avoiding debt....

gaz1415

hi there people. im new here to the site, and after recent searching, couldnt find a similar post so thought i would throw it out there.
my thoughts are this.
alot of people worry about their debts, even more so if you dont have the means to pay it. at the risk of sounding ignorant.. couldnt it just be ignored? has anyone suucesfully done this? i know of one person who has and am taking his advise for my situation. but want to make sure he isnt just a lucky person to get away with it.

i have had a few people, virgin media, hsbc. chasing me for £110 and £400. it has got as far as threatening letters explaining court action against me. then low and behold the name changes and they go back to the start of asking for bit payments etc etc. i am beggining to find it laughable, and can only come to the conclusion that they only have threats to fall back on, and if you can hold your nerve.. and not answer the door! you may be ok.
now i have to explain one situation with virgin media.. i genuinelly dont owe them money as twice i cancelled my account "oh yes sir, the account is cancelled" i heard twice. so when i get another letter a few months later, i thought bo*****s and ignored them. but hsbc was genuinelly me being an idiot using a cheque guarantee card when i knew my account was closed which was idiotic at best.

now as it stands ive changed adress and havent heard from them in months... but that goes beyond my q's ... anotherr post perhaps lol

back to my original q. how succesful have people been in refusing to pay or just point blank ignoring every piece of correspondance. i have heard alot of civil laws and the courts, council or police wont force you to pay.. but none of these people you hear things from have any experience on the matter.

sorry for the long introductionary post... look forward to any replies :beer:

tazzy2010_2

Hi Gaz,

You may well get away with not paying your debts especially as they are relatively low amounts. The problem is however you are skrewing up your credit rating for the next 6 years. Therefore the next time you want a nice new phone, car or even a mortgage, don't be all all suprised to hear the words 'I'm sorry sir there appears to be a problem....'

In all honesty its really not worth all the hassle it can cause. Pay them if you can. All the best, tazzy

Tixy

Hi

You can be taken to court for up to 6years from the date you last paid/acknowledged a debt. 6years is a long time to run/hide.

If you don't keep your creditors informed of your address it is possible you could be taken to court and not know about it. Giving you no opportunity to put your case, defend, or ask to pay in installments.

The smaller the debt possibly the less likely they are to take you to court but some companies will do it for suprisingly small amounts.

If a creditor takes you to court and obtains a CCJ then could then take further action (such as instructing baliffs etc).

Even if they don't take you to court, you are screwing up your credit rating and your chances of any new credit products (from phone contracts to mortgages).

Why are you not paying your debts? at least the ones you know you owe? This site is about money saving and helping people in financial difficulty. Its not about helping people avoid their debts.