Aqua Card Problems...

Maharishi

Hello there. I posted here earlier this week re credit cards debt and received some helpful advice. I contacted the CCCS and with their emailed self help pack have managed to get the ball rolling. However, the conversation I had with a collections representative from Aqua card yesterday really took the biscuit...

Anyone who has seen my original post knows that one of my main reasons for seeking advice and help here was to try to stop the constant harassment phone calls that 2 of my creditors have been making day and night. To be fair, Citi have backed off and removed my landline from their phone list. At least that has prevented my wife picking up at weekends and telling me that 'so and so called again'. We keep our finances separate and so I do not need her to know that I am in a bit of a fix. Anyway, I digress...

I had received yet another call from Aqua on Wednesday, again at a time that I couldn't talk, so they asked me to call on Thursday. This I did and the free 0800 number was answered by their collections department. The girl I spoke to was unreal. She asked all sorts of questions as to why I was unable to pay the outstanding arrears and I tried to explain my situation as patiently as I could. However, her tone was just unbelievable. She questioned why I had used the card even if I knew that I wouldn't be able to pay (which was not true as the last time that I had used the card I had a firm offer to start work on Aug 1st which has since been deferred until November 1 - I haven't used it since I knew that I was not starting on that date) and then went through my recent transactions saying that none of them were for essential items or purchases. She wasn't interested in any reasons whatsoever that I put forward in my defence saying that 'you have just run this card up to it's limit and now you are telling me that you cannot pay' etc. She also added reference the phone calls that Aqua are allowed to call me 5 times a day EVERY DAY between 8 am and 9 pm, including evening and week ends and that there was nothing that I could do about it. Interest would continue, along with late payment charges, to be added to the account and that no offer of arrangement would be accepted on the account in the near future. She refused to stop calls to my landline and to remove it from the dialling list saying that they HAD to have a landline registered on every account. I now lost it totally and told her that I would be seeking legal advice over this matter as I was CERTAIN that they couldn'y harass me like this and terminated the call.

Co-incidentally, I had a check up at the Hospital on Tuesday and my blood pressure was 152/122. I am !!!!!!ed if these swines are going to put me in a box over this but what the hell can I do? How do I stop this harassment?? Is it really legal as she said??? And do I have any recourse against the lender when one of their representatives is so blatantly rude and judgemental????

I just want to get them off of my back until I can start paying properly again, which is looking like 4 months tops.

Thank you all for your time.

lynzpower

No you can request in writing ( and get it recorded/signed for) that they only contact you by mail and that phone calls will be taken by you as harrassment.

Anyone got the letter template ??

Someone will, hang in there

Maharishi

Thanks Lynz.

It made me feel sick the way that she talked to me. I came off of the phone feeling lower than I have felt for years. It felt like I was a criminal being interrogated.

Why are some lenders more reasonable than others?

Maharishi

ps. Oh, and the amount is only £2500. I owe Sky double that and they are nice as...

Maharishi

pps. Does anyone think that it is possible to reclaim the late payment charges that you get hit with constantly when you are in a tight spot like this?

blt

Have a look at the bank action group website at https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk. There's loads of help in reclaiming charges fom banks and credit cards.

Maharishi

Thanks, I did. Just wondered if it was 'applicable' as these charges are 'my fault'??

itsarichmansworld

Its on debtline website about harrasment http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=03_harassment

Maharishi

Thanks Rich. Only thing is it just says 'contacting you too frequently' without actually putting a figure on the number of times that they can call. The girl was adamant that they (Aqua) can legally phone up to 5 times a day, so I could expect 35 calls per week. Kind of stupid when you think about it. I mean, your circumstances are hardly likely to change every few hours are they? Th BT option to block unwanted callers looked good though. Unfortunately I am with NTL so not really relevant.

Any other ideas as to what is 'too frequent' for these pay up or else nuisance calls??

Thanks all.

iolanthe07

Unfortunately I am with NTL so not really relevant.

I'm with Telewest and they can block numbers calling you - I expect NTL will be able to too.

Maharishi

Thanks Iol - I'll check that out. I think that maybe I am just reticent about contacting NTL as they are a nightmare to deal with...