Dealing with debts and debt disputes

Kermit84 · 5 September 2012 at 3:50PM

Hi can anyone help me please.
I have recieved a letter from 'Inter-Credit International Ltd' stateing that the DVLA are preparing a claim against me and I must pay £80 or I'll be taken to court. I have received no communication from the DVLA about this. Also the company state to be part of the Credit Services Association but when I searched for them on the CSA website I could not find them.
I have no idea why the DVLA are apparently doing this and I'm unsure if it's true. I've emailed the DVLA and am waiting to hear back. Has anyone else had these letters?

essexgirlSE · 5 September 2012 at 9:49PM

Hi,

After my best friend and neighbour died, I stupidly let my new neighbour run up a big bill on my Kays account (on my account, not under a separate account number sadly) and now she will only pay a small fraction of what she is supposed to pay each month. I made Kays aware of this and they put me on an arrangement where I pay a certain amount monthly. I am therefore not allowed to order anything until next February.

Meanwhile the new neighbour messes me about and gives me either nothing, £20 or £40 a month. The arrangement is that I pay £225 so I have to find the rest. And I only work part time for health reasons (in a hospital). The arrangement payments have pretty much paid for everything of mine on the account so now I am paying for her stuff.

When the arrangement ends, I dread to think what they will be charging me and still I battle to get any money off of her.

I have told Kays (now Kanco) all of this and begged them to give her a separate account number and pursue the debt themselves - she even said to me that if she was dealing with them then she WOULD pay!!! She tells me that they did send her a letter trying to sell her insurance with her own account number (though I can't get it off of her because she isn't talking to me since I insisted on getting some money this month). I sent them all the details of what purchases she had and when and how much she had paid. They said it was my debt. I left it a few months and tried again last week. I got this reply:

"Thank you for your email about your account.

Unfortunately, due to changes in legislation in January 2008, customers can no longer obtain credit through another persons account.

Everyone shopping with a home shopping company on credit terms, have to have their own credit check carried out and be subject to their own credit limit. We have to adhere to this guidelines as a responsible lender.

Previously, we arranged for our larger accounts to be transferred to agencies where the customer had their own statements, but still run through an agent. We are no longer able to offer this service.

More information regarding these changes can be found under the Consumer Credit Act 2006."

But when my last customer died, they let me off what she owed and didn't tell me I couldn't order for someone else on my account - and she died in March 2010!!!

Where do I stand? Is there any way I can make them take management of this debt themselves? This whole thing has wrecked my credit rating and more importantly, is making me ill.

thanks

CP

Next morning: they just sent me this.

"Thanks for your email about purchases made on your account.
I'm sorry, as previously advised I'm unable to remove the value of the items as you are legally responsible for all purchases made on the account.
The following clause in our T & C's, displayed on our web site and in our catalogue, applies in this instance:
Payment Liability:
Please note, unless you are registered with us as an agent, you are responsible for all purchases made on your account and are personally liable for the full outstanding balance.

I trust this clarifies the matter for you."

Now what do I do?

Oh and just sent them this:

"In that case please look at significantly reducing my payments indefinitely until it is all paid off. I can force £40 out of her a month. I cannot afford to keep paying £225 a month, let alone for things that are not mine. If I lose my house and job through stress then I won't be able to pay you at all. Please review the payment plan as soon as possible.

I am seeking legal advice about whether you can treat me like this.

I believe that you are being unreasonable. You did not make me aware that I should not have customers and take out credit in their names. You were aware that I do this as I have had items sent to her house and signed for. At no point did you stop me when I said the word customer and say 'You should be aware that you may not take out credit on somebody else's behalf'. My customer wants you to remove the items from my account and create one for her and has said that she will pay you if you do this. You are being unreasonable and unfair. Please review this"

stikiuk · 6 September 2012 at 9:27AM

Hi, i am looking for a bit of advice regarding a CAB representative. We have a ran into problems paying our credit cards, I am disabled and have been in and out of hospital for the past 3 months. My husband is a self employed cab driver but has had to look after myself and our children which has ment him hardly working any hours at all. Basically all we have had in the way of income is my DLA lower rate care and high rate mobility and our tax credits. He went to see our locl CAB to see if they could help us out with our creditors, and came across the most obnoxious rude woman ever. He left her with a income and expebnditure form also the most up to date letter from each credit card company that we owe money to. We have just recieved an extremely abrupt and snotty phone call from her stating that if we dont get 3 months worth of bank statements, proof of housing and council benefit, tax credits, 3 months worth of the credit card statements and my husbands tax returns to her this afternoon she refuses to help us and will be closing the case !!
My question is can we ask for another representative to deal with our case as my husband is now refusing to deal with her after the way she spoke to him? He said she made him feel like a criminal! Also does she really need all this information or is she just being awkward?
Thanks Stiki

