Debt Managers Ltd Edinburgh

[KER]

They wrote to me regarding a debt with Littlewoods Home Shopping Group. I wrote to them on 15 June 2008 with the standard CCA request letter (thanks to this site!) enclosing my £1 postal order and sending it recorded delivery.

 

Debt Managers Ltd acknowledged the letter and said the information had been requested.

 

This morning (25 July 20088) I have received a letter from Littlewoods stating:

 

"We refer to a recent request for a copy of your agreement.

 

Unfortunately we are unable to locate a copyu of an executed agreeemnt, but for your information we enclose a copy of the current agreement which applied to this type of account. This version includes all contractual variations which have taken place.

 

According to our records, the account was opened on 04/05/2000. You agreed to make payments every 28 days. The outstanding balance is currently £5440. Our records show that £0 in payments have been made within the last 12 months.

 

If a third party is acting for you, please pass a copy of this letter to your representative."

 

 

Can anyone advise next steps please?

Edited July 25, 2008 by Kyr

[Guest forgottenone]

I wrote to them on 15 June 2005 with the standard CCA request letter (thanks to this site!) enclosing my £1 postal order and sending it recorded delivery.

 

That a typo? Just asking.

[KER]

Edited to correct date typo!

[Pinky69]

They don't have a properly executed agreement so the debt is unenforceable. Tell Littlewoods that in view of this they are not entitled to ask for any further payment on a disputed account and as far as you are concerned the matter is now closed.

[KER]

They don't have a properly executed agreement so the debt is unenforceable. Tell Littlewoods that in view of this they are not entitled to ask for any further payment on a disputed account and as far as you are concerned the matter is now closed.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Are there any standard letters for this purpose that you know of?

[Multay]

Something like this???

 

I think you will have to ammend a few bits and probably add that you now consider the matter closed and want confirmation in writing of this but it might do the trick...

 

Dear Sirs,

 

 

Account no xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ACCOUNT IN DISPUTE

 

 

Re: my request under the Consumer Credit Act 1974

 

 

Thank you for your letter dated **********, the contents of which are noted

 

You attention is drawn to the fact that this account is subject to a serious dispute. On xx/xx/2007 I requested ********supply me a copy of the credit agreement covering this account pursuant to the Consumer Credit Act 1974 section 78. To date ******** have failed to comply with my request and have totally ignored my written reminders sent via recorded delivery of this fact. Without production of the said agreement I am unable to assess if I am indeed liable for any alleged debt to you or *******, nor does it give me any chance to evaluate whether any original agreement was ‘properly executed’ as required by the Consumer Credit Act 1974

 

 

For the avoidance of any doubt I have included section 78(1) and 78(6) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, which states…

 

78 Duty to give information to debtor under running-account credit agreement

(1) The creditor under a regulated agreement for running-account credit, within the prescribed period after receiving a request in writing to that effect from the debtor and payment of a fee of [£1], shall give the debtor a copy of the executed agreement (if any) and of any other document referred to in it, together with a statement signed by or on behalf of the creditor showing, according to the information to which it is practicable for him to refer,—

(a) the state of the account, and

(b) the amount, if any, currently payable under the agreement by the debtor to the creditor, and

© the amounts and due dates of any payments which, if the debtor does not draw further on the account, will later become payable under the agreement by the debtor to the creditor.

(6) If the creditor under an agreement fails to comply with subsection (1)—

(a) he is not entitled, while the default continues, to enforce the agreement; and

(b) if the default continues for one month he commits an offence.

 

 

 

Clearly as no agreement was supplied on request, this in no way complies with the requirements of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and I now draw your attention to section 78 subsection 6 which states If the creditor under an agreement fails to comply with subsection (1) he is not entitled, while the default continues, to enforce the agreement;

 

Clearly this is a situation as described in s78(6) Consumer Credit Act 1974 and the debt is unenforceable at this time. In addition, I draw your attention to section 127 (3) Consumer Credit Act 1974 which states

 

127(3) The court shall not make an enforcement order under section 65(1) if section 61(1)(a)(signing of agreements) was not complied with unless a document (whether or not in the prescribed form and complying with regulations under section 60(1)) itself containing all the prescribed terms of the agreement was signed by the debtor or hirer (whether or not in the prescribed manner).

 

This is backed by case law from the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (House of Lords) the highest court in the land. Your attention is drawn to the authority of the House of Lords in Wilson-v- FCT [2003] All ER (D) 187 (Jul) which confirms that where a document does not contain the required terms under the consumer credit act 1974 the agreement cannot be enforced.

