Welcome Finance Secured Loan

[Jayney69]

Hi there

 

We're a couple of months or so in arrears with our Welcome Finance secured loan, due to illness/redundancy etc, but are able now to keep up with our normal contracted payments, and I've got a few queries on the running of this, mainly to do with the account manager, who is very aggressive (he accused me of spending all our wages going out once, instead of paying them. I'd bought gas, electric and food for the family!)

 

Our "account manager" phones regularly (around 5 times a day) if our payments are late (sometimes they are a few days late, but I do always pay now), but I just ignore his calls. I've sent them the telephone harassment letter, which they have just blatantly ignored. What would be the next step on this.?

 

Our "account manager" has called to the house a couple of times, I know this because he's put a photocopied letter through the door. However, I've never answered the door to him, and have no intention to. Basically, he can bugger off. Am I correct in this?

 

It's a secured loan, and we are a couple of months behind. They reckon its more months, but when the original loan was taken out (probably around 6 years ago or so) we had a different (nicer) account manager, who allowed us to take payment holidays once a year. We understood that these would be added to the end of the loan, Welcome are now classing these as arrears.

 

I've also seen on this site (quote) "Your WF loan will not result in repossesion, it is a charge on the property, only the mortgage co can ask for this". Is this true?? Has anyone ever heard of Welcome repossessing? To be fair to them they've never actually threatened this, only that they will "pass the debt on".

 

We have our mortgage with Mortgage Express, we do have arrears on this (happened at the same time as the Welcome ones). We are under a Court Order to pay these off at an extra £50 per month and have been sticking to this religiously, and Mortgage Express are happy to leave it like this. Our mortgage is for approx £150,000, the secured loan is for approximately £17,000. The house is probably worth around £150,000 (on a good day, and if the wind's in the right direction!)

 

Any advice would be good.

 

Thanks

[dx100uk]

urm..

something fishy here

 

please sar welcome

 

your need all the statements

 

plus i'd not talk on the phone

 

you are under no legal obl to do so

 

writing only

 

dx

[Jayney69]

We have a secured loan with Welcome. As they are not supposed to contact us by phone anymore (as they are arrogant and really very rude) we receive the following letter on a weekly basis:

 

"Further to my letter sent to you on xx/xx/xx (this date changes each week), regarding your overdue payment, I am disappointed to see that I have not received a reply. Please telephone me upon receipt of this letter to discuss this matter further.

 

In line with collection charges detailed within the terms and conditions of your agreement, your account has been debited with the sum of £10 for this letter."

 

My question is what are they allowed to charge for, and how much should it be? Also, could the continual chasing by the same letter be seen as harassment? I do consider their when they know we won't phone be intrusive. As far as I am concerned, I wrote to them last year and have nothing further to add.

[sillygirl1]

Write back to them in the same vein

 

"Due to being treated badly by your company I am NOT phoning, every call received from you is being recorded and logged with the appropriate authorities, charges for the recording and logging are £10 per phone call, charges for time spent opening, reading, researching a reply and sending letters recorded delivery are at £25.00, this is including the £18:00 hourly charge for a litigant in person"

 

They are NOT allowed to charge and they are taking the michael here. Play them at their own game of letter tennis (or letter ping-pong as they are not able to understand tennis rules!).

Edited March 26, 2012 by 42man
LIP rate is £18

[Jayney69]

Thank you, this is great!

 

What can they charge for?

[sillygirl1]

Technically they can't, they like to think that because it is in the terms and conditions it is right and legal. The question of the £10 for letters is crazy, think about how much they may pay somebody, how much it ACUTALLY costs to press a button on a computer and send a letter, they probably don't even put it in an envelope themselves, it will be done by machine.

 

I would have thought about £1 per letter would be reasonable, even the banks had to reduce their charges dramatically.

 

Welcome are still in dire straits and are trying to claim back anything they can. Treat them with the same contempt and distrust that they treat you. After all they are a sub-prime lender who build in risk in their very high interest rates.

 

Did your loan come with front ended charges at all?

[Jayney69]

I'm not sure if it came with front ended charges, I'll try and find a copy of the original agreement.

 

I've noticed that I've started getting calls in the last day from a Ray Cook, at their Milton Keynes branch (this is a long way from where I live, and not my local branch). I've no intention of phoning him back, however I've threatened them (in the phone harassment letter) that I'll report them. However, I can't actually find who to report them to , the OFCOM site, etc, just says that they are not able to deal with individual complaints.

[Jayney69]

Just out of interest, I note that Welcome Finance at Gillingham (Kent) has now closed and everything has been transferred to Milton Keynes.

[cerberusalert]

Ah, a white elephant to go with the concrete cows.

[victoria_siempre]

No one hears you scream in Milton Keynes.

 

x

 

 

v

[just_jue]

Bye Bye Welcome you will be dearly missed (NOT)

[Jayney69]

I've started getting calls from Ray Cook (and his manager) at the Milton Keynes office, which are quite threatening. I've stated (a little like a parrot), "in writing only", but they try to interrupt continually. Anyway, this evening, they've stated that "they'll send a letter, and I won't like it", although at that stage I had refused to go through security or even to acknowledge that I am the account holder.

