How to deal with Moorcroft

honeybee_6

I have 3 Egg debts which they passed on to Moorcroft.

The ccs and one loan total about £11,000.
For the last couple of months I have kept them at bay with token payments of £5 per account,truly all I can afford.
I have explained my circumstances as below and the y have now requested £120 per account.
They are threatening me with a visit from the balif.My elderly mother lives with me and both her and my daughter are ill.
A visit seems inevitable but very worrying(mother is unaware of the extent of debts-and has no way of helping me).

I intended to send them a statement of affairs (but presume it would make little difference) and said I was contacting the CCCS(still havent done this due to my change in earnings).
Even if I did contact them tomorrow I fear it is too late to stop Moorcroft and probably other companies.

The hole of debt has got deeper and deeper and after spending 6 months nursing my daughter , who was close to suicide at times I am emotinally warn down and despite so wanting to get back on track I am not sure how I can go on.
Most companies accepted minimum payments for a while but I couldnt even keep this going.

Due to severe ongoing financial problems which deteriorated with the serious illness of my daughter resulting in me ceasing my self employment over the summer and claiming income support(short lived -as after offering me £30 per week ,have returned to my teaching - but very minimal) I have had great difficulty paying any of my debtors and am behind in every payment with rent , electricity etc.No matter what I do now it isnt improving.

I am willing to give people what I can but it is beginning to seem impossible.

HOW CAN I DEAL WITH MOORCROFT PLEASE

tealady

Hi I would not open the door to anyone, having said that a lot of what debt collectors say is empty threats. There is a website for bailiff advice online, it has been mentioned on these threads so I'm sure someone will be along soon with the link.
Please do contact the CCCS, stuff such as rent and Council tax are priority debts, every one else can just whistle, they can't have what you ain't got.

honeybee_6

Thank you.
Forgot to mention that they have sent letters of litigation and said they will go ahead with court proceedings.

Should I send them a statement of affairs anyway (really wanted to do it via the CCSA -but feel that I have run out of time) and another £5 payment although I have not got this at present?

tealady

Hi. Definately send a SOA, but only pay what you can afford. if you post your SOA on here the lovely peeps may ee able to point you in the direction of shaving a few quid off your outgoings.

dodecanese

Have you got a CCJ with this debt? The only way they can send a bailiff (and they have to go back to the court first,to get a bailiffs warrant), is if they have a CCJ and you have defaulted on it. It sounds from your post they have not yet got to the CCJ stage, so they cannot send a bailiff.

If theres not yet a CCJ they will be possibly sending a doorstep collector. IF a doorstep collector turns up- he has no powers whatsoever.
Ring CCCS/National Debtline tomorrow- or you get info from their websites (NDL is paticularly good)

honeybee_6

Thanks.

Yes the mentioned a doorstep collector to discuss how I was going to pay.

I am concerned that if I send my SOA asap to them it will probably change if I then go through the CCSA.

To be honest I need to send this out to many creditors and should have got help before now , but my daughters illness dominated everything and I also seem to be writing continual letters to all these companies with all of them dealing with it in different ways.

shinyhead

Don't worry honeybee, it probably won't happen tommorrow.

A doorstep collector is NOT a bailiff- if one does turn up at your door you have every right to simply insist that it leaves. They have no rights to access your property whatsoever, so if it doesn't leave after being told, tries to walk in or stick its foot in the door you can call the police to have it removed.

These are the usual debt collection agency scare tactics. If your'e in financial trouble and you need guidance then contact CCCS, Payplan and/or National Debtline for advice tomorrow.

Have they called you today? If so they do it on purpose knowing that you can't do anything today.

Here are links to the organisations that can help sort you out:
http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/
http://www.cccs.co.uk/
http://www.payplan.com/

Aylana

Get in touch with CCCS and/or National Debtline tomorrow as suggested. Most of the letters sent out to people by Moorcroft are just trying to frighten them. I have dealt with them in the past and all they did was send letters and then eventually pass the debt on to somone else when they realised they weren't getting anywhere. Many of those letters said they were taking me to court etc. They didn't. Even if they had, all the court would have done is ordered me to pay at a level I could afford. Which you are already doing anyway so not much would change.

I know it is hard but do try not to worry about it. The main way these DCA's get money out of people is by frightening them. If they do actually bother to send a doorstep collector, just tell him to leave or you will call the police. If he doesn't leave call the police and have him removed.

In the meantime you can post your SOA on here as tealady suggested and we might be able to come up with some ways to trim your budget. Fresh eyes can often spot things that you might not.

honeybee_6

Thanks.Should I send a SOA immedietely to moorcroft or wait for CCSA ?

My calculations are that it will only be around £30 per whole debt !

shinyhead

If you're planning to try CCCS then let Moorcroft stew a bit and wait until you've sorted your SOA with them. If they keep pestering you tell them you are going with CCCS and they'll be back in touch on your behalf. If they refuse this then tell them that this is a breach of OFT guidelines.

I know it's hard not to worry but really you shouldn't, but at your earliest opportunity tomorrow get in touch with CCCS to arrange for a phone interview and start the ball rolling.

I can't see at a glance whether you've been contacted by Moorcroft over the phone or by letter. If they are pestering you on the phone there is a template letter here somewhere that tells them to stop it and make all communication to be in writing.

When did you take the accounts out? Was it before April 2007?

honeybee_6

Hi. Many thanks for your help .

They probably would be pestering by phone but luckily its not working properly at present.

I could deal with them myself , but the worry is coming when my mother and daughter are here and I am not .
I cannot worry my mother with this as she is already ill , but obviously she will know once they come.

The accounts with egg were started before April 2oo7, but not obviously with Moorcroft.Egg were very quick to hand debts over , unlike the other cards.

My main worry is keeping moorcroft away .I have had continual communication by letter with them, but to be honest having three accounts doesnt help!

They have sent me paying in books and the date on these is the 8th October.