Diary Of A Vladman

VLADTHEIMPALA

Foreword:
I usually restrict my posts to the Night Owls thread, but since a couple of peolple have asked me about letters I've sent in response to DCAs etc. I thought I'd try to keep a diary of my progress in arranging repayments and fending off unwanted visitors.
Briefly, I have 6 credit cards and one personal loan. All were ticking along but not really reducing. Everything was on DD. Then in January I went into hospital and got short-paid in the same month. All my DDs bounced costing me over 500 in bank charges. Everything slipped, but at the same time I discovered MSE. My requests for statements of CC charges began in early March, as did my battle with Welcome Finance over a PPI policy, and one with Bank of Scotland over a PPI which, when I tried to claim, I found covered me for caring for a relative but not illness, loss of my job etc. now that I have gone 3 months without paying most of these people I am dealing with DCAs.
My approach is slightly flippant. I would like to stress that I have made a personal decision to deal with these people my way. I can see no reason I will want credit so my credit rating is irrelevant to me. I am not preaching that we should all live within our means, but that is what I nintend to do because the stress is simply too much.

Capital One: Letter received today from Debitas. I quote, in part:
Dear Sir, You must read and respond to this letter immediately...
One of our agents will be calling your home (sic)...
We are concerned ... calling today will bring you peace of mind ...

Dear Debitas,
Thank you for your letter of 22 July. Your concerns have been noted. I assume that that in paragraph 3 your intention was to say that one of your agents will be calling at my home, not simply calling my home. Unless your agent is a court-appointed bailiff and you have a county court order for recovery, this is likely to be unfruitful.

I have not made payment to Capital One partly because I have been unwell and in hospital. I would make an arrangement with you to pay, but I have a claim pending against Capital One in the county court for an amount considerably in excess of the figure you state I owe them. This will proceed as soon as Capital One has the courtesy to comply with the Data Protection Act; or the Financial Ombudsman Service forces them to comply, whichever is the soonest. To make further payment to a third party would only complicate matters.

In the meantime, I am unsure what you can do. Capital One have passed you a debt which they have known since April will be wiped out when they comply with the law, which is a bit naughty of them really. Litigation on your part would be expensive and counter-productive, and as my credit rating has already been destroyed by my inability to pay creditors since my hospitalization, one more black mark against my name will be of no consequence.

Yours faithfully,

VLADTHEIMPALA

Also received in this morning's post: Notice of Judgment Entered from Northampton County Court: defendant Citicards $1126.56. Card balance $580. (I have an American laptop which has no pound sign - why not? those designed for England have a $)

VLADTHEIMPALA

Hayley, Senior Collection Manager for AA Personal Finance writes that she is concerned that I have been ignoring her. She is worried about my peace of mind and my credit rating, and seems quite upset that I haven't answered her calls.

I am gratified, but not entirely convinced, that you have taken a personal interest in my account. I have not been ignoring you. I have changed my telephone number because I am meant to be avoiding stress. I have written several times since March, explaining initially that I was hospitalized and critically ill in January and that my pay had been affected.

I have since written explaining on-going health problems and consequent income difficulties, and that I am in dispute with your underwriters over a payment protection insurance policy which does not cover me for sickness.

I am currently off work again for what may be some weeks. I am suffering from stress and have already had one heart attack. Although I am still unable to claim my full salary I am expecting a lump sum near the end of July. I can assure you that I have every intention of making a substantial payment towards the missing installments, possibly the full amount.

As for the charges added, these will not be included. Please do not worry yourself unduly over my credit rating; that has been destroyed in the last three months, thanks in part to your company applying for a direct debit four times in one month, which cost me £ 156.00 in bank charges.

VLADTHEIMPALA

Received last week: a rather telling final response from Welcome Finance includes this:
'[the loan agreement] was correctly executed by us on 26/07/2004. This predates the regulation of our business by the FSA, and therefore the principles you seek to rely on are not applicable.'

and

'I am minded in light of the above that you would not be able to escalate your complaint to the FOS, as this matter would fall outside their jurisdiction regarding the agreement number.' I think he means the date again.

