Halifax - interest unfrozen- help!

[flower5]

Thank you Fred.

Can I ask, did you pay them anything at all?

 

Meanwhile this is the letter I recieved from Halifax:

Our current fixed payment arrangement guidelines ....

if your offer is less than 1% of the outstanding balance, we will assist you with an informal arrangement with reduced or token payments for up to 6 months on the account. If you financial situation remains unchanged following a review after 6 months, we may refer your account to our recovery team who will assist you with long-term debt repayment solution, with the added benefit of permanent suspension of interest. This involves the registration of a default and enables the payments you make to directly reduce the outstanding debt.

If your offer exceeds 1% of the outstanding balance or £10 whichever is greater, we will assist you with a formal arrangement with reduced repayments for 12 months on the account. Only one formal arrangment is permited in the lifetime of each account, therefore the maximum time permitted with no interestapplied is 12 months.

 

I just received last stament. Interest for last month £187.93; next month estimated £ 161.21.

[Fred Bassett]

Thank you Fred.

Can I ask, did you pay them anything at all?

 

Meanwhile this is the letter I recieved from Halifax:

Our current fixed payment arrangement guidelines ....

if your offer is less than 1% of the outstanding balance, we will assist you with an informal arrangement with reduced or token payments for up to 6 months on the account. If you financial situation remains unchanged following a review after 6 months, we may refer your account to our recovery team who will assist you with long-term debt repayment solution, with the added benefit of permanent suspension of interest. This involves the registration of a default and enables the payments you make to directly reduce the outstanding debt.

If your offer exceeds 1% of the outstanding balance or £10 whichever is greater, we will assist you with a formal arrangement with reduced repayments for 12 months on the account. Only one formal arrangment is permited in the lifetime of each account, therefore the maximum time permitted with no interestapplied is 12 months.

 

I just received last stament. Interest for last month £187.93; next month estimated £ 161.21.

 

Flower, I haven't paid them anything since December last year. As far as I'm concerned the account is in dispute. Oddly enough, It was the Halifax and their attempts to raise my payments, which made me pull out of a debt management plan and go it alone. I couldn't do anything at all while I was paying things through the CCCS and I was so frustrated about it that I cancelled the plan and stopped paying certain creditors - those who couldn't provide properly-executed agreements.

 

It's ironic then, that if the Halifax had not pushed me in this way I would probably still be paying them. As it is now they can shove it where the sun don't shine. What I can tell you however, is that I was in a debt management plan for 2 years with the CCCS and during that time, I did not increase my payments, nor did Halifax charge me any interest. They can stop it if they wish, but they are just trying to put the pressure on.

 

Here's the letter I mentioned earlier:

 

Regards.

 

Fred

[flower5]

I looked through a few websites on debt management and sent them a letter (below)yesterday by recorded delivery together with my financial statement. They keep ringing me on my mobile and work number but I said that I will record conversation if they ring at work one more time and they stopped. If they are not going accept this offer I will stop my payments and invite themto take me to court. Full Stop!!!

Senior Collections Manager

Halifax HBOS Plc

PO Box 607

Trinity Road

Halifax

HX1 2RG

Reference Account 0000000000

I am writing to you to inform that my financial situation has changed. I enclosed the Personal Budget sheet for your attention.

I am sorry that you feel unable to accept the offer of temporary reduced payments to my account. I am also sorry that you feel unable to suspend the interest charges on the above account.

I find it unreasonable that you feel it necessary to threaten me that you will apply additional charges to the account, and I would point out that this will not assist me in my present financial difficulties, and can only serve to increase my total debt and make the situation worse.

The majority of my other creditors have indicated their agreement to the offer made to them, subject to the sight of my financial Budget Statement, and also agreed to suspend any interest charges still accruing. I have commenced payments to them.

As you are aware, I have already paid considerable sums in interest to my account. If interest charges continue, the monthly instalments I am paying will not even cover that interest. Also, the cooperation of our other creditors who have agreed to freeze interest already would be put at risk.

I cannot offer you more because I can only afford £00.00 per month between all my creditors, and it would be wrong to cease or reduce payments to my other creditors in favour of your company. The offer made to you is on a pro rata basis, as used by the county court.

