Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

kap71

Am looking for some advise re Debt collection visit this morning. My partner and I have some debts which are currently being dealt with by a DMP, this plan is still quite new only a couple of months old infact. Everything is going well and all creditors have agreed to terms. However! my partner is constantly being hassled with phone calls and letters, which we pass on to DMP company, by one of the creditors CapQuest. This morning I answered to door to a rather burly intimidating man asking for my partner who wasnt in - not that he believed me! He wouldnt tell me anything and came back a bit later to speak to my partner. He tried to give us a letter which my partner refused and we gave him the DMP details. My question is with a DMP in place should we still be having this harrasment? The man at the door, was then really nice and told us compensation can be claimed from CapQuest for this hassle...is this true?

StepChange_Pavan

loudmouth wrote: »

HI, Have already posted this on another thread but think it was the wrong one. I checked my credit report last month and it showed I had a default with Welcome in October 2006 ,( a car I bought in 2001 and had taken from me in 2002 as I could not afford to keep up payments) when I checked my report today the report has changed from Welcome to Mk someone or another and says I defaulted in January of last year.Is this correct of them to do that? How many defaults do you get on one debt? Is there anything I can do about it, as it is now going to be on my report for another four and a bit years.

Hi loudmouth and thanks for your post.

This could be a missed or late payment mark rather than a default. As far as I’m aware you shouldn’t receive more than one default for the same debt.

You could contact the credit reference agency to query this and if you would like it removing you may need to contact the creditor direct.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

jewellery1 wrote: »

hi

I have a few payday loans and I am struggling to pay them as a result I get abuse most days when they are calling me and leaving me messages. I recently aplied for a debt consolidation loan however they asked for a 59.99 fee for matching me with possible lenders, this i felt was suspious. I dont know what else to do and cant seem to find a trusted provider. I dont have a great credit rating and I dont know what else to do.

Hi jewellery1 and welcome to the forum.

If you’re already struggling and your credit rating isn’t high, it’s unlikely that consolidation is your answer. It can often make the situation worse further down the line.

I’d recommend that you get in touch so that we can look at your situation in more detail and recommend the options that are available to you.

You can visit our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) to help you find a solution to your debt problem quickly.

Debt Remedy will assist you in completing a financial statement with information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. From this the service will automatically determine your options.

To help you fill in the form, it’s best to gather together information about:
• Your income
• Your expenditure
• The creditors you owe money to

You’ll receive a downloadable advice booklet providing a tailored solution for you based on your current circumstances and advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation.

If you’re not confident with computers or would like to speak to an advisor then you’re welcome to ring our free Helpline on 0800 138 1111. We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.

If you phone us it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

chrissied wrote: »

Can someone give me a quick bit of advice. I have set up a DMP and a lot of stress has now gone,but although i am making regular monthly payments,Lloyds bank are bombarding me with calls 7 days a week at least 4 times a day,hence the stress is returning,without going to the extreme of changing my number how can i stop this,every time i am polite and say it is being dealt with by CCCS,and still they continue to harrass me.Along with this my husband has a mental illness and we cant cope with these calls.Anyone please give me some advice.

Hi chrissied and thanks for your post.

They certainly shouldn’t be calling you so much. I’d recommend that you write a letter, asking them to stop contacting you by telephone and to correspond in writing only. You don’t need to answer their phone calls if you have already explained your situation and we are dealing with them on your behalf.

You could use the template letter below to help you.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to ask that you no longer contact me by telephone as your calls are causing me considerable stress due to the frequency, and that they are being made at inappropriate times. Please remove my telephone number from your database and send all future communication in writing to my home address.

I have provided the most recent copy of my income and expenditure to make you aware of my current financial situation. I will continue to make my payment of x on the x of every month and will keep you informed of any changes in my circumstances as I am keen to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

I understand that following this request if you continue to call I can contact the Office of Fair Trading to make a formal complaint.

Please confirm in writing that your records have been amended.

muners

Hello, I have noticed on my Equifax credit report today that Mackenzie Hall have carried out a table 1 search on me back in july and put down "outstanding Debt" I sent a statute of limitation letter to them at the start of august when i received a letter from them with just a reference number on it (unfortunately not recorded delivery). Today a received another letter from them with the details of the alleged debt (£3003.41 to HFC bank although willing to settle for £2252.56 within five days)

I paid this loan off in 2002 when my father left me some money in his will (much to the annoyance of my solicitor dealing with my divorce at the time) however I have no receipt for this. I have a letter from my bank stating even they do not keep recoreds going back that far.

I have written another Statute of Limitation letter this afternoon and will send it recorded delivery this time. I am wondering what my options are and any plan of action i can take including getting the table 1 search removed???

any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry been long winded.

loudmouth

CCCS_Pavan wrote: »

Hi loudmouth and thanks for your post.

This could be a missed or late payment mark rather than a default. As far as I’m aware you shouldn’t receive more than one default for the same debt.