It took WF from 8 March 2008 to last week to come back with this. Their case is that I signed the form, and the form states that PPI is optional. Yes it states that. Their original letter stated that they would be delighted to lend me $7000 at an APR of 17%, but once you are locked in a room with your passport held behind a bullet-proof screen, and your bank statements, council tax etc. etc. taken away for scrutiny, when the 'salesman' tells you that they won't lend you the money (which is now $3000 at 36% plus the whole cost of the PPI at 36%) unless you take the PPI, and no, you can't remove any of the quotes from the building, 'optional' means that you have the option of turning down the loan. I did, and then I realised that they had details of all my creditors and would contact them, and find others, so I had to go back and take the loan.
I'm going to the FOS anyway. I'd rather accept their judgment of what's in their jurisdiction.

Mupeteer

Good to see this Vlad, it's good to follow what you're up to. And I'm loving your responses.
Re Welcome Finance, at least they'll have to pay FOS for the investigation even if the outcome isn't what you're hoping for.

VLADTHEIMPALA

Mupeteer wrote: »

Good to see this Vlad, it's good to follow what you're up to. And I'm loving your responses.
Re Welcome Finance, at least they'll have to pay FOS for the investigation even if the outcome isn't what you're hoping for.

You always know what I'm up to anyway (usually my neck:D ). I thought I'd better put all this somewhere new rather than bore people on the night owls thread.

VLADTHEIMPALA

Also in this week's pile ther are no less than three written communications -I hesitate to call them letters- from Power 2 Contact (I wanted to say that in a HeMan kind of voice with lots of reverb). Powerrrrr toooooo Contaaaact! - it doesn't work, and nor do their scare tactics. I don't have the link, but Google them under www.power2contact.co.uk and you can see their code of conduct, which is very useful, and a load of jargon aimed at selling their services to creditors. They offer a doorstep collections service. So far Hutchison 3g, Barkingcard, and someone else (the letter's blown off the kitchen table) have used them because they have been 'unable to contact me' - Read my letters to you - they count as contact in my book. Hutchison 3g should know very well why they have been unable to contact me on a phone they disconnected. If they knock at the door I'll keep you posted. I collect debt for a (sort of) living, and I have the power to do a hell of a lot more than contact. I may just sit behind the front door and bark and see what they do. They have a novel process: first I got a yellow card (posted) saying 'I confirm that I will visit Wednesday 23 July to discuss recent communication from CSL'. 'Confirm' usually relates to a previously suggested arrangement. I waited in most of the day but nobody arrived. Then a week later came the letter.

boredofbeingathome

I for one am happy to see how you are handling them Vlad. It is despicable that in our moment of need when you have been paying a fortune in PPI that they then add further stress.
Good luck, and is it wrong of me to say..can't wait for the next letter? As in the way you respond..I definately think they picked on the wrong chap..

Oh and has GA been released yet?

VLADTHEIMPALA

boredofbeingathome wrote: »

I for one am happy to see how you are handling them Vlad. It is despicable that in our moment of need when you have been paying a fortune in PPI that they then add further stress.
Good luck, and is it wrong of me to say..can't wait for the next letter? As in the way you respond..I definately think they picked on the wrong chap..

Oh and has GA been released yet?

Thanks Bob. There will be more soon.

The GA situation has deteriorated I'm afraid. Bubbles swears I have Smashed here and not GA. In retaliation I strapped DT to a frustrated donkey, but as Bubbles doesn't fancy him (she is, by her own admission, batting for the other team) I had to decapitate Bruce Willis and I currently have Sean Connery in a red gimp suit locked in the cellar. And all for 50 bucks.

boredofbeingathome

VLADTHEIMPALA wrote: »

Thanks Bob. There will be more soon.

The GA situation has deteriorated I'm afraid. Bubbles swears I have Smashed here and not GA. In retaliation I strapped DT to a frustrated donkey, but as Bubbles doesn't fancy him (she is, by her own admission, batting for the other team) I had to decapitate Bruce Willis and I currently have Sean Connery in a red gimp suit locked in the cellar. And all for 50 bucks.

:rotfl: :rotfl: You nutter..i hope you get your $50 dollars soon:rotfl: I may well have to provide the readies if DT is involved..although if he is tied up, a live feed would work just as well;) :rotfl:

VLADTHEIMPALA

Look! you've gone and mucked up my shiny new almost sensible thread on day one. Lets save the imaginary celebrity hostage situations for after dark. Sensible people may view this thread - what would they think? (If I try hard I might get into one of those slappy little fights people were having last night).