Need help to pay Grattan please

[meeru]

I have an account with Grattan and have done for about 10 years and never defaulted on payments. About 12 months ago I was put on ESA as I had to give up work due to illness (tribunal next week, another thread!) .. Anyway, when I lost my job and went on benefits I contacted everyone and negotiated payments with them and have not defaulted on those either.

 

Now Grattan have contacted me and asked for normal payments to resume (£95.00 per month) and I can't afford it. I was paying them £25 per month and just about managing. They put me through to Kensington Finance who went through all my finances and they asked if I had other debts. The only other one is Cahoot Credit card but I'm just managing to make minimum payments of approx £40 per month.

 

The said they would consolidate them and I would be paying £85 per month in total and they would stop interest charges and fees etc. I told him I couldn't afford £85 per month and he went away and came back with £60 per month. I asked him to break down the figures and he said £20 per month to each company and £20 per month to them!!!!!!!

 

I politely refused and said I would negotiate with the company myself.

 

I was transferred back to Grattan and somehow copped for a right bag of a woman (sorry, she was really snotty) who told me that unless I paid £95 asap then she would add charges to may account. I told her I couldn't afford it and neither could I afford the DMP, and Grattan is the only company I have a problem with. (Outstanding debt is approx £600 and apart form my credit card, have no other debt)

 

She said I was refusing to pay and therefore would default the account. I said I wasn't refusing to pay, I was saying that I was quite willing to pay, but only what I could afford. Basically, she just kept repeating herself over and over and I was polite throughout (even though I was tempted to call her every name under the sun, lol)

 

So what do I do? I can afford to continue at £25 per month, but not £95. My circumstances are not going to change anytime soon, so wondered where to go from here. As it stands, she is putting a default on my account and said it would happen now as I had refused to pay (aarrgghh) and yet I'm still left unable to pay.

 

Please advise, thanks

[meeru]

I've sent off a registered CCA letter today, I hope that al least keeps them off my back until I can sort out a payment plan. I'm not disputing what I owe, or even trying to get out of paying for it, I just refuse to pay for a middle man.

[firstship]

The CCA to Grattan is fine,they have 12+2days to respond after which time you can put the account in dispute.However continue to pay the £25 per month they will not refuse it,and it is in your longer term interest to maintain payments

 

You are only required to pay what you can honestly afford and if it is £25 that is what they will have to accept.The debts to Grattan and Cahoot are low priority debts

 

You do not have to submit Income & Expenditure to any body if not instructed to do so by a court of law.

 

Continue as you are and await the response to the CCA

 

Regards FS

[gezwee]

Depending on age of account and if you have a tenner to spare i'd be inclined to SAR them as well

 

Its fairly well known that they have missing account data from move to Freemans Grattan Holding accounting for the following periods:

 

March to August 2003 (incl)

March to August 2004 (incl)

March to August 2005 (incl)

March to July 2006 (incl)

 

Gez

[meeru]

I got a copy of the CCA today and it's not a signed copy, just a 'reconstituted copy of the CCA'

 

They have written my name and address on the top, but nothing there I have signed.

 

Time for the next letter I think

[meeru]

Sorry, I seem to be going round in circles, but I can't find where the template is for the next letter, can anyone help? Thanks

[firstship]

Hi before proceeding further read "CPUTR 2008 questions and advice" this is a very good guide on how to respond to a Recon agreement.

 

The author" PriorityOne" has also now written a template letter use this

 

regards FS

[meeru]

Just an update.

 

I got a reconstituted copy as above and sent off the next letter etc.

 

Now EOS keep ringing me asking me to pay, saying that even though there is no agreement, they will go to court for a default and will get a CCJ.

 

Just had another phonecall now saying I need to send £1 and letter to EOS for a copy of the agreement. Told them they dont have one as I've already been in touch with Grattan. She said 'did you get the items delivered when you ordered them' I asked what that had to do with anything and she said 'well you can't expect to have good and not pay for them' and went on rabbiting about allsorts, so I put the phone down.

 

I have never disputed the fact I owe them, I was paying off £25 per month and then they rang and stopped is as I couldn't afford more and wanted me to start on a debt management plan through a company who would charge me. I don't have much debt at all, Grattan is the main one.

 

Really annoyed now how they can keep ringing and being rude down the phone. Any advice what step to take next please?

[pjc71]

send them a telephone harrasment letter you can find a template on this site i sent one today plus a copy and paste email should stop the calls