Feel its not far off , sickening, especially when its being used to manage essentials https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/18/britain-debt-timebomb-fca-chief-crisis

Hi all I've been dealing with the company guardian recovery limited over the past few days and have to say they are the worst company i have ever dealt with. My wife owes a debt to a veterinary clinic of £139. To cut a long story short my wife simply forgot to pay the bill (the cat died so it was out of sight out of mind type thing) Then after hearing nothing guardian recovery started chasing me for the debt and threatening court since the beginning. I refused to accept liability on the off chance they did actually take it to court. I should point out that i never signed any agreement with the vet, which the vet agrees with and have offered to provide my wife with the signed agreement in her name. They told me they didn't care and i am liable, i asked for their complaints department and was told i am an idiot and they won't bother looking at my complaint. I told them i would formally dispute the debt in writing and was told the same thing (i have put in a complaint and dispute anyway). The last conversation i had with them was today and told them i will not deal with them anymore and will instruct my wife to deal with the vet and was told it wouldn't matter they would carry on chasing me even if it was paid to the vet. 5 minutes later my wife was on the phone to the vet and they told her that they won't deal with her as they just had an email from guardian recovery saying if they take payment from my wife then they will be liable for the fees. I have been getting daily calls from then which i don't answer anymore and several emails a day. One email stated that they would be calling round to my house or place of work to make a list of assets that will be seized if i don't pay. I know this is a bunch of b.s without a ccj Several emails have threatened Bankruptcy/winding up proceedings. Again b.s and completely disproportionate to the level of debt. The last week i have been getting letters from a solicitor from Leighton Croft & Partners which is a trading style of Guardian Recover Limited. The first said i have 7 days to pay or "you will have to stand before a judge and explain your actions" lol. I got another on Monday with 7 days to pay, then i got one this morning saying that's it we are putting in court papers today. Yes these guys are terrible at maths to. The debt is also £183.9 now but i have had no mention of fees and i'm pretty sure the solicitor named on the email isn't even a solicitor. So all in all I'm getting some good laughs from them but also getting fed up of the threats and wondering what action i can take. My wife is willing to ring up the vet in the morning and pay but they won't accept payment from her. BTW these people are the same people as Clear Debt Solutions.

ASA Ruling on Guardian Recovery Ltd Guardian Recovery Ltd 4 Tustin Court Port Way Preston PR2 2YQ Date: 30 December 2015 Media: Facsimile, Internet (on own site) Sector: Financial Number of complaints: 1 Agency: None Complaint Ref: A15-309515 Background Summary of Council decision: Two issues were investigated, both of which were Upheld. Ad Two ads for Guardian Recovery Ltd, a debt collection agency: a. A fax received on 28 August 2014 stated "We will collect: overdue accounts, bounced cheques, bad debts. We will: enforce County Court Judgments, trace absconded debtors, credit check potential clients. We offer a guaranteed, fully-inclusive debt recovery service. 110% Money Back Guarantee... Nobody can do more to collect your debt and that's GUARANTEED". b. A claim on the "Services" tab of http://www.guardrec.co.uk, Guardian Recovery's website, seen in July 2015, stated "...The services of our Legal Team can be utilised without incurring the often unnecessary expenses of a separate firm of solicitors or a barrister". For further reading....... https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2015/12/Guardian-Recovery-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_309515.aspx#.VoO4xbaLQgs

Hi, My stepson has received a demand from the above company for £1200, in respect of private dental fees incurred for treatment recieved in September last year ,and has asked me for help. He is 44 years old,long term unemployed due to both mental and medical issues. He states that he actually owes £805 and thought that his benefits would cover it, which of course they would'nt. Apparently he agreed with the dental practice to pay in monthly instalments, but has defaulted on these so now the practice is taking action, but I'm not sure that they have gone about it the right way for the following reasons:- 1.He has recieved no written bill or final demand. 2.They have not informed him in writing of any pending action. 3.GUARDIAN RECOVERY LTD have not shown how the original £805 has become £1200,merely stating"collection charges and interest". The £805 is not disputed,and I can pay that at the end of the month,but any advice on dealing with GUARDIAN would be appreciated

Black Triangle fighting our corner:whoo: This document is only up till 14:00 today guys, have a read and sign if you agree. It can be busy so keep trying. https://docs.google.com/document/d/16-3bDKutlRI4xquhNgbAszo3U-p5ma2CdB1Dd8n08q8/preview?sle=true

Hi there, I'm enquiring on behalf of my Grandparents. I'll keep this short and to the point. They were "forced" to take out an assurance policy with above co. with their mortgage, despite having an endowment mortgage. They paid a premium each month from 1985 to 1994. The FA at the bank (Barclays) said they had to have this insurance otherwise they could not remortgage, even though the mortgage had the same level of cover anyway. My Grandmother has enquired with GRE if they would have paid out aswell as the endowment, their answer was NO! meaning they have paid for something totally useless. Its not PPI as such, more a life policy, can they claim it back? How do I use the calculator? (in simpleton terms please) do I have to work out the interest on each individual payment (their interest was 14.25% pa) or if I put in the start date and todays date and the premium, will it tell me what the interest was and we use that figure? THEN add on the 8% ??? I'm a bit stuck at what to do, sorry :/ If there is anything you want to know to be able to help me better please ask, I was avoiding turning this post into War & Peace Thanks in advance Heidi

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/video/2012/aug/01/wonga-loan-chief-executive-video?INTCMP=SRCH Errol Damelin, co-founder and chief executive of Wonga, talks to the Guardian's deputy editor Ian Katz about lending money to vulnerable people; the nature of payday loans; why his company is able to lend money to people on benefits; and his reaction to Amelia Gentleman's March 2012 article about his company

Thanks Martin for the links, since this news broke I've been wondering how this has affected me as I have a Libor linked secured loan. The grauniad article helps to answering this. So on balance it probably didn't affect home owners much. Another BBC article suggests that while Barclays were trying to manipulate Libor, they weren't very good at it, and at most only managed to massage it a few basis points each way.