Paid the Debt but they say I have not

gregthmann

Hi I wonder if anybody can help me? This is my first post so go gentle please...

OK here lies the problem. Today I recieved a Phone call from 1st credit Limited demanding payment for a credit card that was paid long ago. About 6 months ago I got my credit report from experian and all was good except for this 1st credit one which says I owe £1,135 but I remembered paying the debtors and on checking through the last 5 years bank statements it showed all the payments to 1st credit with a final payment made of around £90(not sure without digging them all out) I phoned 1st credit saying about this debt and to prove i had paid they said send them the copies. I copied all the statements circled all the payments and sent these off recorded delivery. On the phone call today they said they had not recieved these and that they had dealt with people like me trying to screw them out of there money and If I did not pay they will bankrupt me??? The chap on the end of the phone was very abusive and to be honest very nasty. Please could someone advise me on what to do next as I have no idea? any help would be much appreciated.

dancingfairy

Hi. They sound dodgy to me but I am sure you are not the first person to have this problem. I am sure someone around here will be able to suggest a letter you will be able to send to them. I believe you can also complain about them to the OFT (offfice fair trading ) and trading standards.
Hope someone else can give a bit more advice.
df x

ajaney

If you sent the details recorded delivery, have you checked on the royal mail website that they have been received? It is also sometimes possible to get a copy of the signiture for the person who signed for them?

gregthmann

Hi and thanks for helping,

I did contact royal mail via there website and they had signed for it. Very frustrating as I was in serious debt but managed to pull my self out and now this is the only thing left outstanding but as I said all the debt was paid so not sure on what avenue to go down.

Thanks again

stapeley

First thing as we always say never phone these people .They now have your contact details ,so you now could be pestered by them . I would just say prove it ! It would be up to them if it went to court for them to provide details , so they should let you have the details first .

gregthmann

Just had another phone call from them today and said that I would no longer speak to them on the phone and for any correspondance to be done via the post. What is really annoying is that I have all the bank statements proving that the debt has been paid so just wondering if there is anyway I can take this to court? or somebody who could look into this and get these people off my back. Its very annoying as I can no longer get credit because of this sitting on my records and basically all I wanted was a good credit history and to be debt free.

RAS

Hi

If they are recording incorrect information regarding your account on your credit record write a stiff complaint re their failure to keep accurate records and advise that unless it is updated with the correct settlement date as per letter signed for on (date), you will refer them to the Information Commisioner.

CC the credit record companies, the Information Commissioner into your letter and the Trading Standards nearest their office.

gregthmann

Thanks for the quick response, when I recieve any letter from them demanding payment I will AGAIN photocopy all the bank statements for the last 5 years and also state that I want my credit file updated to payment complete.

Checking through the experian credit report it says:

Company Name: 1st Credit Limited
account type: hire purchase/conditional sale

Default balance: £1.135
current ballance: £1.135

Defaulted on: 28/04/2003
file updated for period to: 13/06/2004

But I know full well this has been paid. Also the company who phoned me was Connaught collections (not sure if i have spelt that correctly)

silkglade

Hi,

Well he is the problem as I see it.

You made the payment back to 1st Credit (possible at a time it was in the process of being sold onto a credit collections agency) as your last post says that it was Connuaght Collections that spoke to you on the phone.

I believe from what I can make out (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong) but I think you have been dealing with them all along but thought it was 1st Credit so you sent the recorded delivery to then instead of the Connuaght Collections and as far as they are concerned you have not paid them a penny.

I would phone 1st credit direct and get them to cancel Connaught themselves as you have now made full payment, and at the same time get them to ammend your credit file as it is now fully paid.

I have not had any experience of 1st Credit but from what you say the kind of bahaviour you are experiencing is from a debt collection agency rather than from the original creditor.

Oh and well done for getting yourself sorted and out of debt :T

gregthmann

Thanks to everybody who has helped me with invaluble information. It is such a burden and very stressfull. The debt collection agencies are very nasty people who will stop at nothing to try and get money out of you. I would love to turn the table on these people and see how they would cope.... There should be a law against the way they speak to people. I wish my phone would record when having a conversation as the way they spoke to me would surely be harrasment and any court would stop them. I imagine for some people it could quite easily cause a breakdown. I hope and prey that anybody in debt can get themselves out so that these parasites no longer have a job.

gregthmann

This is the letter I recieved today from connaught collections.

RE: Bankruptcy Action
1ST Credit Ltd - Associates
Outstanding Debt £1134.56

I write to inform you that we are now in a position to present a Bankruptcy Petition against you following the recent delivery of our Statutory Demand.

As you have chosen to either ignore the Statutory Demand or demonstrate an ability to pay the sum claimed, you leave us with little alternative other than to present a petition.

Once a petition is issued I should point out that the amount payable would increase with expenses, fees and costs including those of the trustee following Bankruptcy.

The trustee will be invited to liquidate your assets/estate e.g. property, with a view to settling this matter.

A copy of this letter is retained on our file for later production to the court to demonstrate that every effort has been made on our part to avoid this intended action.

yours sincerely

What action should I take for this matter to be resumed? I will goto court if need be and take all my bank statements to prove that the amount owed has been paid. If anybody knows who I should contact then this will be much appreciated. Also worth noting is that all payments made were to 1st credit Ltd and NOT connaught collections if this helps?