Old rules don't seem to apply any more

h1r3z

Hi all, I feel the need to rant.

Some of you may remember a while ago I had problems with a car finance company after I became unemployed due to health. Well they took the car, as I suspected they would. Nothing I could say or do (aside from pay the total balance of course) could stop that.

The next thing to happen was that Capital One were on my case as I was late with a couple of payments. This incurred charges (of course) which put me over my agreed credit limit (which incurred more charges, of course). So my account is now about £200 over the limit and can only be corrected by paying that amount in full, to stop the charges etc etc.

Next up, Kays catalogue. At first they seemed sympathetic, put me on a 'plan' and all was good. Right up to the part where they tried to take money from my bank before there was any in it. I rang them to explain that I get paid on the 27th of every month and asked if I would therefore incur a £12 late payment charge every month seeing as they try and take the money out on the 25th. I was told that the payment is taken every 28 days so i9n effect it will be earlier each month. Again I explained that I am unemployed and get paid on the 27th. The woman was like a robot, saying the same thing over & over again. They wind you up to the point of angry frustration. She told me that if I made a payment today (which I said I can't as it's the 25th today and I don't get paid until the 27th... good fun eh?) they could put me on a new plan. I hung up in frustration.

So my rant is really to do with the old rule about contacting the people owe money to to sort it out. I was always told & always read that if you contact the people you owe money to and explain your situation, they would rather sort it out than go through all the legal procedures etc. This simply is not the case any more. I have prioritised my debts, I have contacted them all and I have got nowhere.
It seems to me that we live in an age of greed where they are not content to get their money back, but they want more & more on top. Every little thing that they can find to slap another charge onto, they will.

I contacted Carlyle finance about the car, explained it all & it wasn't good enough.
I contacted Capital one, explained it all. Not good enough.
I contacted Kays, explained it all. Guess what? Not good enough.

So I think some advice should be edited, reviewed, updated, whatever.

These companies do not particularly want to avoid the legal side. They do not have a sympathetic ear regardless of the problem.
I couldn't even get to speak the 'Collections manager' for Kays. The letter wasn't signed by anyone with a name, just said 'Collections manager'. When I asked to speak to him/her I was told that they can't put me through to them, but they would have to make a special 'something' to get them to call me back, but advised me that they wouldn't be able to tell me anything different to what i had been told.

Frankly it's a crock.

My advice would be to not bother trying to explain the situation to these people as it makes zero difference. They don't even listen to what you're saying.

gordikin

My mantra is if I borrow I repay...no explanations will be/should be necessary. Why didn't you insure yourself?

RadoJo

It sounds as though you have made the effort to keep the companies concerned up to speed with your situation, and whilst I can understand the situation with the car (after all, not only were they not getting the money from you at the time, but the car would have been devaluing further if you kept driving it), the situation with the Kay's seems to be a question of simple admin which you would have thought wasn't beyond them. Have you tried writing to them (recorded delivery of course) to request that they change your payment date, or ask how you could go about doing so (e.g it might possibly involve cancelling the existing payment and starting a new plan or similar)? It's always worth getting their response in writing as it they will not relish a lasting record of their seeming unwillingness to make a relatively small change to help you.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Why do you only get paid once a month if your unemployed? You should get your benefit fortnightly.

Kazipoo

Cancel the direct debit with Kays and set up a standing order, you will however, incur the charge every month because of your late payment.

fuzzybear01

Have Kays moved to producing statements once a month rather than every four weeks. I used to work for them and it caused lots of problems for people who were monthly paid and couldn't budget for 13 statements a year.

h1r3z

Thanks for all your replies. The Kays situation is now under control. I did as suggested and wrote to them and asked for all correspondence to be in writing. I lied a little and told them that I had my phone disconnected due to shortage of funds. Anyway, the arrears is paid and I am on a new scheme & all seems well, so far.

@Jeff. Does it matter how I get paid? Most companies I've dealt with take their money monthly and being as such I budget monthly. I am paid fortnightly, but I simply put what money I owe aside for the following fortnight. I don't see how my benefit frequency is relevant to my problem.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

h1r3z wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. The Kays situation is now under control. I did as suggested and wrote to them and asked for all correspondence to be in writing. I lied a little and told them that I had my phone disconnected due to shortage of funds. Anyway, the arrears is paid and I am on a new scheme & all seems well, so far.

@Jeff. Does it matter how I get paid? Most companies I've dealt with take their money monthly and being as such I budget monthly. I am paid fortnightly, but I simply put what money I owe aside for the following fortnight. I don't see how my benefit frequency is relevant to my problem.

No it doesnt but your claim to be getting paid on ly once month prompted my question.

WhiteHorse

It seems that you have genuinely endeavoured to resolve this problem. The attitude of some other posters that 'it's all your fault' can be ignored.

Unfortunately the vast majority of staff that you have to deal with tend to be more than a little dim. All they can do is mindlessly repeat a mantra, even though it's nonsense. Most neither know nor care. A small number actually enjoy it.

That's why it's best to keep everything in writing. So when the monstrous machine lurches into action and takes you to court for the money, you can show that you have been entirely reasonable and that an accommodation was quite possible. It is they who have been unreasonable (and very likely, incompetent). Judges don't like that, and rightly so.