Cabot financial with littlewoods barclaycard credit card help please

[chik68]

Hi, im kinda new to this so please bare with me.

 

Im looking for some help and advice in regards to a credit card a relative of mine took out from Littlewoods which was financed by Barclaycard. The account went into default years ago after the relative's income was reduced due to a cut in her employment hours at work. Since then the debt has been passed through to several debt collection agencys and is currently with Cabot financial. Through them a payment plan is set up, although there has been continual interest added to the debt which is now increased to more than twice the original value.

 

Recently i had tried to reduce the debt for this relative by using a no win no fee agency that can claim back credit card charges and interest charges. They won for her nearly £500 back. However when we were trying to process the claim for her the no win no fee agency sent a letter back saying we had said an incorrect reference number. This number had been taken directly from a Cabot statement as we expected it to be correct for the debt she was paying. But we were told it was wrong, so the relative dug out an old copy of a credit card statement and took the credit card number from there. Cabot had been quoting a 13 digit reference number not the 16 digit credit card number. I know most debt collection agencys use the actual credit card reference number usually as well as there own reference number.

 

So is this legal for Cabot to be claiming repayments for an incorrect reference number? Also the relative had payment protection on this credit card and we are as yet to find a bill for it but we suspect the reference number they are using is the payment protection reference number.

 

Although Barclaycard wrote to the no win fee agency to say that they would 'credit the account with the money for charges, Cabot has yet to contact the relative to notify her that the balance has been reduced. Instead they sent a letter which made me laugh, saying that they had received recent confirmation that she lived at this address and that the debt was in arrears and she needed to phone them. This is in spite of the fact that she has been on a repayment plan for 2 years which she has been paying on time. when phoned on friday on my relatives behalf they would not speak to me, when asked to speak to the relative i told them the saturday around 12pm would be a good time to call and they said they would phone back. But the did not call us back.

 

Can we dispute this account? Is it legal to be paying for a debt under an incorrect reference number? Surely if we tried doing that it would be fraudulent? Barclaycard have already accepted they were in the wrong for the credit card charges can we get this debt written off? My relative is nearly 60 has other debts there is no way she will have them paid off before she goes on her pension as she is in a low paying job, has no qualifications and she spent the best part of 20 years bringing up children and not working. The stress of it all over the past 5 years have lead to chronic depression with several months off on the sick.

 

Please if anyone could offer some help or advice it would be greatly appreciated thank you

[dx100uk]

urmm.....

 

me thinks cabot has had her as a cash-cow

 

nothing unusual there!!!

 

firstly NEVER EVER talk to a DCA on the phone about Debts - they will fleece you lind - then deny everything

 

IN WRITING ONLY.

 

now

i think you need to SAR BC and lets getthe truth on all this

 

and that charges reclaim 'seems' low and YES get that PPI back. too!!

 

dump the NWNF lot too they fleece you as well.

 

can we have a few dates on the history too please

 

dx

[chik68]

Hi thanks for the reply

 

If i SAR BC do i do it for the 'real' account number or the fake one that cabot are using?

 

Which dates do you want? the account went into default 2004, was passed from mercers to cabot!

 

the no win no fee thing was just an attempt to try and shake them up didnt expect to get any result!

[chik68]

also just noticed on the break down of the charges back from Barclaycard they only go from 2005. should that be right?

[chik68]

Hi if i want to send a SAR to barclaycard do i send a cheque or postal order for the fee? Thanks

[cerberusalert]

It's not advised to send your own personal cheque, far better from someone else or a PO.

[chik68]

i would be sending it on the behalf of my mum, who unfortunately for me has the same name and we live in the same house. would it therefore be better just to send a postal order? i am hoping to get this letter sent off in the morning.

[rebel11]

I'd send a Postal Order, send it Recorded, they can't say they haven't received it.

[chik68]

ok thank you. also the reference number the debt collection agency cabot, are using to make my mum pay back the debt is not the actual credit card number. do i then state the actual credit card reference to barclaycard on the SAR? or the one cabot is using? i dont know where this other number comes from as Cabot also have their 'own' reference number on the letters. thanks

[rebel11]

The Credit Card Number would be fine.

 

ok thank you. also the reference number the debt collection agency cabot, are using to make my mum pay back the debt is not the actual credit card number. do i then state the actual credit card reference to barclaycard on the SAR? or the one cabot is using? i dont know where this other number comes from as Cabot also have their 'own' reference number on the letters. thanks

[dx100uk]

threads merged

 

please keep to ONE thread per debt...

 

dx

[chik68]

sorry:-( new to this, was just trying to find out how to pay for this SAR for bc and other companies

[slick132]

Hi Chik,

 

Can you confirm how much was paid back in penalty charges. Was any interest paid on top. How much did the Reclaim Co take as a fee.

 

You can't get the debt written off because Cabot used an incorrect ref. no.

 

Have you ever asked that they stop adding on interest. It may be worth doing so. See letters here - http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?590-Creditors-and-DCAs-Letter-Templates-Budget-Planner

 

Get the SAR sent off and reclaim the PPI yourself. That way, you can try to maximise what you get back with regard to interest and you won't have to pay someone to do it for you.