a warrant and a bailiff and removed on of two meters. (its a large house that i rent out to multiple occupants). i found out they were chasing a debt between 20011-2013 when tenants were occupying the premises. Tenants claim they contacted Npower, but Npower deny it. Tenants deny Npower ever came for a meter read and i believe them as the meter is locked away in a cellar behind a number of locked doors. only one tenant has key to this. But by Dec 2012 i personally had been contacting npower at least 3 times with proof and meter reads, though i never had sight of any bills. When the meter got taken i discovered to my horror that they were chasing a bill for £14000. They only informed me of this a week after taking the meter and doing calculations. By December they gave me reproduced bills and now these total £17000 with interest and collection charges. there has been communication from both sides over the last year and over the last 4 months i heard nothing from Wilkin chapman and i changed address. lo and behold, i check my credit file on the weekend and discover a default ccj for not replying to their court summons last month. The ccj papers have not arrived yet and i have a form N244 with me to send off imminently to get the case infront of a judge hopefully asap. When i am writing my defence it is running to 3 pages and i wonder.... Do i write my complete defence with appendices in the n244 or will all this be requested off me at a later date? my main points for the n244 are that i never received the papers so am replying now requesting a hearing. my main defence from npower billing stems from two points, firstly their claim of a deemed contract and secondly..back billing clause. i can be more specific later but just to summarise, they claim i am on a deemed contract, yet i never had sight of any bills or any communication addressed to me eventhough by dec 2012 i have recorded delivery accepted letters from them which had all my details and details of tenants. The tenants have also written to them to change account in their name, i have copies of letters. They have charged me double the rates when normal bills are around £1500pa in this rented property. All the bills including the warrant were addressed to a tenant who left in 2010 even though they started a new account shouldnt it be in the name of "the occupier". They then rolled over the deemed contract at double the market rates at the time..i thought they were allowed to only roll over for a year.. They call it a micro business but now have reverted to a residential property account and in some cases VAT of 20% has been adjusted..but in others it isnt. Either way interest and charges have increased so i am no better off. But surely now there is more stringent legislation for a domestic consumer that i can rely on? Next i am claiming for Back Billing.. the bills were only given to me in April 2013 or rather dec 2013 (they took 6 months to calculate after they removed one of the meters) When i looked at the bills i discovered that the meter reads were 99% estimated and VAT applied at 20%. I contacted them and they removed the 20%vat for a micro business but there was no reply on the meter reads. I noticed the meter reads were inaccurate, often going backwards and two meter reads being mixed up causing apparent spikes in consumption. This has been verified by accurate bills from the supplier who took over from them. i have copies to post with the n244. The warrant they applied for was in the name of the former tenant but still they barged their way in and took the meter. They took the meter that was for the adjoing property (they are linked) so took the wrong meter and left tenants in the house without gas or heating/cooking facilites for a few days till i could get it sorted. They never responded to these parts of my query..surely this is negligence. Anyway, i am now sitting on a n244 and i know to send it with a fee of £155 for it to go back to court but am wondering..how much detail can i put in the form.. shall i enclose all their bills that show estimated reads..and show where the discrepancies are? or leave it to directions hearing or a further witness statement? if you could please advise a little that would be really appreciative..i would of course be hiring a solicitor as well but i think this n244 is urgent. thanks

Hi My partner recieved a parking fine from UKCPS. Im not sure if it was left on the car or just came through by post. But this was back in Feb 2013. I advised her to ignore as it was what i thought was not enforceable. We had parked at a local retail park where there is no charge. I think we may have parked in parent and child bay whilst running into Boots for some medicine. The woman who was employed at the time by UKCPS took photos of the inside of our car without us in it. She was so close to our car she may even have touched it. Anyway, i advised to not pay as no money had been lost by UKCPS, as it was and still is a free car park. A few letters arrived but on the whole nothing happened. I came home last night to a letter from The Miah solicitors ( which seems to be the same format and wording as everyones elses from the miah) saying that the Court of Appeal ruled on the 23rd April 2015 that a charge for parking on private land is not extravangant or unconscionable! ( Im guessing this was the lincolnshire one, where i live) I am attaching the letter for you I dont know if theyre acting as debt collectors or litigators and i have at no time entered into any contract but if that is this case then isnt there something about VAT as well? What can i do, were not paying £275 to park where we can park for free . Fuming but a little scared as UKCPS go to court Thanks

