Help & Advice needed.

cavo_900

Hi, I posted this yesterday but I did not get much help. Can someone please help me and give me whatever information they can.

I received a letter a few weeks back from a debt collection agency saying I owed about £824. I searched around the forums and found a letter to say that as the debt is over 6 years old it does not count (I’m not even sure that I owe it as I don’t think I have ever dealt with the company who say I owe it).

After I sent this letter they replied asking for my last 3 address for security reasons, I replied and received a letter back saying "they are unable to provide the requested documentation (which was proof that this debt was mine) however they can request a copy of the opening agreement from their client if requested under the consumer credit act and a £1 fee is paid"

What does this letter mean?
What should my next step be?

Any Information Appreciated.

PLEASE HELP - I am trying to get out of debt which is achievable by the end of the year but if I have to pay this debt it would take years.

Thanks for reading.

Faye449

I'm sorry I'm not one if the experts on here but for the sake of a pound I would request the info. Is it possible you don't recognise the company name because someone like a debt agency has bought the debt?

However if it is correct that the debt is over 6 years old and they have left it too long to recover it from you they may be just doing whatever they can think of to try and get some money out of you ie ignoring your original letter so tread carefully.

It might be worth a conversation with your local CAB to see if they can help if no one on here who knows the ins and outs gets back to you but I'm sure they will soon!

McKneff

If the debt is statute barred thats it.

If they want a copy of the original agreement to try and prove to you that the debt is still valid, tell them to send the company a pound. Why should you pay it. But deal with everything in writing. No phone calls at all.
I'm sure more knowledgeable people will be along for reassurnce but it might be worth having a quick word with CAB

By the way, you have not said what the debt is for because if my memory serves me right council tax or government debts are never statute barred. They can chase you forever for them.

cavo_900

The letter says the debt is for a provident loan, which i am pretty sure i have never had...

Tixy

Hi

What details did they originally supply to make you think that the debt would be statute barred?
If this debt belongs to someone else unless the original info said how long since the last payment/acknowledgement then I don't think you can say it would be statute barred.

Did you send the prove it letter from this website? If you did and they cannot supply proof then they cannot chase you for it. As an aside I would check your credit report to check there is nothing on it that should be.

I wouldn't, in principal, do a CCA request as its not your debt so why would you want a copy of the agreement of someone else's debt.

Provident are door stop lenders by the way - have you ever had that 'type' of loan?

cavo_900

So what do you money savers think i should do,

Go back and tell them i am not paying the £1 as i dont thinks it my debt as i think if i leave it they will just make the debt even higher?

Any additional info. is very welcome.

milliemonster

Follow Tixy's advice, did you send them a letter asking them to prove that the debt is owed by you? if not then you need to send this letter (there is a template somewhere on this site), if you did send this letter and they have replied saying they can't produce it or want to charge you £1 to get it, then just ignore them, it's entirely up to them to prove you owe this debt and until then, don't worry.

cavo_900

So just wait and see what they say, what if they send another letter saying i owe them with a higher balance?

Thanks to everyone who has helped you have made me relax a bit!

bargainbetty

1. Send the Prove It letter.
2. Then sit and wait. It is up to them to prove it, but you should send that letter pointing out to them that you you do not acknowledge the debt and it is up to them to do so.

InDeepDebt

Sounds very dodgy to me. I certainly wouldn't send any money to them - even a penny. I'm no expert but if the debt is yours (unlikely) but you've not acknowledged it for over six years then it will be statute barred.

If there is a template letter on here then send that asking them to prove that the debt is yours.

I would be tempted to do nowt and see if they contact again. Then, if there isn't a 'prove it' letter on here, ask for details of the amount of the ALLEGED debt, the start date, the name, etc.

If you know nowt of the debt, it sounds dodgy to me.

Jim

cavo_900

Can somebody please post me the link for the "prove it" letter.