 

What should I do now, should I SAR them? it's a secured loan, with arrears (see posts above), so I'm a bit worried.

 

Also, who can I report their harassing phone calls to, OFCOM etc websites just say that they are not able to deal with individual cases.

 

Thanks

[Jayney69]

(History of case posted below)

 

I've started getting calls from Ray Cook (and his manager) at the Milton Keynes office, which are quite threatening.

 

I've stated (a little like a parrot), "in writing only", but they try to interrupt continually.

 

this evening, they've stated that "they'll send a letter, and I won't like it", although at that stage I had refused to go through security or even to acknowledge that I am the account holder.

 

What should I do now, should I SAR them? it's a secured loan, with arrears (see posts above), so I'm a bit worried.

 

Also, who can I report their harassing phone calls to, OFCOM etc websites just say that they are not able to deal with individual cases.

 

 

ALSO:

 

They state that they've not had my letter and 2 emails sent to them. The letter enclosed a cheque. I've emailed them stating that I can only conclude that it's been lost and that I will send another. I'm going to stop the first cheque (let's see it they present it, even though they state they haven't had the letter it was attached to).

 

Furthmore, I've had a letter from Milton Keynes (our local office closed last week ) stating:

 

"Your account is current overdue by the above amount (I'm going to check this amount by sending them an SAR)

Please make a payment of £xxxx to bring your payment up to date.

If you have already made a payment to this account to clear the full overdue amount please ignore this letter"

 

Can this be construed as an official default notice. It doesn't actually have the words "default notice" on the top, just "overdue amount"??

 

Thanks, am very worked up now

[Jayney69]

Thanks. It further transpires that the cheque they claimed to have not received has been cashed this morning. Clearly they are out and out liars.

[dadofholly]

I've started getting calls from Ray Cook (and his manager) at the Milton Keynes office, which are quite threatening. I've stated (a little like a parrot), "in writing only", but they try to interrupt continually. Anyway, this evening, they've stated that "they'll send a letter, and I won't like it", although at that stage I had refused to go through security or even to acknowledge that I am the account holder.

 

What should I do now, should I SAR them? it's a secured loan, with arrears (see posts above), so I'm a bit worried.

 

Also, who can I report their harassing phone calls to, OFCOM etc websites just say that they are not able to deal with individual cases.

 

Thanks

 

are you still recieving the phone calls - and have you written to them to request they stop calling you?

 

If not send them the telephone harrasment letter from the library. In the mean time - keep a log of the calls you recieve and record them if you can.

 

Would suggest you send both an SAR and a s.77/78 request to Welcome.

[dx100uk]

thread tidied due to input of unwelcomed nature

 

dx

[Jayney69]

Hi dadofholly

 

Yes, I've sent them the harrasment letter three times now, they just completely ignore it. I sent the SAR off (recorded) on Monday so will just wait for a while.

[dadofholly]

If they are ignoring the harrasment letter report them to the OFT - especially the threatening manner of their calls - if you can record them it would help - also keep a log of the calls and anything that they say.

[Jayney69]

Welcome Fiance are chasing us daily (sometimes several times a day) by phone although I have continually asked them to stop. I have contacted their branch and their head office i writing on several occasions, and the OFT, but still they continue. On the times that I can be bothered to answer I refuse to acknowledge who I am and state "in writing only". Their response is that they are able to send standard letters only!?!

 

I am now either just ignoring their calls or hanging up immediately.

 

What could you suggest?

[merlin100]

Hi Jayney,

the obvious question you should be asking yourself is why are they chasing you so much? There is often an ulterior motive.

More information would be better for us, it gives a better picture! Want kind of Agreement do you have with them? Timelines. Are you paying a reduced amount? How old is the Agreement and how long does it have left to run?

Did you send the telephone harrassment letter by Recorded Delivery (otherwise they will deny all knowledge of receiving one)?

Give us a bit more info so we know how to advise.

[42man]

And make sure you write down all the dates and times they call you....

[twofoot]

You are doing right so far, keep it up.

[Bazooka Boo]

Keep a diary of events, especially regarding their committing the criminal offence of harassment, ensure you have proof that you have told them NOT to ring you and to correspond in writing only.

 

If you have this info already then take a walk to your local Police station and file a complaint against them for the offence of harassment, if the old bill tell you it is a civil matter, ask to speak to the duty inspector, most front desks are manned by civvies who have no understanding of the Law.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-484772/Grandmother-terrorised-death-bank-wrongly-hounded-16-000.html

 

Then get onto your phone provider and go through their malicious calls procedure, they can change your number free of charge (how hard is it really to tell friends & family of your new number?)

[National Debtline]

Hello there. Please consider requesting that Welcome provides you with a copy of their formal complaints procedure (if you've not already done so). If you exhaust their internal complaints route you can then consider taking a complaint further via the Financial Ombudsman Service and Trading Standards. We've a good fact sheet covering harassment, you can find it here:

 

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=03_harassment

 

If you have instructed them not to call in writing - and they are continuing to do so - they are very likely to be harassing you, you have a right to take it further. We hope you can get the situation under control.

 

Best wishes,

 

National Debtline.

[Bazooka Boo]

Good link, I'll bookmark that..