Barclaycard Debt Advice

timplax20

I need urgent help please!

I have had an absolute nightmare with Barclaycard dating back to November 2007. It started last summer, unfortunately I had lost my job and therefore became an irregular payer.

Whilst the balance on this card is little (just below £500) I felt that the minimum payment that I could make everynow and then never got me anywhere and therefore contacted Barclaycard and requested them to reduce the interest if I promised to make regular monthly payments of £20. This was agreed and I have a letter from one of the Managers confirming and to start in November.

However since November they completely disregarded this arrangement and interest etc continued. I have since then written, emailed, called hundreds of times to try and get this sorted but never get any response. It recently got to the point that not even my complaint letters were being acknowledged...and so I referred this to the FSA and they are looking into my complaint.

This morning I have received a letter from Mercers Debt Agency with a Default Notice under section 87i if the Consumer Act 1974 .......I am absolutely appalled, shocked, upset and worried!!!

I do not want this default notice on my credit file at all that would really affect my future. I am happy and in the position where I can now pay off the full balance which I will do, however before I contact Mercers can you help/advise me what I can do to remove this notice???

I obviously will try and continue my complaint with the FSA but it is the Default Notice that I do not want on my file......I'm supposed to be buying a house next year!!!!

Your urgent help is much appreciated.

Deep_In_Debt

Hi
Barclaycard are one of my worst creditors and refused to accept my CCCS DMP payments and sent a doorstep collector when the debt was in dispute!

Default notices will trash your credit file but is not as serious as CCJ's, DMPs etc. Mercers ARE Barclaycard - the collections side. Do not ring them, write to them. There are some good letters on the National Debtline website.

Most of all, don't worry about them. They will bully but eventually they will accept your repayments, they just like to put you through it a bit first. I've been dealing with them since January this year and they have finally accepted my DMP.

timplax20

Thanks. I am happy to pay off the full amount anyhow as am a much more succesful position and so have been saving & paying off any debt I have to ensure I have a better credit for time coming of buying my house.

The original plan was for me to pay off in full the amount next Friday and just continue my complaint about service etc with the FSA....then this!!

To be honest I don't want to take up debt letters etc I just want to pay it off and have this default notice removed!!

Help???

Deep_In_Debt

I'm sure that if you pay it off in full and then ask them to remove the default from your file, they should do it. But make sure you get it in writing. Although I'm not that up on this as I'm not that bothered about defaults etc so someone with more knowledge may be along soon.

Honestly, don't worry about it - I've been there with them - and I owe them a lot more than you do.

timplax20

OK, thanks for your help.

Does anybody have any ideas/help/info on the default notice then??

Many thanks

Donedoingdebt

Firstly, I am no expert on this.
However, it appears that the default was registered legitimately as you have broken the terms of your original contract with Barclaycard, even though you came to another repayment agreement.
In my opinion, you may be best off writing to Barclaycard & using your offer to repay the debt in full immediately as a leverage to persuade them to remove the default & include a copy of the letter you received from the manager who agreed to reduce your payments.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is anything you can do legally, just try & appeal to their better nature if they have one.

timplax20

Ok...so i've just come off the phone with Mercers.

Have gone through my whole complaint etc etc and that now I was concerned they had issued a default notice.

They confirmed that the default notice is NOT actually a default notice, but just put on there as standard to "scare" people!!!

Cutting a long story short on how I have added this to my complaint (which will still be pursued)....I was offered the below:

Balance is £483.08
To pay a full and final settlement figure of £388 or to pay the full balance shown (however they knocked off a few charges) so £459.28.
I queried the "full and final settlement figure" as my main concern throughout is affecting my credit file ...the lady I spoke to said this would not affect my file at all. I wasn't convinced and so asked if she could confirm this with a Manager...she came back on the phone and said it now 'could' affect my credit file as shows on my file that a 'full & final settlement figure' was arranged/paid. The 'could' affect my file not being so bad though.

Does anyone have any info on this?? Not sure what to do??

Thanks