Help - AIC chasing a Lloyds CCJ

[dilbert1]

I could really use some advise please, about good old AIC chasing a CCJ which Lloyds got years ago.

It's actually taken me a while to write this post, 'coz of the worry it's causing me - just didn't want to confront it in some ways.

AICs attitude has really ****ed me off now though, so I want to get this dealt with once and for all!

 

My story:

Many years ago, I had a Lloyds credit card, which I was paying back as normal. Then, I had a car crash, was off work for a few months, and then on my first day back, was made redundant...nice...

 

I'd already been claiming on the card insurance for the sickness period, so I got that claim changed to a redundancy one, which worked for a while (but eventually ran out).

 

At that point, I couldn't pay them, so buried my head in the proverbial sand. To cut a long story short, SC&M got a CCJ against me for the amount outstanding, at £100 / month.

 

I ignored that, and SC&M got an enforcement order against me, so I ended up with the court bailiff on the doorstep (who was really helpful!). I managed to scrape together the £150 he was asking for, and he told me how to contact the court to get the amount reduced, 'coz I was on benefits etc. Ended up with the court saying I should pay £10/month, which was fine by me.

 

The problems then really got interesting...I could never pay SC&M. I'd phone them up to ask them how to pay, and they'd say they can't take a payment by phone (???) so would have to send a cheque/PO each month for £10. I started doing that, but they never cashed the cheques, claiming they'd never received them.

 

So a few months pass, and they get another enforcement against me, same as before. This has happened a few times. So I call bailiff, they pop round, I give them the money, we have a chat (one of them is cute and chatty!), and we're all happy.

 

Bailiff actually tries to help me deal with this - they call SC&M, who say they'll send a payment book (which has never arrived), but for the months payment, I should just send a cheque in.....I write it there and then, and the bailiff comes with me to the postbox, and sees me post it. SC&M later claim that they still havn't had any payments from me. I even offer to pay the bailiff at the court each month, but apparently they can't do that - they can only act on enforcement orders).

 

(sorry this is such a long story - not much further to go)

 

So, 3 or 4 weeks ago, I get a letter from AIC, saying that I owe £xxxx for this account. Demand payment there and then, and say they're considering bankruptcy payments. No way I can pay them the amount we're after, so nothing is resolved then.

 

Not sure if they're just collecting the debt, or if they've bought it of SC&M (can you actually buy a CCJ? - Don't know).

 

Letters keep coming, then another phone call from them two weeks ago, from the same person (very aggresive, nasty guy), who says then can offer a full and final settlement, (which worked out at about 60-70% of the debt, I think), provided I pay there and then. Tell him again there's no way I can do that. He asks if I can borrow some money from a friend or family member. In an attempt to get him off the phone, I tell him I might be able to (even though there's no way I can in reality), but I'd need to get back to him in a week, which he agrees to. Didn't phone back, 'coz the thought of talking to him at all scared me (sounds silly, I know, but he was that unpleasant).

 

He's phoned me a few times since, and I've always just ignored the phone - again, just too worried to talk to them about this).

 

I've got no problem with paying the £10/month, but I'd rather pay it straight to SC&M, not AIC. In any case, there's no way AIC are going to accept that sort of figure, they want everything, and have no interest in installments).

 

I'm not working at the moment (recently made redundant again!), so really can't afford more than £10/month anyway.

 

What are my options here? I'd really like to tell AIC to 'go away', so I can answer my phone again. As normal, I have missed a few of the £10/month installments (probably 8 or 10?), so guess I'd need to pay them (which I can do with the last of my redundancy pay).

 

Just started the process of claiming bank CC charges for the credit card - not sure how much they will amount to though, as I suspect a lot of them will be older than 6 years, but I'm hoping I could use some of that money (if there is any younger than 6 years) to pay a chunk or all of this CCJ off.

 

Please help - I'm especially concerned about the bankruptcy threat - that is something I've battled to avoid over the last few years, and finally getting back onto my feet.

[Wikkitt]

Hi

 

CCJ's should not be sold on, you should send them a letter telling them this is a CCJ, they will then have to accept the amount that was agreed by the court.

 

Lloyds have sold on other CCJ's to AIC, they sold my mums one onto them when she informed them it was a CCJ they were quite shocked that this has been sold to them and agreed to keep the payments at the amount the courts had agreed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Wikkitt

[dilbert1]

That's good to hear; I'll get a letter in the post to them tomorrow then.

Many thanks - feeling a bit more assured now.