 

 

To clarify s61(1) states

 

(1)A regulated agreement is not properly executed unless—

 

(a) a document in the prescribed form itself containing all the prescribed terms and conforming to regulations under section 60(1) is signed in the prescribed manner both by the debtor or hirer and by or on behalf of the creditor or owner, and

(b) the document embodies all the terms of the agreement, other than implied terms, and

© The document is, when presented or sent to the debtor or hirer for signature, in such a state that all its terms are readily legible

 

In addition the prescribed terms referred to in section 60 CCA1974 are contained in schedule 6 column 2 of the Consumer Credit (Agreements) Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/1553) and are inter alia: - A term stating the credit limit or the manner in which it will be determined or that there is no credit limit, A term stating the rate of any interest on the credit to be provided under the agreement and A term stating how the debtor is to discharge his obligations under the agreement to make the repayments, which may be expressed by reference to a combination of any of the following—

 

1.Number of repayments;

2.Amount of repayments;

3.Frequency and timing of repayments;

4.Dates of repayments;

5.The manner in which any of the above may be determined; or in any other way, and any power of the creditor to vary what is payable

 

 

Therefore based upon the Consumer Credit Act 1974 this debt as it stands is unenforceable and should this proceed to litigation, a court is precluded from making an enforcement order under section 127(3) unless a true copy of the signed agreement is produced..

 

At the point where this account entered into the default situation as described in s78 (6) CCA 1974 no other charges are allowed to be added until such time as ********* become compliant with my request. As ****** are still not in compliance with my request I insist that the following takes place with immediate effect

• All charges levied since ******** 2008 be removed from the account and further charges cease until such time as ******* comply fully with my original request or such time as a court makes an enforcement order
  
• All entries which refer to missed payments be removed from my credit file
  
• All collection activities by your company cease with immediate effect until ******** comply with my request from ********* 2008 or such time as a court makes an enforcement order
  

In addition, I draw your attention to the Office of Fair Trading’s guidance on debt collection

 

The OFT guidance which was issued July 2003 (updated December 2006) relating to debt collections and what the OFT considers unfair, I have enclosed an excerpt from page 5 of the guidance which states

 

2.6 Examples of unfair practices are as follows:

 

h. Ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment

 

What I Require.

 

I require that you send me a true copy of the executed agreement as required by the Consumer Credit Act 1974. If you are unable to supply the requested documentation because no such agreement is in existence I require written clarification as such.

 

I require that you comply with my request within 7 days of the date of this letter. I will not correspond any further with you until I either receive a copy of the requested documents as laid down in section 78(1) CCA 74 or clarification that such agreement doesn’t exist. I am advised that should you persist in pursuing this debt ignoring the above information you will be in breach of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 section 40 as well

 

No other correspondence will be accepted

 

Furthermore, I draw your attention to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, should you persist in trying to coerce me to pay a debt which remains unsubstantiated, I shall regard this practice as being a clear intentional breach of the regulations and my understanding is that you will be committing an offence which I shall report to the Office of Fair Trading and request that they consider a prosecution against your company and also it will have an adverse affect upon your fitness to hold a Consumer Credit Licence

 

 

 

Should you attempt litigation to recover this alleged debt, it will be vigorously defended and the failure to supply documentation under the CCA 1974 is a complete defence to any legal action and your actions will be vexatious and unlawful

 

I trust this out lines the situation

 

Regards

[KER]

Thank you for your help

[Multay]

You're Welcome - Can't take credit for it though, someone much cleverer than me wrote it, I just borrowed it ...Just hope it helps

Edited July 28, 2008 by Multay
Rubbish Spelling...;0)

[KER]

Just an update - DML have closed their file and returned the account to Littlewoods !

 

OOh.. I wonder where it will go next

[maroondevo52]

Always a good result, getting it back to the OC.

[KER]

Was thanks to all you wonderful people at this site

[noomill060]

kyr-

 

I was battling DM two years ago. (Barclaycard) Constant phone calls etc.

 

Even agreed a small payment plan. Then I found this site.

 

Sent CCA request and stopped paying after 12 day working days.

 

Never heard from them again, but from internal documants recieved as a SAR to Barclaycard, I learned that they meekly handed the account back to Bcard within a few days of recieving my CCA request.

 

For a useful thread on Littlewoods, check out PT2537's threads.

[Mrs_Ryan]

Yay, well done you!!

 

I dispatched them for my mate with a similar letter. Was a bit disappointed they gave up so easily though!!!!!!!!