You could contact the credit reference agency to query this and if you would like it removing you may need to contact the creditor direct.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

Hi, and thank you for reply.I have double checked and it is a new default date.I actually think this will be my 3rd with this one debt. It is like a dark shadow hanging over me since May 2002 when car was taken away. I wish I had never heard of Welcome, but it seemed a good idea at the time.

walker1627

Hi, I am currently in a debt management programme with total balances of £12,900. I pay £110 each month to this, of which the debt management compant takes £30. I am looking into switching to payplan to save fees and pay off the debt more quickly, is it easy to switch from 1 plan to another? The threatening letters have ended now and payment plans have been agreed with all lenders with the interest frozen or reduced. Does all this have to be re negotiated if i swap plans? I am happy with the amount i pay, i budget to afford it so am happy to keep paying the £110.


Also my husband has unsecurred debts of aprox £11,000 which he is struggling to pay so he is also looking to contact pay plan about this.
Are we able to combine the debts into 1 DMP if they are in our seperate names or do we have to take out 2 seperate plans? None of the debts are in joint names.
Many thanks

System

heatherks wrote: »

i have been on reduced payment plan for a few years ...in May/june had a meeting with CAB and payments were increased and signed letters sent out to the creditors

in August i went to see CAB and they said they had a letter from Next requesting another up to date signature stating that i had authorised CAB to deal with my account ...

CAB phoned them up but they would not speak directly on the phone authorising this ( in front of advisor)

Next directory seem to have stopped all contact by mail ...and not even sending monthly statements out ( since August ) ...i havent paid this account for 4 months now thinking they would send letter by now

...what do i do now ?

Hi and thanks for your post.

Creditors will often ask for written Authority from third parties acting on your behalf.

I’d recommend sending a letter to Next stating that you have given CAB authority to act on your behalf. You should this recorded delivery to Next. CAB may have a template letter you can use.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat

System

kap71 wrote: »

Am looking for some advise re Debt collection visit this morning. My partner and I have some debts which are currently being dealt with by a DMP, this plan is still quite new only a couple of months old infact. Everything is going well and all creditors have agreed to terms. However! my partner is constantly being hassled with phone calls and letters, which we pass on to DMP company, by one of the creditors CapQuest. This morning I answered to door to a rather burly intimidating man asking for my partner who wasnt in - not that he believed me! He wouldnt tell me anything and came back a bit later to speak to my partner. He tried to give us a letter which my partner refused and we gave him the DMP details. My question is with a DMP in place should we still be having this harrasment? The man at the door, was then really nice and told us compensation can be claimed from CapQuest for this hassle...is this true?

Hi and welcome to the forum.

A debt management plan is an unofficial arrangement with your creditors, as such they can continue the normal debt collection process if they wish.

No debt management company or charity can guarantee that creditors accept the plan or stop interest or charges or other avenues of debt collection including calls and letters.

It sounds like the person who visited you was a doorstep collector; this is someone who has no more power than a collection agent calling you on the phone. However, it can be more intimidating to have someone knock on your door.

I’m not aware that compensation can be claimed for this, as it sounds like CapQuest are within their rights to chase a debt subject to a debt management plan if they wish.

The blog below should give you some good advice on what you can do if you keep getting hassle from creditors by phone, in regards to letters you should keep opening them in case the creditors take further action.

http://moneyaware.co.uk/2011/06/what-to-do-when-creditors-keep-phoning-you-2/

You may find that once the plan has been running for a longer period that creditor action will slow or cease as they accept that you are making your best efforts in regards the debt.

If you are paying a fee to a debt management company in regards the plan you might want to instead look at one of the free debt management plan providers such as ourselves. It would mean that all the money you pay into the plan goes towards repaying your debts.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat

System

muners wrote: »

Hello, I have noticed on my Equifax credit report today that Mackenzie Hall have carried out a table 1 search on me back in july and put down "outstanding Debt" I sent a statute of limitation letter to them at the start of august when i received a letter from them with just a reference number on it (unfortunately not recorded delivery). Today a received another letter from them with the details of the alleged debt (£3003.41 to HFC bank although willing to settle for £2252.56 within five days)

I paid this loan off in 2002 when my father left me some money in his will (much to the annoyance of my solicitor dealing with my divorce at the time) however I have no receipt for this. I have a letter from my bank stating even they do not keep recoreds going back that far.

I have written another Statute of Limitation letter this afternoon and will send it recorded delivery this time. I am wondering what my options are and any plan of action i can take including getting the table 1 search removed???

any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry been long winded.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If you reached a settlement on the original debt Mackenzie Hall could be chasing the outstanding balance of the original settlement (the portion not paid). Without a letter or receipt showing that what you paid was agreed to be in full and final satisfaction of the debt it is hard to prove that this debt should be marked as settled.

Quite often the remaining unpaid portion of the debt is sold on to be chased at an often much later date.

I think you have done the correct thing in sending the statute barred letter, however even if a debt is statute barred creditors can still chase the debt but just cannot legally enforce repayment.

If Mackenzie Hall are not the original creditor you could attempt to write to the original creditor and explain the situation. You should send this recorded delivery and copy in Mackenzie Hall. If the original creditor admits a mistake was made in selling on the debt you could ask that the search be removed from your credit file.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat