Help.. I think I just done something extremely stupid...

deliciosa · 8 February 2007 at 7:41PM

ok, I am going to be honest with you guys and probably you will loathe me... and I probably deserve it...

I received a letter from a debt collector called Castle something, relating to an old debt of £80 from amazon.co.uk - yes the debt is mine but I think its completely unfair, long story, I just did not want to pay it (and besides, couldnt. anyway.)

So I wanted to call them, I rang the number on the letter. And then the tipical smug debt collector picked it up, an indian sounding guy, with obviously zero empathy... so I panicked. seriously. and in my panic, I dont know how, I told them that they sent the letter to the wrong address, the addresse does not live there.....!! can you believe - I lied! I am sure lots of people say this to debt collectors, whether true or untrue, but... I dont know if he believed me, I imagin my voice was shaking etc.. but he said he will stop the correspondence.

And then we hung up. My heart is racing since - what happens now??? What if they go to court. What if they find out I do live here. I am panicking. Will they go to court for such a small amount (small for them, I mean?)

I feel so ashamed, it was a gut reaction. I would be grateful for any advice.

I just hope that those lovely people here who have supported me in the past won't hate me for this... this is really horrible...

vixtress · 8 February 2007 at 7:48PM

i dont really have much advice, i am sure the experts will be along soon, just wanted to say dont be too hard on yourself, we all do daft stuff without thinking somtimes!

vixtress · 8 February 2007 at 7:48PM

i dont really have much advice, i am sure the experts will be along soon, just wanted to say dont be too hard on yourself, we all do daft stuff without thinking somtimes!

CAFCGirl · 8 February 2007 at 7:50PM

Well in a moment of madness, you'd probably worked yourself up so much about it that you just said whatever came to your mind.

I'd suggest writing a letter to said collection company, and offering a payment, whatever you can afford, say cheque for £10 and say you understand you owe this amount (which you do) but at this moment dont have the money to pay the whole thing, and see what happens from there.

We've all made mistakes, and in the heat of the moment said things we regret. But now you just need to take the bull by the horns and deal with the real issue which is the money outstanding.

corsanita · 8 February 2007 at 7:50PM

Don't panic. Yes it perhaps was a bit silly but it's done now.

If you're going to get rid of the debt, I would respond to the letter in writing and not go into detail about the discussion on the phone. Simply say you received their letter, called the number but due to the off putting manner of the person on the end of the line you couldn't think straight. Apologise for any confusion then go straight into asking what they want from you and request that all correspondence be in writing.

We all get days when so much goes on you would struggle to remember your own name let alone anything else (or is that just me :rotfl:). I've dealt with a LOT of people over the phone...you'd be surprised how forgetful or confusing it can be.

deliciosa · 8 February 2007 at 7:52PM

thank you both.. but isnt it possible that they somehow drop the case?

because once I admit I owe the amoutn won't they demand the full amount? and then they will have proof which they don't have at the moment!

deliciosa · 8 February 2007 at 7:53PM

corsanita - thanks to you too... i am just so confused... and stupidly still hoping it would just all go away...

corsanita · 8 February 2007 at 7:58PM

deliciosa wrote:

thank you both.. but isnt it possible that they somehow drop the case?

because once I admit I owe the amoutn won't they demand the full amount? and then they will have proof which they don't have at the moment!

What is the full amount? Extra charges etc?

I'm certainly no expert, but if they have enough information to find you then don't they have enough to have it effect your credit rating?

Even small amounts can come back to bite you...I genuinely forgot about a small amount (under a tenner!) on a store card (didn't have a DD set up and then the post went missing and then I moved) and it was a close run thing that it didn't affect me. I rang up about 3 months later to change my address and found out about it and talked them out of holding it against me.

Of course, it's all up to you. Personally, I'd hate the worry of thinking something was going to come through the door if it was something I could possibly avoid.

Good luck & don't panic!

(and eat!)

deliciosa · 8 February 2007 at 8:03PM

The full amout is £80

At the moment, they have an address which I have just confirmed it does not belong to me (!!! geez....). they have no valid telephone number for me. Its from amazon so I did not sign a contract. The cards I had at the time (and the card numbers they have) I dont have them anymore, they all been stopped. If they go to court, they can't send the court claim here, because they just been told this si not the right address, right?

Maybe I am completely wrong, please correct me... when these debt collection agencys purchase the debt from the actual company (amazon in this case) how much they pay for it, less than the debt right? so lets say they paid like £40, and they have to pay additional £30 in court fees, woudl they bother?

nickm122 · 8 February 2007 at 8:29PM

It sounds like your trying to convince yourself that they will forget about it. But what you need to be saying to yourself is can i resolve this??

deliciosa · 8 February 2007 at 8:31PM

hi nick - yeah... but what if, in fact, they will forget about it and i saved £80?

I might just pay it when I'm paid tomorrow.....

Help.. I think I just done something extremely stupid...

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