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 6 September 2012 at 1:44PM

Hi kermit84, thank you for your query regarding Inter credit international
I would suggest that you phone the DVLA to find out what the debt is for. The DVLA can issue penalty charge notices for several offences such as failing to register the sale of a vehicle, failing to insure or MOT a vehicle or failing to update your address on your driving licence so it could be this or it could be a fishing excercise by a debt collection agency trying to trace someone with the same name as you.
Hope this is of assistance.

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 6 September 2012 at 1:54PM

Hi essexgirlSE, thank you for your query regarding Kays.
Unfortunately if this is a personal account not an agency account then you are responsible for the whole amount but if you cannot afford the repayments then I would suggest you complete a income and expenditure and send it to the catalogue company with an offer of repayment. You can find template offer letters and information on making offers to creditors at www.adviceguide.org.uk.
If your friend/neighbour does not pay you then you could consider taking them to court for the outstanding balance as they do owe you the money (they just don't owe the catalogue the money) and you can find information on starting court action at www.adviceguide.org.uk.
Hope this is of assistance

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 6 September 2012 at 2:07PM

Hi stikiuk, thank you for your query regarding debt advice.
Firstly I would suggest the best thing you could do is to get the assistance of a specialist debt adviser who can discuss all options for dealing with your debts including possibly assisting with bankruptcy or a Debt Relief Order or asking for write offs of your debts on medical grounds or negotiating with your creditors. Some debt advisers working within Citizens Advice Bureaux work under funding such as Legal Help which requires detailed proof of income in order to assess eligibility for help under the scheme before any assistance is given. All debt advisers are required to have some evidence of income on a file as creditors trust offers made by CAB advisers are based on correct income figures. This does often mean that a lot of information is required prior to an appointment which can be frustrating but is necessary. If, however, your husband found the adviser to be rude then he should make a complaint and you can find details of how to do so on www.citizensadvice.org.uk or contact the Bureau and ask them to log a complaint over the telephone or send you their complaints procedure and a form. All CABs have different policies on whether they allow you to change advisers part way through a case so I could not advise you on this. There are other sources of debt advice including National Debtline (www.nationaldebtline.org.uk) who offer telephone only debt advice which is free and confidential or you may be able to find a solicitor or law centre in your area offering debt advice under the Legal Help scheme, although you will have to provide evidence of income for this also.
Hope this is of assistance.

stikiuk · 6 September 2012 at 2:58PM

Many thanks for the promp reply. Its not a problem getting all the information she had asked for it was just the short space of time she gave us. He is deffo going to log a complaint about her.
Stiki

cadgaboo · 10 September 2012 at 10:37AM

Hi, can someone advise please,
I have received a letter today from MKDP LLP who it states have taken over from a company called shop direct Finance company, who I have never heard of! saying that as of 4th Oct 2010 I have an outstanding balance of £5.
Anyone got any suggestions as to what I do? like I said I haven't a clue who these people are let alone bought anything!

McClane54 · 10 September 2012 at 6:37PM

Hi CAB

Can you please help me, Im in Cardiff and would like to go speak to someone about a debt issue, Could you point me in the right direction? All searches are coming up nothing and no answers to calls or emails

fatbelly · 10 September 2012 at 11:22PM

cadgaboo wrote: »

Hi, can someone advise please,
I have received a letter today from MKDP LLP who it states have taken over from a company called shop direct Finance company, who I have never heard of! saying that as of 4th Oct 2010 I have an outstanding balance of £5.
Anyone got any suggestions as to what I do? like I said I haven't a clue who these people are let alone bought anything!

Sorry to butt in but this is at least a social policy issue if not a criminal matter. See my post earlier tonight:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=55751069#post55751069

Dealing with debts and debt disputes

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