No reponse to CPR 31.14 request, no agreement to defence deadline extension - next step?

[LumpyLumps222]

Hi all.

 

Hope someone can offer some advice as to how to proceed regarding defence submission. Details as follows:

 

 

• MKDP LLP issued County Court claim form (bulk centre) on 21 Oct regarding a credit card debt allegedly had with Barclaycard. I have no record of the account and have never received any paperwork relating to it and have never made any payments to the account.
  
• I received the claim form on 24 Oct and acknowledged service and intention to defend online on the same day. Deadline for defence submission 23 Nov, although the Court advised as that is Saturday, they will accept sumbission on Monday 25 Nov.
  
• I sent CPR request for copies of documents referred to in PoC on 25 Oct which was delivered and signed for by MKDP on 26 Oct.
  
• No response at all to above by Weds 20 Nov so sent an email asking when they would be supplied. No response to that email so rang on Thurs 21 Nov to request response. They asked for my DoB which I refused to give (I am unsure exactly as to where they got this info from??) so they refused to speak to me. They gave me another email address for their legal department so I re-sent the email chasing a response.
  
• Finally received one back with what seems to be (having read many threads on this forum...!) their standard "we are not the original lender so have requested the documents from BC which may take up to 6-8 weeks. Therefore we will allow you up to 14 days after this to submit your defence".
  
• I replied requesting their written agreement to a specific date (as directed by the court) which I gave, and showed how I had worked out that date, based on MKDP's estimate of 6-8 weeks + 14 days.
  
• No response so sent another email at 5pm Fri 22 Nov saying if they didn't respond I intended to apply to court to have claim struck out on the basis that it couldn't succeed. This may have been the wrong thing to do but I was in a bad mood and wound up that these types of companies appear to be able to get away with not following the guidelines, yet if I don't (i.e. submit defence by the deadline) they can automatically get judgement against me!
  

I have not received anything from MKDP since then - so as I don't have agreement from them as to a specific date to file my defence, what do I do now? I don't believe trying to get the claim struck out at this stage will get me anywhere, and I don't have time to do this before having to file defence anyway.

 

I can't submit a decent defence without having a clue as to what this alleged BC account is - all I have is their word it exists. So do I submit a defence denying the allegations - but how do I defend, other than to say I have no record of any such account. This seems a bit flaky and surely that's what most people would try if they were trying to avoid paying a debt? Or is there another / better course of action?

 

I can post up PoCs if necessary/helpful.

 

Thanks in advance for anyone's help!

[LumpyLumps222]

Further to my post above, here are the PoC as per the claim form issued by MKDP:

 

The Claimant claims the sum of £3,xxx.xx being monies due from the Defendant to the Claimaint under a regulated agreement originally between the Defendant and Barclaycard.

The Defendant's account number was XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and was assigned to the Claimant on 15/01/2013, notice of this has been provided to the Defendant. The Defendant has failed to make payments in accordance with the terms of this agreement and a default notice has been served pursuant to the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

The Claimant claims the sum of £3,xxx.xx and costs.

The Claimaint has complied, as far as is necessary, with the pre-action condust practice direction.

 

To re-iterate - I have received nothing from either Barclaycard or MKDP prior to this court summons.

Hope someone can offer some suggestions re. what to do!

 

Thanks.

[The Mould]

In the (state CountyCourt here) ClaimNo. (state claimnumber here)

Between:

(state Claimant’s name here) Claimant

-and-

(State your name here) Defendant

Defence

Introduction

1. I, Mr/Mrs aged (state your age here) of ( state your full addresshere) am the Defendant in thismatter and I make this statement as my defence to the Claim brought by the Claimant. Thematters set out below are within my own knowledge and where the contraryappears, I state the source of such material and putthe Claimant to the strictest of [proof on his claim, which is denied in its entiretyherby.

a. For the purposeof this Defence, all paragraphs and sentences stated hereafter are referred to the Claimant’s statement ofcase dated (put date here).

2. The first sentence of Claimant’s statement of caseis admitted, save it is denied that the Defendant is indebted to the sums claimed therein as alleged, theClaimant is therefore, put to the strictest proof on the same.

3. The second sentence stated therein is denied andthe Claimant is put to the strictest of proof on the same. The Defendantcontends that no notice pursuant to s.136 & 196 has been served uponher/him by the Claimant as alleged or at all.

4. As to the third sentence, it is denied that anystatutory and valid default notice has been served on the Defendant and theClaimant is therefore; put to the strictest of proof to the contrary.

5. In light of the facts enumerated above, the claim is denied in its entirety and the Claimant isput to the strictest proof to establish to the contrary and his claimedentitlement under the statute and its provisions which, ifcomplied with in accordance with the obligations imposed upon the Claimant thereunder , would entitle the Claimant to his claim.

Statement of Truth

Mr/Mrs……………………………………………….. dated this day ……….. of November2013.

Singed (your printed name in caps – as the Claimant)

 

Kind regards

The Mould

 

[LumpyLumps222]

That's great - thanks for your response Mould (I presumed you meant the Defendant and not the Claimant in the sign-off line?). I will submit this online - should I make any reference to that fact that I sent the CPR request or is it irrelevant at this stage?

 

Thanks.

[The Mould]

That's great - thanks for your response Mould (I presumed you meant the Defendant and not the Claimant in the sign-off line?). I will submit this online - should I make any reference to that fact that I sent the CPR request or is it irrelevant at this stage?

 

Thanks.

 

Don’t worry as regards the Claimant’sclaim.

I did mean Claimant instead of Defendanton the sign off line (sorry for any confusionthis has caused you).

Yes, deny the sums claimed and the creditor’sright and claimed entitlement to the same, because he has failed to comply with his obligations imposed uponhim under s.87(1) of CCA ACT 1974 (as amended) therefore, his own non-compliant actions have denied him the fruits of s.87(1)of the CCA Act 1974 (as amended) if hehad indeed followed the statutory provisions imposed upon him thereunder.

In the light of the above, you rely upon the qualified judgement handeddown in Brandon V American Express on the issue of the invalid default notice served in this matter, the Claimantcannot, therefore, proceed to enforce the agreement in contraventionof statute and the Court of Appeal’s’ qualified judgment handed down in Brandonon the same.

The claim must fail in the light ofthe foregoing statute and higher Court of Appeal’s authority on the same.

Kind regards

The Mould