I'm looking for some advice please on how to proceed with regard to a county court claim I received today, courtesy of H&L. Back in 2011 I enrolled on a local college course for the academic year 2011/12. At the time I was unemployed and applied for "mature" student finance. This was ticking along and as the end of the year approached various people also on the same course dropped out as their finance was turned down or their circumstances changed. In January 2012 I was fortunate to secure full time employment and continued on the course, my employers allowing me to attend the college the one day a week necessary. I advised Student Finances of my change in circumstances but was told there would not be a problem - I just had to get evidence from my council that my household had been receiving council tax benefit for a period up until I started the course. I applied to the council for written proof of this, and to date this never came back. The course itself was flawed. The planned course tutor was on long-term sick and the college struggled to cope. As a class we lost countless hours waiting for a tutor, a room, many times just being told to get on with things or read one of the course books. As an example we had a lesson in flash, then never revisited flash for weeks, the same for Adobe Photoshop. Being told to read a course book was OK if you had the book. For those who were unemployed or on low incomes, we certainly couldn't afford all the books, and the college only had 2 or 3 which could be loaned out for limited periods. Things came to a head after the department head randomly came in one evening and asked for feedback. As a class we came together, wrote down our grievances and passed these on, much to the department head's shock and surprise. A class representative was appointed and a meeting was held and we were told things would improve. In the end I couldn't justify taking time off away from my work and I had serious doubts on the value of the course and spending thousands on a 3 year foundation degree for an education that I wasn't getting - one part of the course was fine - the lecturer did her bit but the main IT elements (this was an Internet Business course) were sorely lacking. I left the course in early 2012 and didn't hear anything from the college. No invoice, no calls, no final demand, no default notice .. nothing. In early September 2013 I received the first of well over a dozen of threatening letters from H&L Solicitors and I contacted the college to find out what was going on. H&L had added around £35 to the total apparently although this was not made clear. The debt was for £1207. I emailed the college and eventually received a holding email in October followed by a letter which claimed there had been no issues with the course , and that I had to pay. I replied by letter, which was never acknowledged offering to pay £300 to resolve matters and cover their admin costs, or for them to put me on a new properly managed course for which I would pay. Moving to 2014, after a flurry of threats from H&L I emailed the college again, asking for my complaint to be passed to the principal. Again I offered the £300, or to pay for a new course. This was ignored. Fast forward to 2015 and many months have gone by without any letters from H&L, so I wrongly presumed the college had simply moved on. Three weeks ago I received a threat of legal action from H&L, the same as many they'd sent before and today I received a county court claim. The total is now £1600 including court costs and £80 solicitors fees, and interest. I am in a position to pay but I'm unsure as to how to proceed. My life is more or less back together after an 18 month period of unemployment before 2012 and I'm with the same employer. I don't want to get my credit rating destroyed after I've been slowly building it back up. I have never contacted H&L as my complaint has always been with the college. The H&L letters do not make clear if they bought the debt or if they are acting on the college's behalf. If I defend would I have to pay more if I lose? If I get a judgment against me but pay within a month does that get wiped? Should I counter claim?, offer a part payment? - contact H&L? Since this started I've moved house and only received the claim because my mail is redirected. Any advice you could offer would be much appreciated.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone knows if I can find a written statement anywhere that states that as a consumer, under UK law, I have a right to shop around for the best deal on goods and services. I have spent a couple of hours looking around online but cannot find a statement like this anywhere. Any help anyone can give would be very much appreciated Thanks in advance. Pickles18

I recently completed claim forms re a debt being administered by Restons Solicitors for £770. I am in the process of setting up a new DMP with Stepchange and working off the budget figures and our other creditors, I made an offer of £5 per month. I received a judgment for claimant today saying the claimants have objected to the rate of payment and the court have awarded them £25 per month. I dont understand how they cant understand this is not possible for us atm. We did provide the budget sheet for Restons to show the £5 offer was all we could afford. What can I do now? Can I go direct to the courts to ask for a redetermination or is there another option. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you

Hi i have a debt with lowell, a couple of months ago i asked regarding a full and final payment ,i had a response and was a massively reduced portion of the date, then my marriage broke down, needless to say its been a difficult time. I have moved house etc,but regardless a letter arrived at my old house from Bryan Carter solicitors and a letter from the northampton court house. The debt totals near on 900, 830 and their fees..when last year lowell reduced the debt to 450 at request and offered 250 on full and final payment. Is it just me or is this tactic a bit underhanded. .even from lowells agreed 450 that is a steep increase, just curious as how to proceed, obviously id rather not a ccj!

