Merit Finance

[someonenew]

Hi all.

 

Ive been searching the net for advice and to be frank have been overwhelmed with the amount of info that is out there and is generally confusing me so I decided to sign up and ask here.

 

My situation is

 

Left the country in 1999 to live abroad, parents get a letter from MeritForce as it was back then stating they were debt collectors etc and that I owed money. MeritForce then became Merit Finance as far as I remember.

 

I came to an agreement of paying £35 a month which has been ongoing and which I basically forgot about. Last months payment somehow got refused as HSBC sent me a letter saying so which bought this payment back to my attention.

 

After reading a few threads here I would like a bit of advice on finding out if I actually owe these people any money, if they have any legal right etc.

 

Im sorry for the sketchy details but Im hoping that someone can point me in the right direction as where to start with dealing with them.

 

tthanks

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

High welcome to CAG,

 

Meritforce I think were/are a ''doorstep collection '' part of Mackemzie Hall, who actually have you been paying all this time, personally I would stop all payments and wait for someone to contact you.

Check your credit reference files asap Equifax and Experian (Credit Expert) have free 30 day trials Noddle (callcredit) is free but not always up todate imo.

[someonenew]

I have no idea if they have my current address, been back in the UK for about 3 years and moved since I last contacted them.

 

What am I looking for on my credit reference?

[unclebulgaria67]

Merit are only collection agents and would pass on the payments you made to whoever owns the debt. I believe MeritForce were owned by Mackenzie Hall and may still be ?

 

Anyway, if you have been making payments for sometime, I would suggest that you stop and cancel the Direct Debit authority.

 

If there is no court judgment, then the only basis for collecting payments is on the original agreement you made with the company you borrowed money from or had services supplied from.

 

Check your credit record. https://www.noddle.co.uk/ If the orginal debt default is old it won't be on there, as they drop off after 6 years.

 

If the only address held by the debt collectors is your parents address and they still live there, they may receive a letter for you in due course. But often with a returned DD payment and no further payments being made, it can be sometime before these companies write out to people. If you do get a letter passed onto you, then should ask for full details of what the debt is and ask for a statement of account.

 

If the original debt has a Consumer Credit Agreement, you can request a copy of what you agreed to.

 

The CCA request letter template is this, if you come to need it.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?414-CCA-request-letter.

[someonenew]

signed up with experian and it wont let me log in, something else to deal with. signed up with Noddle and get a 3/5 score with no real alarm bells ringing. Anything specific to look for. Thanks for the Noddle tip.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Try Equifax, it looks to me that the debt is well over 6 years old and has been removed from CRA files because of age.

 

Who are your payments going to now??

 

As you have no knowledge of the original creditor the course of action is to first make a CCA request to get a copy of any agreement from the company you are paying, cease all payments now, you may be paying money you do not need to.

A template letter may not be appropriate here, if you need help to draft a letter to suit please let me know.

[someonenew]

Ok, in with Equifax. No idea what Im looking for to be honest. Payments are being made to Merit Finance

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Ok, in with Equifax. No idea what Im looking for to be honest.

 

Any entries for ''defaulted'' accounts any accounts in the names of debt collection agencies.

[someonenew]

Under "Credit Agreements" has nothing but bank and credit card etc. No mention of Meritforce or Merit Finance. Right section?

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Under "Credit Agreements" has nothing but bank and credit card etc. No mention of Meritforce or Merit Finance. Right section?

 

Yes this indicates that the account has been removed as it is 6 years or more since it was defaulted.

As said previously check exactly where your payments have been going, then we can go from there.

[someonenew]

AFAIK its been a standing order to

 

Merit Finance Limited

 

PO Box 7391

 

Hook

 

RG27 7JG

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

e-mail [email protected].

 

I suggest that you send a CCA request to the address you have this is to see if they haveany regulated agreement for this debt and to get a statement of the account, which should have been provided annually.

This is what to sent TO The Compliance Manager

Merit Finance

PO Box 7391

Hook

RG27 7JG.

 

 

Ref: use the one on the payments.

 

Sir,

 

Request under sections 77/78 of The Consumer Credit Act 1974.

 

I refer to an account on which I have been making payments of £xx .xx each month for a number of years for which I have not received any statements of account which as you are aware should be provided annually.

 

I therefore make a request under sections 77/78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (as amended) for Merit Finance to provide me with a true copy of any regualted finance agreement and any other relevant documents referred to in said agreement.

 

I attach herewith the statutory fee of £1.00 required for this request which is to be used only for this request and is not to be used for payment to the account.

 

You are reminded that Merit Finance has 12 +2 WORKING DAYS to comply with this request and no extension of this limit will be allowed.

 

If you are unable to comply with this request you must immediately in form me in writting.

 

As no statement of account has been received for a number of years all payments have been stopped and will not be resumed until I am satisfied any further monies are due.

