Connaught Collections

MercMan

Oh I am going to pay but not the full amount (£9.5K), going to suggest paying instalments until I go BR.

skylight

Just make sure that they are as small as possible. Like £5 a month to start with.

MercMan

That's about all I can afford!

debt_doctor

Hi,

Send them a financial statement and make them an offer you can afford, from £1 pm upwards. Keep your doors and windows locked and dont let the bailiff in. Also you could ( especiallly if you are exempt from court fee) get form n245 and ask to vary the order to a £1 and suspend the bailiffs warrant. By the time thats processed you'll be BR.

DD

nervousmother

I had a letter from abbey loan today said i was in arrears and they will notify credit ref and may sell the debt on (they know i am BR)

on subject of letters, at work we had a letter from a utility company sent to our office for one of our clients who is BR. the letter was addressed like this (see through envelope)

Mr client (Bankrupt)
then address

Are they allowed to put the word bankrupt in brackets next to name for the world to see?

fermi

Plus if they send you a Statutory Demand, don't get too excited. :rolleyes:

rog2

Personally, I would 'ignore' this initial letter. It will take them some time to 'enforce' the CCJ and, most probably, their next step will be to send you one of their 'Statutory Demands', which they post out in vast quantities, often without the slightest knowledge of the correct proceedure for 'serving an SD'.
I have only heard of one person that Connaught actually took all the way to bankruptcy, but that, in your case, is irrelevant, as you have already decided on bankruptcy anyway. In fact it may, indirectly, be doing you a favour as Connaught would have to pay the Court fees and solicitors' costs up front, with no guarantee of getting anything out of your bankruptcy estate - they would, effectively, be treated in exactly the same way as your other creditors.
I doubt, very much, that they will 'send the Bailiffs around' - only the Court can order bailiffs to call and, as far as I am aware, Connaught are not registered as 'Certified Bailiffs', so any employee of Connaught that calls on you is likely to be nothing more than a Debt Collector who would have no more rights than your milkman. Equally, a bailiff must give you 7 days notification of an intended visit.
IF that person were to say, or imply, that he is a bailiff, working on ehalf of the Court, then he MUST show you his certification - otherwise you can just send him packing. Just make sure that you follow the advice, especially on allowing entry, that you have seen on the insolvency helpline site, or that you receive from Herbie21.
So, let's assume that you receive the 'famous' (maybe that should read infamous) Connaught Collection Statutory Demand - and let us also assume, for argument's sake, that it has been correctly served (doubtful). You would, then, have 18 days during which you would be able to attempt to negotiate a payment plan with them. Assuming that you are not able, or willing, to negotiate a plan within this period, then, and only then, Connaught would be able to apply to the Court for permission to petition for your Bankruptcy.
This process does not happen overnight - there is no 'fast track' for bankruptcy - so it is likely to be at least six to eight weeks from 'service' of a Statutory Demand to an actual Bankruptcy hearing.
On my calculations, that seems to fit in quite well with your original timescale anyway.

MercMan

Thanks Rog. I'm moving in early June anyway so they'll have to find me again!

louiseylou

Connaught are 1st credit, they just use different company names as a tactic so you think the debt has been sold to another company. Another one they use now is Judge & Preistley Solicitors, I fell for it and called the Solicitors and got the same a**hole attitude you get when you speak to 1st Credit or Connaught. They are not interested in what you have to say unless you have your card number to hand.

OFT are putting together a case on these people, so if they are harassing you, call OFT to report it.