Welcome - offered 25% settlement discount?!

[dfitz24]

Hi, I currently have a HP agreement with Welcome finance and have been looking over these forums with great interest recently especially with regards to their charges as I believe I have been hammered by them.

Three weeks ago I was in the local office making a payment towards my account and I gave them a written request to cancel the Payment Protection Insurance (£25 a month). As with others I was informed that this wouldn't reduce my monthly payment, just the amount owed and therefor the term of the agreement. Not exactly happy with that but thats the way it is apparently.

 

Today I had a call to confirm that I would be going into the office to make my next payment at the end of the week (charged £10 for the call too I expect). I enquired as to my request for the cancellation of the PPI as I had not heard anything at all back. All I received was a nondescript response along the lines of they'll look into it, but if anything hasn't happened then they'll just get me to write another cancellation request out when I'm in the office friday!? All just seems wrong to me.

 

sorry.. kind of gone off my own topic here....!

 

Final interesting part to this phone call was that they then told me they were in a position to offer a 25% discount if I were to settle the account (I still have about a year to run on the agreement). To be honest I do have arrears and the account is not in the greatest of shape. It seems strange that they would offer me of all people a discounted early settlement. I informed them that I was in no position to stump up the settlement total now. The guy then proceeded with 'aaahhh.......well......ermmmm.... how about next month? the offers there'.

Almost seemed like they were desperate in trying to get some cash now, maybe I misinterpreted it but thats how it came across to me.

 

Has anyone else been offered discounted settlements? Is it normal practice? More to the point... are they having financial difficulties?

[sillygirl1]

Tell them you would be interested if it was 75% discout, they are desparate for cash so make sure you get a proper receipt...