Provident :(

[avocados]

Hi

 

Foolishly me and my partner took out provident loans last year for a total of £500 (£200+£300), I know the interest is shocking but we were stuck and desperate at the time. I was never given any paperwork when taking out the loan but just the collection books thats it.

 

We are currently about 6 weeks in arrears, I have not been able to pay them the weekly amount because I have more important things to pay like me being in mortgage arrears, etc. I work the night they come around to collect so I tell my partner to go out as she hates dealing with stuff like this on her own and will panic if they demand money from her.

 

Today I received a phone call from the area manager who was quite rude on the phone, I told him I don't have any money but he said he would be sending the agent around anyway to collect it, I said he'd be wasting his time as I am skint and will be at work too that night and he said that they are still coming around to fetch the arrears at an unexpected time and this is even though its a complete waste of time as we won't have a penny for them and all it will acheive is to frighten my girlfriend.

 

Due to me being in the brown stuff with a lot of companies I have had to take on a second job to try keep the roof above our heads and I am nearly always out at work, I would have no problem dealing with the agant or manager if they came around but it will be my girlfriend home alone when they do and she will probably end up in tears as she hates confrontation.

 

What do you advise I do about stopping them keep visiting every week and this unexpected visit? And what should I do about the money owed as I have far more important people to pay than them!?

Edited January 28, 2010 by avocados
spelling!

[alfwithhair]

If the loans are in your name then they have no business with your girlfreind, they would be breaching the data protection act by even discussing it with her.

 

If they call and ask for you, get her to say, sorry not in, you will have to call back and shut the door, end of.

 

If they refuse to go and they intimidate your girlfreind in any way get her to call the Police.

 

Provident are basically legalise loan sharks and can use very intimidating methods to get their money, (been there, got the t-shirt)

If you have got nothing, then they can have nothing. They threaten court action but it never happens, they don't want their exstortionate interest rate and dubious practices aired in a public court.

 

You say you have no paperwork? Did you ever sign anything when you received the money?

[avocados]

There is a loan of £300 in my name and £200 in hers, sorry I should have explained better.

 

I remember filling in an application form on which I probably signed for it but all we were given from them were the collection books nothing else.

 

On the books it gives the interest calcultions at 254.5% but I have learnt from my mistake of never go to these types of people no matter how desperate I am in the future.

 

In the phone call earlier he threatened of passing me onto their 'court procedure department' I hope they do do this and a judge gets to see the below...

 

My loan is £300 + £225 charge for credit = £525 over 50 weeks @ 254.5%

Her loan is £200 + £150 credit = £350 over 50 weeks @ 254.5%

 

I have just listened to another message from the area manager on the home answer phone to the girlfriend, no threats of a visit on it for her but it will frighten her still when she listens to it.

 

Need to know how to proceed from here with regards to if they do turn up when I am not in what shall I tell my girlfriend do cos she will be scared and panic, or even better stopping phone calls/weekly collection visit/unexpected visits altogether?

 

Also what I should do about the money owed as trying my best to keep the mortgage company happy is my priorty not some legalised loan shark?

Edited January 28, 2010 by avocados
more spelling

[PGH7447]

The Consumer Forums - Debt collectors

 

template 3 print it off send one copy to them and keep one by the door if someone turns up hand it to them and shut the door

[Huff&Puff]

Send them a CCA request. If, as you say, there is no agreement, then they won't be able to send you one. After 12+2 days, you can just write and tell them that as they have not complied with your request the account is in dispute. And that is them stuffed, they cannot take any enforcement ction until such time as they come up with a valid agreement.

 

CCA Request Letter:

 

http://www.consumerforums.com/resources/templates-library/86-debt-collectors/581-cca-request-letter

[avocados]

Thankyou for the above.

 

I bet a cca does exist as it was only last year but they just never gave me a copy

 

I will send both letters off recorded delivery tomorrow.

 

The manager on the phone says that someone will be coming around tomorrow though so they won't receive it before then. I'll print off an extra copy and do what PGH7447 says to hand it to them when (if) they turn up

 

Thanks again

[The GodMother]

If your girlfriend is on her own she can refuse to open the door. That way they cant talk to her.

 

If they come and you are there then hand them the piece of paper tell them everything i writing and thats that.

[Moonrose]

Seems Provident operate differently in some areas.

 

I'm on my second loan with Provident, after paying off the first one on time, all the time.

 

The agent I have, we've become quite good friends outside of Provident.

 

Chatting one night she told me that if ever we experience financial difficulties and can't make the payments, they will reduce the payments to an mutually agreed amount until we were on our feet again. She said the reason they do this is they don't like to lose customers (with 272% APR, little wonder!) but they don't like people who avoid paying through financial difficulties.

 

So, it would seem that if anyone has a Provi loan, if you fall on hard times, you need to tell them straightaway.

 

Not sticking up for Provident because they are loan sharks who prey on people with nowhere else to turn but I can only say as I find and they've been OK with us. Will add that we've never missed a payment with them yet.

