Looking for advice please ! Lowell !

[Giotto]

Ok, other than this i am totally debt free, and iv'e never had any debt before so i am a complete novice when it comes to collection agencys.

 

I opened up an account on very.co.uk whilst i was working almost 3 years ago. Everthing was going fine until i became ill and had to quit my job as i was unable to do it anymore, thus i was left with £1,400 to pay them. I did actually get this down to around £1200 until late payment charges bumped it back up again i guess. I didnt pay them for a good 4 or 5 months. And i recieved this letter from Lowell Portfolio I Ltd informing me they had purchased my loan from very.co.uk. And it now stands at £1590.

 

Now if it was 1200 then i wouldnt minde paying off the debt each month via direct debit, But im unsure what to say when i call them, Because i feel the charges were unfair, My credit limit with very.co.uk was only 1,400. Yet i now owe 1590 ?? It just doest seem right. And i would like some advice.

 

Thank you, Richard.

[renegadeimp]

The good news is that almost all those charges are reclaimable along with the interest that accrued on them.

 

Lowell are pretty dodgy and have been issuing SD s a lot lately. Hang fire until later today and im sure youll get the help you need to contest it .

[Giotto]

The good news is that almost all those charges are reclaimable along with the interest that accrued on them.

 

Lowell are pretty dodgy and have been issuing SD s a lot lately. Hang fire until later today and im sure youll get the help you need to contest it .

 

Ok, Thanks for the reply.

[dpick]

Do not set up a direct debit that gives the lowlifes the control of how much money comes out of your account set up a standing order they cannot change the value on that just winge about it.

 

dpick

[Giotto]

Do not set up a direct debit that gives the lowlifes the control of how much money comes out of your account set up a standing order they cannot change the value on that just winge about it.

 

dpick

 

Thanks for the tip. So far i have learnt...

 

DO NOT contact them by telephone, Only in writing, and dont set up a direct debit use a standing order.

[renegadeimp]

Can i ask if this debt shows on any of your credit records?

[Giotto]

Can i ask if this debt shows on any of your credit records?

 

Hi, Yes i just checked on Noddle, And its appearing as default for shop direct finance aka Very.co.uk AND for Lowell.

 

I noticed it says balance1,590 default balance £956. ??

[unclebulgaria67]

Ok what you are going to have to do, is start making requests for information, so you can consider your position. How do you know whether this balance is the amount that is legally due and that Lowells are in a position to collect ?

 

Suggest sending a CCA request to Lowell. Although this debt is fairly recent, with catalogue debts they often cannot supply a CCA. You need to send this letter with a £1 postal order to them. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?414-CCA-request-letter.

 

In regard to claiming back the excessive charges from the catalogue co. you need to follow this. http://www.consumerwiki.co.uk/index.php/FAQ

You need to get the ball rolling with this, as being proactive is the best way forward. If you have evidence of making these requests for a CCA and about challenging charges, then this will help you, if Lowells look to take any enforcement action. Unfortunately, Lowells do appear to look for bankruptcy for these debts, rather than a CCJ. This is particularly the case, if you are a home owner. Don't think that entering into repayments based on the current debt will make life easier. If you did that, then Lowells would be asking for income/spending info and hassling you for the level of payment they require. Once you start paying them, they could be cash cowing you for years.

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[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Hi Welcome,

 

There has been a hefty amount of charges added to this it seems, I suggest you make a subject access request SAR to very so yo will get all the data held on the account.

 

There is a £10 statutory fee to pay, and Very have 40 days to comply, there is a template in the CAG library for you to use address the SAR to The Data Controller.

[Desperate Daniella]

That is good advice. They may not have the CCA to hand, and I do agree that you should be proactive and challenging towards them. They are scattering SDs all over the place at the moment, and the CCA request should slow them down. Let's see what they come up with.

[Giotto]

Okay, So tommrow im going to send off a CCA request to Lowell, And a SAR to very. Both recorded delivery.

 

About the SAR, How or where do i pay the £10 fee ? Do i just pop £10 into an envelope ? Do i just send the template to Very ?

 

And reg to claiming back the excessive charges, I check the FAQ posted, But i couldnt find anything relating to my situation. What happens with this, Do i pay it in full THEN claim back, Or does it get knocked off the debt ? Im totally unsure. Thanks.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

SAR fee use a Postal Order mark it clearly on the front and back ''FOR STATUTORY FEE ONLY'' do the same with the CCA to Lowell as it may turn up as a ''mystery'' payment to the account at a later date.

[Giotto]

SAR fee use a Postal Order mark it clearly on the front and back ''FOR STATUTORY FEE ONLY'' do the same with the CCA to Lowell as it may turn up as a ''mystery'' payment to the account at a later date.

 

OK, thanks for the help everyone, I will send those off in the morning, And will update this post, when i get a reply. Thanks again.

[Old Cogger]

always keep copy of all correspondence/postal receipts in file by date order, for possible later use.

[Giotto]

always keep copy of all correspondence/postal receipts in file by date order, for possible later use.

 

Will do, Cheers.