Home Direct Group unwilling to correspond through email/letter

[Lollirot]

Hi everyone!

 

I currently have 4 catalogue accounts with the Home Direct Group (Littlewoods, Woolworths, Isme and Very)

and due to a recent change in circumstances am unable to make my usual payments.

 

I have emailed all 4 catalogue's explaining my situation,

offering them a token payment and explaining that I would like interest and charges frozen

as well as a review of my circumstances in 6 months time.

 

I also mentioned that I would like to keep all correspondence via email or letter (So that I have proof of what has been said).

 

I have received emails back from all 4 catalogue's explaining that,

although they are grateful for me keeping them informed,

I need to speak to the Arrears Department who can only be reached via telephone apparently.

 

I have wrote back to each catalogue saying that I am not willing to contact them via telephone

and asked what they may suggest I do.

 

I have yet to receive any further advice from them.

 

Does anyone have any advice they can offer me?

 

I am insistent on keeping all contact to letter and email only as they do not have my telephone number

and I don't want them getting a hold of it.

 

I am keen to get all of this sorted prior to the threatening letters and knocks at the door.

 

Any help would be very much appreciated!

[citizenB]

It is your absolute right to communicate in writing and the company has an obligation to honour that request.

 

You should write / email along the lines of the following.

 

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Account reference

 

I have contacted you about the change in my financial circumstances and have requested that you accept a token payment of £ XX, and also that you cease adding charges and interest.

 

Your insistence that I contact your Arrears Department by telephone is very worrying. I do not wish to make contact by telephone and the OFT advise that you must communicate in a manner that is acceptable to me.

 

I would also appear that it is my legal right to communicate in writing under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and prevents any misunderstanding.

 

I trust that you will now respond to my offer at the earliest opportunity, in writing (or email).

 

Yours etc,

 

PRINT or sign Digitally.

[bizzielizzy]

It took me two months and about 6 letters,

 

one being a formal complaint before they replied to my request for reduced payments,

 

I havent got the letter to hand at the moment but will find it out and post the dept tomorrow,

 

if I recall its the special collections department that deals with this,

 

the arrears dept just sends out threats.

[dx100uk]

shop direct group not Home Direct.

 

this is the course to take:

 

TELL [dont ask] them they are only going to get £xxPCM for xx mts

as a goodwill gesture

and as a reciprocal GOGW they must freeze int & refrain from levying PENALTY charges.

if they wont

drop them to £1PCM for life.

.

as an example>

LETTER 1

.

I am currently in financial difficulties and not able to meet my normal monthly repayments.

to show my goodwill, i am going to pay £5 for 6 mts.

 

i will update you in 6mts time or before, should my situation change.

could you please as a reciprocal goodwill guesture,

refrain from levying any penalty charges & freeze the interest on my account.?

Should you fail to assist me during a period of financial difficulty, contrary to all the guidelines and codes

issued by the relevent bodies and authorities that govern you and the way you conduct yourselves.

i shall have no alternative but to reduce my offer to £1PCM for the rest of the life of the account,

as your actions would do nothing to help me.

i thank you for your time.

signed

.

then pay by your internet banking site

.

and get reclaiming

.

TAKE CONTROL

.

if you have sent the above and they refuse

then write back........

.

.LETTER 2

 

i'm sorry, but you have failed to assist me during a period of financial difficulty,

against all the guidelines and codes issued by the relevent bodies and authorities

that govern you and the way you conduct yourselves.

i repeat again, the contents of my letter dated dd/mm/yyyy, for want of clarification:

to show my goodwill, i am going to pay £XX for XX mts

could you please as a reciprocal goodwill guesture, refraining from levying any penalty charges

& freeze the interest on my account.

i will update you in 6mts time or before, should my situation chance.

should you fail to help by refraining from levying unlawful PENALTY charges & freeze my interest,

i shall have no alternative but to reduce my offer to £1PCM for the rest of the life of the account,

as your actions are doing nothing to help me.

This is contrary to the rules you should operate under.

disgruntled account holder

 

 

..................

 

 

sent ONE SAR to shop direct

 

get all the statements.

 

I bet you'll lots of PENALTY charges & p'haps PPI? to reclaim?

 

stick by your guns

 

cat debts are VERY low priority.

 

dx

[Lollirot]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

I have wrote back to the catalogue's using the advice given and received this reply today;

 

"Unfortunately, we don't have any further advice as this is a Financial Services query and we do not have the training or facilities to deal with this part of the account.

 

I have spoken to our Arrears and they have advised that their only method of contact is telephone and that if you are unable to call them, then we can pass them your number and they would call you.

 

If you would like us to arrange this, please let us know the preferred phone number.

 

Apologies we couldn't help any further"

 

As Shop Direct do not have a sole email address (at least not that I can find) I have been sending the same emails to each of the 4 catalogue's, the above reply is from Isme, I also received this one from Very.

 

"We have passed your details over to our Accounts Team regarding the issues you have raised and an advisor from this team is reviewing the information provided - should we receive any information from them then we will contact you with an update"

 

I understand that all of these catalogue's are part of the same company. As I have received 2 different replies should I now write to Isme, Littlewoods and Woolworths and explain that I would like the same course of action taken by Very with them also?

[dx100uk]

I would simply write ONE LETTER

 

to the shop direct address

Shop Direct Home Shopping Limited.

Registered number: 4663281. Registered office: 1st Floor, Skyways House, Speke Road, Speke, Liverpool L70 1AB

 

 

 

dear sir/madam.

 

with ref to account numberS

ISME me XXXXXX

Very XXXXX

Littlewoods XXXXX

Woolworth XXXXX

 

I am currently in financial difficulties and not able to meet my normal monthly repayments.

to show my goodwill, i am going to pay £X for 6 mts. on each above account.

 

i will update you in 6mts time or before, should my situation change.

 

could you please as a reciprocal goodwill gesture,

refrain from levying any penalty charges & freeze the interest on my accounts.?

 

Should you fail to assist me during a period of financial difficulty, contrary to all the guidelines and codes

issued by the relevant bodies and authorities that govern you and the way you conduct yourselves.

 

i shall have no alternative but to reduce my offer to £1PCM for the rest of the life of the accounts,

as your actions would do nothing to help me.

 

i thank you for your time.

 

signed

.

[Old Cogger]

[email protected] = CEO

Website http://www.shopdirect.com

Twitter @ShopDirectGroup

 

Address L70 1ABM

Company Number 04730752C

[Anus Horribilis]

I would simply write ONE LETTER.

 

I agree. Don't let them bully you into a call-centre situation. Put it in writing, and if they don't respond they've shot themselves in the foot for any future court action.