[The GodMother]

Yes sometime they are good but others they are awful.

 

I remember when l was in hosptial dueing the time l was pregnant with my son. If l had had a fall l would go up there. Once l was kept in for 5 days and the manager was comming round screaming abuse at windows and threw the letter box. One of the neighbours told her l was on the mat ward at the hospital and she stormed onto the ward demanded to see me and when the staff refused to show her to my bed she started giving abuse to them. Was formally removed on serveral occassions due to the abuse. 3 times a day for 3 days.

 

No appology was told l should have discharged myself to pay her. i paid double the following week and a formal complaint in writing to head office who said she had every write to try and obtain payment and that the company would advise her that her ways need changing. SHe never did change and even tried it on on other occassions.

 

Needless to say the hospital and l compained and she was removed from her job as l refused to make payment till l felt safe.

 

Still to this day, my son is 6, l have never had an appology out of the company or her. Just a letter saying that she had right to try and obtain payment by what ever methods she felt necessary.

[Moonrose]

Goes to show how two agents can be poles apart.

 

If I fell ill, my agent would be the first to be asking if there was anything I needed, could she get my shopping etc.

 

She's the type that is an asset to her company. Shame a lot of them are not:(

[The GodMother]

I had no probs with my main agent but its just when she was off, which did happen a few time due to her having kids etc, and the manager would take her round that the problems were. I made sure the weeks when l new l may miss her l would inform her, u know scan dates midwife/drs appointments. She would allways come the same day just no set time. SOme times it would be 9am other 7pm.

 

The Manager would always be a pain and she demanded l missed appointments to sit in waiting for her or tell them l have to see them on other days. Which could not be done as my midwife worked in certain areas certain days andthe same with the anti natal scans etc as they are only done on set days.

 

I did get another loan from them but that has not been paid since we moved in 2005.

[Moonrose]

One disturbing thing, The Godmother is that Lowlife (Lowells) are in cahoots with Provident now. See my thread Lowells - and Provident:mad:

[The GodMother]

Oh l know but they would be stupid to try it on with me as l would just ignore them. i have been here nearly 6 years so it is SB soon. ANyway dont you think if they were interested in chasing me they would have attempted to by know. I have been on the electrol role since moving here and there is not a record of it on my CF. Also there policy for contacting CRAs and DCAs is pretty new cause l am sure in 2003 they did not do that sort of thing as they were giving loans to plenty of ppl i know who should have been refused. one neighbour had just been made bankrupt, had been home from courts no more that 30 mins l was with her, when they offered her £500 in cash or vouchers. She took it no questions asked.

[Moonrose]

They're still the same. It's Lowell's who have got in on the act. The legality of what Lowell's are doing is dodgy to say the least.

 

Likewise, if they were going to have taken my husband to Court, Lowells would have done that years ago instead of threatening. They know they don't have a leg to stand on but this thing they've got going with Provident now is certainly a new twist on things.

 

Very sneaky.

 

Can't understand Provident being so stupid as to go in with them. I'm sure they'll lose a lot of good paying customers because of it.

[alfwithhair]

Mackensie Hall have also started passing some of their lemons on to provident for collection, but then what do expect from the likes of a company with the morals of a alley cat

[selinajayne]

my weekly payments for provident were £84 a week but since my husband lost his job i can only afford £15 a week whcih they are fine with. as long as you pay something it usually keeps them off your back. It does however mean you loan term will go on for much longer

[maybelline]

provident agents usually tell customers that if you dont pay them they do not get paid and use heavy guilt tripping tactics

[Moonrose]

Our Provi lady has never said anything like that. I think I must be lucky with her, but then we're two of a kind - we both call a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel

[avocados]

I sent both a CCA request and a Door step call/telephone letter to them on 29/1 by recorded delivery.

 

Using royal mails track and trace online neither have still been signed for yet.

 

Don't know if its royal mails fault and 2 more lost letters or is it provident refusing to sign for it because they know what it is?

 

What do I do? Still prepare to send them the follow up letter because the time 12 + 2 has almost pased (next tuesday)?

[The GodMother]

you could always email RM and check that they have been recieved quoting the tracking ref number.

 

How did u pay for the CCA?

[avocados]

How did u pay for the CCA?

 

 

Postal order

[The GodMother]

have you tried checking with the telephone number on you recipt to see if it has been cashed. They are traceable like checks

[avocados]

I'll give them a call then about the postal order.

 

The online tracking says that my letter is still being processed for delivery and is on the way to them though. And after i tried to make a complaint it said royal mail don't regard a letter as lost until 15 working days

[avocados]

I also find it stranfge that I sent 2 seperate letters and neither have arrived yet

[The GodMother]

the thing is it can take time to get the info to the comp also if thou they are not ment to companys tend to bulk sign for letters which means any RD letters are bundled together and they just put a } then they sign next to that.