Fees from debt collector - advise please?

[dannyboy660]

Excuse me for poking my nose in, and maybe I'm stating the obvious but BLS Collections is part of Lloyds Tsb, they are the same thing.

 

Does this have any bearing on things??

[dannyboy660]

I think LTSB will treat BLS as a separate company for the purposes of S.A.R, and vice versa. Unfortunately it's a huge loophole that many don't seem to be aware of. LTSB pass the debt to BLS on the pretence they are a separate company and many people will pay up, plus interest and charges unaware they are in fact paying LTSB anyway, just under a different name.

 

What a fantastic little moneyspinner!!! If you get your magnifying glass out and go over a BLS letter in detail somewhere in the small print will be cleverly hidden "BLS Collections is a trading name of Lloyds TSB" which makes it all perfectly legal because they have 'told' you, that they are one and the same. My old friends Lowell alerted me to this fact with their alter ego 'Hamptons Legal'. Legal my arsenal.

 

Lloyds have been in this game a very, very long time and need to be approached with caution. If you SAR both, you'll get a reply from both - but if you CCA both, it stands to reason that one or the other will come up with the paperwork and unfortunately will have been put on alert......unless they don't have it at all, but that's the risk you have to take with Lloyds.

 

All the best.

[dannyboy660]

Lloyds are a very tricky bunch.

 

Unlike many lenders who pass the debt briefly to an in-house collector, then sell it outright to a purchaser for the tax relief, Lloyds pass it to a 'separate company' to do the deed. This 'separate company' does in fact belong to Lloyds anyway (as you now know).

 

This company will hang on to the bitter end to squeeze every last penny out of you for the debt, and interest and charges if they can get away with it, without involving the purchase market or any outsiders. This is old fashioned debt collection at it's best/worst/fairest depending on your point of view. Pure profit for Lloyds.

 

CCA'ing Lloyds or BLS is likely to produce the necessary documents for them to proceed a step further, should they want to, unless the docs don't exist anymore. That's the gamble. If they do sell it to a purchaser a very quick CCA to the new 'owner' may catch them out, but unfortunately they will almost certainly have guessed your intentions by now.

 

I don't really know what to say, but perhaps the next step would be to identify the charges or interest by Lloyds and BLS separately, then question them on the legality of it, knowing they are the same company and effectively charging you twice....?????.

 

It's a good bargaining tool, but I really don't know how things would pan out if you take that route. Sorry for putting a bit of a damper on things.....but forewarned is fore..wassisname..and least you can be prepared and plan your next step.

 

All the best.

[dannyboy660]

After having a look at charges etc which have questionable legality, if things are in your favour you could drop obvious hints that you are aware they have effectively been charging you twice, and you are prepared to let the matter go to court to get it resolved. That will give them something to think about, and put them on the offensive to try and shout you down. They don't want to go to court and kill the goose.

 

Depending on the circumstances, (balance, charges, interest,) and using your own judgment, it may be possible to get them into a position where they would let it go. "It wouldn't look too good for Lloyds if this became public knowledge, would it??"

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-debt/20758-creditors-dcas-letter-templates.html

 

Letter K with a few alterations might do the trick.

 

They will make it very uncomfortable for you, that's guaranteed, but it just might be possible.........

 

The decision is entirely yours and I'm just bouncing an idea.

[dannyboy660]

I'll second that. Seems like a logical step.