IDR chasing Emirates NBD loan

[whowho]

Hi,

 

Please help as I'm feeling so anxious and not sure the best course to now take.

 

I had a car loan in Dubai which had half the loan still unpaid approx 15k dhs when I had to leave Dubai suddenly.  I was pregnant and on a holiday to the UK became extremely ill and could not fly back to Dubai.  For many health reasons I was never able to return. I paid several thousand dirhmans off the loan in the first few months of being in the UK.  I tried to deal with Emirates NBD at the time to arrange repayments and repossession of the car which had been left in Dubai in my apartment block car park.  They wouldn't help me or give me any means to contact them by phone and just kept repeating I had to go into branch in person.  After many times explaining that wasn't possible as I was in and out of hospital in the UK I gave up as they gave me no means of sorting it (also of course I had no source of income at the time, pregnancy going wrong, a 1 year old and serious health issues.)

 

In 2020 I was contacted at my then current address by a solicitors. I did engage with them by email saying that I do not accept the debt at this stage until they can provide me a full breakdown of the debt they claim I owe and evidence of this directly from the bank with original contracts and evidence of attempt to contact me.

 

The solicitor never did this but continued every few months to email generically that I owed this amount 24k dhs and to contact them.

 

I have since moved address and just 2 weeks ago at my new address I received a letter from IDR, a generic letter saying they will contact me at this address.  Since they have sent another letter telling me I have an outstanding debt of 23k dhs and they have been instructed by emirates nbd to collect it, their intention is to understand my circumstances and arrange a new method of repayment.

 

My question is:

what is the best course of action for me to now take?

Do I engage with IDR?

do I attempt to contact Emirates NBD directly,

if so how as this was impossible when I attempted in 2016 when I moved back to the UK?

 

The IDR have my correct address and have also sent me an sms.

If I ignore them does that give them more leverage?

 

Can they take me to court, if so what is the worst case scenario?

that I am found liable for the charge and agree repayment terms or can it be much worse than that? baring in mind, I have no assets and a very low income.

 

Thanks for any help and feedback, the anxiety is making me sick and I know that's what they usually rely on so trying to stay level headed.

 

[dx100uk]

moved you to the overseas forum.

there are 100's of threads here on UAE debts

read a good few 10's

 

write to the bank simply referencing their number for your debt

and inform them of your present and correct address.

you are in more danger of them launching a backdoor CCJ to an old address by not doing so, than of them knowing where you are and starting anything.

 

ignore everything

until/unless you ever get in the POST.

 

a statutory demand

a letter of claim

a court claim.

 

get that letter send

do some reading up

comeback with any further worries.

 

do not ever ever engage on the phone/text/email.

 

writing form now on only

 

 

dx

 

[whowho]

Hi thanks for your reply.

 

Who would attempt a backdoor ccj? IDR or emirates NBD.  The address IDR has is my correct new address as they are contacting me by postal letter (i have not responded of course).  The actual bank has never contacted me by post, only by email.  The address the bank has is the address I gave them when setting up the account which is my parents current address so I would know if anything was sent or delivered there.

 

Is contacting the bank with my new address also an attempt to get a true breakdown of the debt, decide whether I accept that amount and attempt to negotiate a repayment plan? I really don't have any means of paying this £5k off (definitely not in one go) Also they could have had the money and the car which was worth £20k when I first left Dubai but were impossible to communicate with and I could not transfer ownership of the vehicle without physically being present in the country.

 

Do you have any knowledge on how long I can be chased for this "debt", surely the insurance that was obligatory to purchase alongside the loan covers circumstances like this and the bank is already insured and can claim on their insurance if the suggest this is a loss to them?

 

It is impossible to contact the bank in Dubai by post.  They do not have a corporate postal address for these things, the letter would not be received or filed for sure. Do you have experience in how to do this?

 

Thanks

 

 

[dx100uk]

any litigation would be under instruction from the BANK through whomever they wish to use, idr etc cant just do it on their own... no debt collector has any legal powers and of course dont own the debt. only the owner of a debt can litigate.

 

you MUST write to the bank as already advised .

if you wish to try and negotiate, thats upto you, but it wont stop any possible litigation, should they wish to try their luck.

 

afaik debt statute barring is 15yrs in UAE.

 

their are numerous emirate bank threads here , have a read of them the address im sure will be in a post or pdf.

 

dx