Hello everyone! Its the first time Im using this site and I am in need of urgent help with dealing with Bryan Carter Solcitors. About a month ago I received a letter from Bryan Carter, on behalf of Lowell Financial Limited requesting that I pay an overdue debt owed to o2 of £661.34 within 14 days, otherwise a court claim will be initiated. I read around on the forums and replied with a 'prove it' letter and received the following response. Dear ******, We write further to your recent correspondence, the content of which we note. We confirm this account relates to a O2 UK Ltd (the 'Original Creditor') account, account number: *******. WE confirm this account is in relation to mobile number ****** It is the original creditors policy to provide the agreement at the point of contract and statements throughout the duration of the account; consequently, you have previously been provided with validation of the debt and you should refer to your own records. We confirm you may obtain a copy of the agreement from the store where the handset was purchased. we are acting on the instructions of our client who believes the outstanding balance is lawfuly due to them and we are acting reasonably. We trust this clarifies matters and we should be grateful if you could contact us by 7th May with your payment proposals.... Yours Sincerely, Bryan Carter Solicitors They have not clarified/proved anything. Any help would be much appreciated in responding to these people! Thanks!

Hi there, First time posting on here, but seems to be lots of great advice! I've today recieved a letter from Nolans Solicitors saying they are collecting on behalf of Hillesden Securities Limited. I don't know whether it is a standard threatogram letter or if I need to take action. The letter seems to be standard I'm that it starts "Dear Sirs" and I'm female! And it goes on to say that I have 7 days to pay or they may take me to court and this will be able to be enforced for 20 years and then gives a list of how I can pay them. It also had a booklet from AIB included which states that it's given to me as I'm going to have legal action taken against me. The thing is I don't actually know what the original debt relates to, as I checked my Noddle credit file and there is nothing on there that has the name Hillesden or for the same amount. Also there are no judgements showing against me at all. After googling I think it may be an old Welcome finance loan which I last paid in 2009 after my local branch shut down. So I believe that it should be statue barred as I'm in Scotland, so 5 years up here. I've got an email address to contact, so does anyone have a template that I can send to say I don't know what the debt relates to and see if they can get me details of what the actual debt is? I'm just worried they go for court action as my husband is currently not working and I couldn't afford to get a wage arrestment, never mind the reaction from my employer! If it's the debt I think it is, how do I prove its statue barred? As I was paying in the branch and previously was DD through an account which is now closed and I have no access to statements. Just really worried as I was just starting to get back on my feet! Any advice is gratefully relieved! Thanks

Hi all, I joined Virgin Active gym few months back, and after 2 months of joining I left because I ended up not going because of loss of interest and the price, so I cancelled the DD (the contract was for 6 months), and like a week later I received a letter from them demanding the money, and they sent me a few text messages too. After a few more weeks I received a letter from ARC demanding me to pay £210, they keep calling me constantly, sometimes like 10 calls; one after the other, which I ignored. After couple more weeks ARC sent another letter threatening court actions if the outstanding balance was not paid. 2 weeks later (today) I received a letter from Major Law solicitors threatening court actions as well, they have said I should contact ARC to repaid the debt. I have have had no contact with Virgin, Arc or Major sols yet, meaning I haven't spoken to them. Can they actual take me to court? I don't really care about credit ratings. I am 20, living with my parents, can they get the bailiffs involved? Thanks very much. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi all, New member, first post, so please be gentle with your replies I need sound advice on my next course of action. I have an alleged debt of £2.5k approx relating to a credit card. As a lurker on these forums for some time, I know a little about this process, so I wrote to Mortimer Clarke Solicitors previously and said the alleged debt is statute barred. To quote their reply: "You have alleged that the claim is statute barred. Section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980 provides that an action founded on simple contract shall not be brought after the expiration of six years from the date on which the cause of action accrued." "The six year limitation period runs from the latest date on which:" "1. A payment was made towards the debt, or" "2. The agreement was terminated, or" "3. You acknowledged the debt in writing" "We are instructed that in this case the cause of action accrued when the agreement was terminated on 08/08/2009. Therefore the claim is not statute barred. If you disagree please explain why. Alternatively please find enclosed an income and expenditure form for you to complete and return". That's it. I don't know if the 2009 date is correct or not. What are your suggestions as to my next move? I have never acknowledged this debt in any way, and in my previous letter to them I asked them for a signed copy of the credit agreement which I have not received. So should I go back and repeat this request, and how should I word it? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.