Just a quickie

[pammiec]

I've been paying off a debt through Cabot for the last year or so at £10 a month.

 

No issues with that, but I've nothing in writing and not had any statements from them to say how much I've paid off,

what the balance is, etc.

 

Should I contact them and ask for a statement, or might that provoke them into asking for more?

Thanks

[ims21]

Do Cabot own the account or are they collecting on behalf of the original creditor?

[Stigman]

Hi,

 

Yes, contact Cabot immediately and ask for a statement of account, they should send you one every year anyway.

 

Is this debt listed on your credit file? If so the balance should be recorded on their.

Best to obtain a copy of your Credit report, Noddle is free.

 

You pay Cabot what you can afford and no more, are you on Benefits? If so drop to £1 per calender month.

 

How are you paying this £10 a month? If via card, then contact your card issuer and cancel the card immediately, if via Direct Debit, go online, phone your bank or go in tomorrow and cancel the Direct Debit, ask Cabot for their Banking details and set up a Standing Order, that way you are in complete control and Cabot cannot empty your Bank Account.

 

Overall, you need complete proof of this debt and that Cabot have the right to collect.

 

Have their ever been 6 complete years of non-payment or non-contact?

What is the debt?

Are Cabot collecting on behalf of a Creditor or own the debt?

 

Stigman

[pammiec]

No, Cabot don't own the debt and I'm working part time now, though was on benefits when I started the payments.

 

It is a direct debit but can stop that tomorrow if necessary.

 

I haven't looked at my credit rating,

did try noddle a few weeks ago but they couldn't validate my ID and since then I've read a few things on here that suggest looking at your credit file seems to stir things up.

 

I do owe the money no doubt about that,

it's for a sofa I bought from SCS while I was in full-time work.

 

Just after I ordered and signed the paperwork I lost my job but they wouldn't let me cancel. That's life!

Thank you both very much.

[ims21]

Personally I'd not deal with Cabot and pay the original creditor.

 

Also demand a statement for the original creditor to ensure that the payments you have been making have actually made it to the account.

[Stigman]

It is a direct debit but can stop that tomorrow if necessary.

 

Yes, stop the Direct Debit immediately.

 

Stigman

[pammiec]

Will do, thank you everyone.

Off to bed now as it looks like I've got a busy day tomorrow. That's the trouble with burying your head in the sand, once you pull it out and face up to things it's hard work!

Night all

[pammiec]

Well I've had a reply from Cabot, not a statement or breakdown as such but they say that the debt is for £1,300 and I now owe £1,100. For a sofa that cost £450!!!

Any ideas on my next move anyone?

[ims21]

You should be getting the statement from the original creditor as advised above, not Cabot.

 

If necessary SAR the original creditor.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi, who was the original creditor for this?

[pammiec]

Hi Brig.

Original creditor is SCS.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi Pam, Have you sent them a SAR yet or a CCA request, I know their agreements used to be a bit sloppy.

[pammiec]

No I haven't asked for a CCA or SAR, will get a letter typed up today. Thank you.

[twofoot]

Never ever pay a dca by direct debit. It gives them licence to increase payments without further consent or even empty your account. This has happened many times on here. Always use standing order if paying from a bank account.

[pammiec]

Never ever pay a dca by direct debit. It gives them licence to increase payments without further consent or even empty your account. This has happened many times on here. Always use standing order if paying from a bank account.

 

Twofoot, if I'd discovered this forum a year or two ago I'd never have set up any direct debits with dcas! To be fair, none of them have ever tried to take more than the agreed amount from me, but better to be safe than sorry.

[pammiec]

Cabot sent me a statement from Hitachi (who do the finance for SCS) a few days ago and it shows an opening balance of around £1,000 from 2007. The £529 I owed for the sofa (£450 plus interest) was added to that in Feb 2010, when I bought it.

But in 2007 I had no debts at all and, until I got the sofa, have had no dealings with Hitachi. I wrote straight back to Cabot to tell them this and asked them to investigate.

Their response has been to send me yet another letter telling me that unless I contact them within 7 days to agree a payment plans they will instruct an external collection agency to collect the full amount or pass the account to their pre-litigation department.

Any ideas on what I do next please?

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

I doubt they have had time to investigate the letters are sent by autothreat machines.

 

Is the debt outstanding ?

[pammiec]

I doubt they have had time to investigate the letters are sent by autothreat machines.

 

Is the debt outstanding ?

 

Brig, I still owe about £250 (plus interest??) on the sofa. I had been paying this off at £10 a month to Cabot for a while, until it suddenly occurred to me a couple of months ago that I had nothing in writing from them to say how much I actually owed, which is when I stopped the direct debit and asked for a statement.

But the £1,000 opening balance from 2007 is a complete mystery to me!

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Ok You need raise the query with Cabot on the date shown,this should also show on CRA files which may also show the wrong data so worth checking.

[pammiec]

Brig, I wrote to them at the beginning of the week querying this, but all I've had back is the threatogram. As you say, maybe this was automated and they haven't got round to responding to my letter yet.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Brig, I wrote to them at the beginning of the week querying this, but all I've had back is the threatogram. As you say, maybe this was automated and they haven't got round to responding to my letter yet.

Looking for someone on Janet & John book 2 to read more like

[pammiec]

I've now had a letter from Cabot saying:

 

Whilst we appreciate that you did not have any dealings with Hitachi until Feb 2010,we can confirm that this account is an SCS Hitachi Nova retail credit account that was opened on 01 February 2010

 

But the statement they sent me says Statement Period 01 January 2007 to 24 April 2011 and the first entry reads:

 

01 January 2007 Opening Balance 1050.84

 

The letter goes on:

 

As the account was defaulted in April 2011 the outstanding interest will have been added to your outstanding balance

 

Also, the statement only goes up to April 2011, when I defaulted. Shortly afterwards I began paying Cabot £10 a month until November 2012, but there are no statements at all for this.

What do I do next please?

[unclebulgaria67]

Have you sent them a CCA request ? If not, I think you should do so.

 

You should also send a separate letter disputing the balance they allege is owing, asking for a full breakdown calculation, as to how they have calculated the amount.

[pammiec]

Thanks Uncle B. I haven't sent a CCA request as I thought I had the original somewhere, but can't find it. It now appears that Cabot actually own the debt and aren't acting for Hitachi as I first thought, so should I send it to them?

[unclebulgaria67]

Yes send the CCA request to Cabot.

 

Also I would advise you to send a letter disputing the account balance they are showing, asking for a full breakdown of their calculation. From what I have seen dealing with a relatives debts, is that DCA's appear to make up the debt amounts or mistakes are made. One of my relatives debts was about £500 and somehow 5 years later it was over £2500. Following a complaint, it suddenly returned to being just the original £500. There may be no legal basis for the interest they are adding.

 

You need to have the requests documented and kept, just in case Cabot ever decided to issue a court claim. Might also be worth sending the CCA and a separate letter re breakdown request in one envelope by standard recorded.