 

I reserve the right to report the conduct of Merit Finance in regard to this matter to the OFT and other relevant regulatory authorities.

 

I think you may as a colleague here often says ''been cash cowed'' so please do stop payments asap.

[someonenew]

payments have been stopped since the bank said it got refused. Sounds daft but how do you pay the £1?

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

payments have been stopped since the bank said it got refused. Sounds daft but how do you pay the £1?

 

Sorry posta order is best, clearly marked '' for statutory fee only''.

[someonenew]

Duh! Forgot about postal orders. Thanks for the info I'll be donating to the site.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Duh! Forgot about postal orders. Thanks for the info I'll be donating to the site.

 

Thank you that is much appreciated!!

 

Happy New Year!!!!!

[someonenew]

Not a problem, hardly a kings ransom but ive found out more in a few posts here than weeks scouring the net on my own. I'll post back what happens when I find out more. Happy New Year to all!

[the tinkerman]

Hi There

 

Read my threads on Merit Finance Limited If it is def them as far as I am aware they have nothing at all to do with meritforce check company house

 

Merit Finance Limited are a one man band owned solely by a Ronald Francis Higgins who is the MD

 

Have u any idea whom you originally took the loan out with as he bought certain debts from a company called Imperial Consolidated Financiers Limited whom went belly up!

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Yes thanks for that,it has been established that this is not Meritforce, have you a link to your thread please?

[dx100uk]

you wanna ask where your money has gone!!

 

meritforce rarely if ever pay the debt off

 

goes into hmucky halls profit pocket.

 

cash cowed sadly.

 

dx

[the tinkerman]

No need at all for the sarcastic remark I was just making sure he knew that Merit Finance had nothing to do with Meritforce as in his first post he seemed to think that they were and nowhere on the threads since as far as I can see has that fact been established, One of the reasons I do not log in very often anymore, been dealing with Merit Finance for last 10 years, several court appearances from NOA, Adding Intrest, CCJ, CO, so do my stuff, especially when it comes to Merit Finance.

 

Unfortunately get put off giving my experiences in court and what the facts actually ARE rather than what they should be by petty remarks from certain members of the site team who think they know better, Its okay for people to quote the Law using words like it should be this, as far as I am aware etc but its a completely different ball game when you get to court, I was told I just got a bad Judge by a member of CAG when I went to court but I have read so many threads that have all had the same outcome as I have had regarding issues from NOA, Interest being added, Selling of a CCJ, CO, we all cannot just have had a bad Judge.

 

Do not get me wrong this site is second to none for information but sometimes you feel like its the sorcerer versus the apprentice syndrome where if you are not part of the site team then you should be seen but not heard and dare anyone that questions them, I had a thread where a member of the site team referred me to a post which had quotes of "as far as and should be" but when I asked them to provide me with information relating to any such successful defence case in a court of law it all went quite.

 

 

Another member of CAG brought this up a few weeks ago just cannot remember who it was, about people going around the houses so to speak with advice rather than giving the facts or speaking from experience and if you do not know then we need people who do.

 

Either show us case laws where people have been successful with the same case or speak from your own experience because unfortunately as far as and should be's do not cut it in court

 

 

Speaking up for the little people of CAG had to get it off my chest been brewing for a while

 

May I also point out this does not apply to all Site Team members just some.

 

All I was doing was genuinely trying to help this person and expected the next post to come from them rather than yourself making a statement that had not been established but just to show your authority.

 

They can read any thread they like on my status as most of them relate to Merit Finance.

 

Tinks

 

PS Just found thread I was referring to Re: Statement FNB showing Interest on CCJ dated 16 December 2012 post from Bengateway and also his thread on legal issues Interest after judgement, is there a definitive answer ?? he seems just as disillusioned as myself.

Edited January 2, 2013 by the tinkerman

[dx100uk]

you wanna ask where your money has gone!!

 

meritforce rarely if ever pay the debt off

 

goes into hmucky halls profit pocket.

 

cash cowed sadly.

 

dx

 

brig just pointed out its merit finance not the dca , silly me read the thread title dx.

 

dx

[the tinkerman]

Okay dx it was not aimed at yourself but brig

 

As nowhere in the thread had it been established that Merit Finance had nothing to do with Meritforce as someonenew thought they had, other than my post telling them so, think it was just a case of brig stating " how dare I have a opinion" and make a comment.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

the inkerman,

 

You must be extremely touchy to react in this way when someone THANKS YOU for the information posted, and asks for a link to the information?

 

Posts 11# &12# established that this was Merit Finance.

[someonenew]

OK hopefully this will clear it up. Originally it was MeritForce who contacted me then after about a year, poss 2, Merit Finance contacted me saying I owed the debt to them. I stopped all payments as the back and forth between the two became ridiculous. MeritForce then conceded that it had now been moved to Merit Finance who the payment has been going to ever since.