multiple debts with DCA's

[jankah]

Hi,

I am very new to this forum so I hope this is not a completely daft question. I have a number of debts ( CC's, personal loan, catalogs, store cards- all spiralled out of control due to sudden unemployment) - most of these are now with DCA's. I have come to reduced payment arrangements with all these DCA's. All have issued defaults about 2-3 years ago but none threatened court action as I honour the arrangements. Some of these debts have been assigned to 2 or three agencies already and in fairness I have lost track a bit what debt is what and how much each debt actually is. Is it worth asking for CCA and full statement of each account or would that just make the situation worse?

If the DCA's are then unable to produce CCA, do i still carry on paying them the reduced payments?

 

Thanks very much for your help.

[cerberusalert]

Moved to Debt Collection Forum

[harrassed senior]

Welcome, my suggestion would be to send a CCA request to each 'current' DCA. If or when you receive replies, open a seperate thread on here for each one and we can proceed from there. I would suggest that at present you should keep making the agreed payments to each one.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...request-letter.

[Bazooka Boo]

The agreed payments, are they what YOU told them YOU could pay, or are they what THEY TOLD you to pay??

 

If you get a copy of your Credit File (CRF) then that should flag up, who is collecting and what amount they state is owed.

[jankah]

The reduced payments ( anything from £1.00 to £10.00 pm) are payments I have offered based on my Income and Expenditure. They have been in place for 2 years or so and during regular reviews of the accounts the DCA's asked me to increase them. Some of them increased by £2 - £3 pm some stayed the same depending how pushy the DCA was.

[ims21]

Also, you might consider whether there are unlawful cc charges and/or PPI that you can reclaim on your loans and credit cards

 

ims

[jankah]

Thank you for your replies. I cannot remember if there was any PPI taken on the loans but I think they charged PPI on CC's automatically. If i wanted to reclaim these, how would i do that? Do i just write to the relevant creditor to tell them that i want to reclaim these charges?

[ims21]

Do you have all the statements for your loans and credit cards?

 

If not you will have to fire of a SAR to each of the companies to get all the information they hold on you. Each SAR will cost you £10 and they will yield all information the company holds on you relating to their dealings with them, including all the statements. They will have 40 days to comply with your request.

 

When you have all of your statements you can then start putting your claim(s) together.

 

In the meantime, as previously advised, carry on making minimum payments in an amount that YOU dictate, NOT what they tell you to make.

 

ims

[ims21]

Oh, and by the way, never deal with DCAs on the phone.....eveything in writing and keep copies

 

ims

[Bazooka Boo]

I cannot remember if there was any PPI taken on the loans but I think they charged PPI on CC's automatically.

 

Check your statements and see if they are charging you PPI.

 

It is unlikely they would charge PPI automatically on CC's but nothing will surprise me!

 

ALL charges and fees MUST be reclaimed.

[jankah]

Thank you all for all your advice. I will get the SAR and CCA sorted to start with and see what happens. When ( and if) i get any replies from the DCA's I will very likely need your expertise as to what the best course of action to take is. In a way I do feel a bit guilty doing this because I know that I owe the money and it needs to be paid back.

[jankah]

I havent got any of the original statements anymore as I have been dealing with DCA's not the original creditor for the last 2 years or so. My bad, i should have kept them but SAR will sort that bit out. Thanks again.

[jankah]

Thank you for the advice- I stupidly always deal with them on the phone. Lesson learnt

[ims21]

Ah but the thing is you will find hat you don't owe them as much as you think you do or as much as they say you do.

 

Don't feel guilty.....this is all about Reclaiming The Right.

 

We've all been there in one way or another.

 

Keep us updated as to progress.

 

ims

[Tootles1971]

It's fair enough to want to pay what you owe, but it certainly isn't fair to pay back what you don't! Get the information, and then you'll know what you do and don't owe them.

[Bazooka Boo]

It matters not, if you owe money and have fallen on hard times, then it is YOUR right to continue paying them back at a rate which is more realistic and affordable to YOU!

 

Peoples circumstances change for a plethora of reasons, which is why the current "contract" system is on it's way out (IMO)

When I was working & earning, the banks couldn't give me money quick enough, and TBH I was able to repay at the monthly rate they demanded, but when all that changed. literally overnight, and I was unable to work again, they did not want to know!

 

I left employment in 2007, with the likelihood of never returning to paid employment again, since then, the 55K debt that I had amassed with various creditors is still disputed and is extremely unlikely to be repaid, not because I am avoiding it, but simply because of their attitude and their failure to provide relevant documents or even to have a modicum of morale fibre in their bodies!

[jankah]

Thank you. You do have a point I will let you know what happens.

[jankah]

The more I read your comments, the more I am starting to believe that I should get this sorted. God knows really how much of the balance i owe is actually payable. You are spot on, the banks lend you money left right and centre when you are paying back- even if its a minimum payment every month but as soon as things go pearshaped i.e due to loss of job, they are so unhelpful and they start adding late payment fees at stupid rates- which really just makes the situation worse. Thank you all for your advice and moral support.