I have enclosed a copy of my financial Budget Statement prepared by National Debt Line on my behalf, and would therefore be grateful if you would reconsider your decision “not to consider my repayment offer and freeze the interest on the account.” In the light of my other creditors agreeing, please would you reconsider my offer?

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Sincerely

[balloon1435]

Top tip,

 

If they keep calling you on your mobile, pick up a new sim card (free in lots of places) and inform them of the new number. Take a call from them then ditch the sim card.

 

Ultimately, if you have requested they stop calling you and they continue regardless; keep a log of the call take the name of the operator (get employment role number if possible) and hang up. By keeping the log you can report them to FSA or OFT for breach of contract I believe.

 

In my plight with MBNA, I listed over 40 text messages, nearly 100 calls and a handfull of pretty postcards "all illegal mind-you" in a letter and I had a response back within 3 days, sort of saying sorry.

 

Unfortunately I did miss speaking to them as they are so helpful in the customer services department;) oh how I miss you guys....

 

balloon1435

[Fred Bassett]

Personally, I've only just got to the point where I've made the harassment complaint to them. I've been having a bit of fun with them though - usually just by pressing the answer button on my mobile and leaving them to talk to thin air, or by shouting down the 'phone and pretending to be a bit deaf.

 

Fred

[flower5]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I am going to keep log of calls from now on and will send them latter on phone harassment.

[balloon1435]

Thats the ticket,

 

Dont thing your doing wrong here, you have consumer rights and these muppets need reminding.

 

Keeping an exact log is extremely important.

 

If I could give you something to laugh at, I am now getting letters from MBNA recommending me for a Platinum credit card (I`m a cherished customer now) Mmmm what should I do ?????

[Dollydoo]

Hi, I had credit card with Halifax and have an ongoing complaint at the moment. I just thought I'd let you know that they they froze interest on my account for almost three years.

[flower5]

Wow!!! Dolly how did you manage to make them do it for you. I am

hustled over this card you will not imagine how much. Although I sent them all my letters (by recorded delivery) I am still a bit in deep thoughts but determine that they will not get it out of me this time.

[balloon1435]

Any more news flower5?

 

 

balloon1435

[flower5]

Hi everybody. I am back; sorry for silence – was stack with domestic problems.

Things are moving on.

After my last letter and the offer of £4 as a manageable for me monthly repayment amount I received a letter from Senior Collections Manager stating that they are accepted my offer £40 ( which was the money shared between ALL my creditors). They reviewed my individual circumstances and I am apparently qualified for INFORMAL arrangement but reduced interest rate of 12.69% will be applied to my account anyway. Further more, it says that if by September my circumstances will not change I will be referred to a recovery team who will organise a long-term debt repayment solution with permanently suspended interest.

What a greedy lot!!! First: they haven’t even bothered reading my letter and just saw first amount and went ahead with it. Second: even if I pay £40 a month I will gain another £450 will interest charges by September.

TOUGH!! I am not giving up. I have just written another letter asking them to put their spectacles on and bother to read all of it. I will pay £4 this month but if I receive another statement with the interest charged that will be IT. Full stop and I do not care – they can take me to court.

By the way; about phone calls. My tactic: then they call and ask to confirm my personal information – I say that I am not giving my personal details over the phone to somebody I do not know. Work every time!

[harrythehawk]

Don't forget to remind them for your CCA too, they seem to be conveniently forgetting this, you are right that they won't read your letter, or will at least ignore it, so why waste the ink or your time, you have done as much as you can ?? I think their reponse is to keep pushing you and they know this. So, why not push them on the CCA request instead, this is the key to you getting control of this situation and establishing how far they can actually go with this ie not to court.

[Fred Bassett]

Harry, am I right in saying that they can't continue to add interest while this is in dispute? - which it will be if they haven't satisfied the CCA request.

Regards.

Fred

[flower5]

Hi Harry

I will send my letter - giving them a last chance and I guess myself too and if nothing changes I will not bother to waste my ink and CCa will go in next.

[harrythehawk]

I don't know if they are supposed to, certainly they are not supposed to chase for payment whilst a balance is in dispute. On all of the different accounts I have dealt with interest has continued and indeed is continuing, obviously I will take this into account if and when I deal with them as they can't enforce the debt no matter how much interest they pile on, this is why the question of the existence of a properly executed CCA is so important.