Hfo services & fredrickson international

orchid2010

Can anyone advise me. I have a repayment arrangement with HFO Services but am not sure how much I owe. I have stopped speaking to them on the phone as they all lie about things. I would dearly love to know how much I owe them,as each letter or phone call I get has different amounts.

Some times they tell me the interest has been suspended and other times it has not. They take payments using my debit card details (not my first choice, I prefer paying by standing order). My card had reached its end date and my bank refused to pay one of the payments. When I realised what had happened I phoned them and gave them the new details and they told me I had been charged a £36.50 default fee and interest. The next month the payment did not go through again, I had given them the correct details and thought things were ok as the first payment had gone through, they had put incorrect details on their computer system so were again charging me a fee + interest.

I would like to ask them for a complete breakdown the one where you pay £10 so I know where I stand with them, however I do not want to give them grounds to increase my monthly payments. I find them very intimidating and pay them the largest amount each month of my creditors even though we owe other companies higher amounts.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions.

As for Fredrickson International, my oh has had a letter demanding payment, they said the debt had been signed over to their Client Phoenix Recoveries. We had been paying CBS Transcom, so we wrote and offered the same amount we had been paying CBS. They sent back a letter agreeing to this, fortunately we had not filled in the direct debit form they sent us. The day after receiving their acceptance we got a letter from Newman DCA saying our repayment schedule was due for renewal, we had not heard of them either.

I have sent letters to both of them asking them to provide proof they own the debt and am continuing to pay CBS. Is there anymore I should be doing?

fomirster

Hi Orchid, you must send HFO a CCA request. It will cost you a £1 postal order and they are obligated under the CCA to send you a copy of your origional agreement and a statement of account.

HFO are always adding interest and charges to peoples account that they are not entitled to and people who don't know any better, pay them.

Also do not pay them via your card anymore. You do not have to, either pay in cash over the bank till or by standing order. Cancel your card again (sorry). HFO have been known to increase payments without asking. Never let a DCA have your card or bank details, including setting up a DD.

They have no right to not accept how you want to pay, what if you didn't have a card or an account? lots do not.

Now, never deal with them on the phone, insist on writing only and tell them. Refuse to answer their security questions and then they can't, they will soon get the message. A DCA has no legal right to send bailiffs or people to your house to visit. Only a court can do this after judgement with enforcement. You are a million miles away from this.

Can I ask what the debt was for? When the origional creditor terminated the agreement then interest should of stopped, unless a specific clause states that i still can, which it won't.


A SAR request to the origional creditor (this costs £10) could also be worth doing. These forms are available on the site.

fomirster

Also, once you estabilish how much you owe them and that it is enforcable and they have the right to collect it, then pay them pro rata on what you can afford.

You only have to pay them what you can reasonably afford, their is nothing they can do about it. It is against OFT guidelines to try and make you pay more than you can afford and if they took you to court, the judge could make you pay even less than you have offered.

HFO are bullies, nothing more , nothing less. And today is the day that you are going to stand up to them. The law in much more favourable to you than it is to them as long as you demonstrate you are trying to resolve matters any judge will side with you. So don't be affraid to take the bull by the horns and put them in their place.

fomirster

And it just occured to me that cancelling your card wont work as you have a CPA with them (meaning on going payment), You will need to contact HFO and tell them to stop, also do this in writing and send recorded delivery.

orchid2010

Formirster

Thank you for your reply. I asked them for a CCA after they first contacted me about the debt, it is for a Credit Card which I had with Monument. They sent me back a signed copy of my agreement which I assume is proof of the debt. I have asked numerous times in writing for a statement of the account but they just ignore it, are there any legal passages I can quote them?

As for the debit card payments, we ended up opening basic bank accounts with two banks as we did not realise until National Debtline told us that the first one was associated with one of our creditors. I have not given them a card for our main bank account and I only transfer enough money into the account they have the card for to cover their payment (thank god for internet banking). As we do not use this account for anything else I felt safer giving these details.

I know how much the original debt was for with Monument as sadly I still have the statements going back to when it defaulted in 2004/05.

I have been struggling with paying off our debts for a few years now and we still have about £51,000 to pay. It was due to unemployment and long term chronic illness, as my oh had a really good job before all this and we had been managing fine. We tried quite early to let our creditors know when we first got into difficulties but it took months & months to convince some of them we really could not pay and so with added interest and charges this increased our debt on some accounts an awful lot. I do not mind paying back money that I know I spent (I may not like it) but I do hate having to pay for all the extra that was added on.

orchid2010

Just an amendment to my last post, I realised that HFO sent me a signed copy of my application.

fomirster

Well lets have a look at HFO and what they are upto. Lets be honest here, you never at any point borrowed money from HFO, they chose to purchase your debt for pennies in the pound and they will fleece you for everything they can get and some.

Under a request CCA s77(1) - you are entitled to a copy of the ageement and a statement of account comprising Quote:
(a) the total sum paid under the agreement by the debtor;
(b) the total sum which has become payable under the agreement by the debtor but remains unpaid, and the various amounts comprised in that total sum, with the date when each became due; and
(c) the total sum which is to become payable under the agreement by the debtor, and the various amounts comprised in that total sum, with the date, or mode of determining the date, when each becomes due.

They should of sent you this under your last CCA request so send them an account in dispute letter from the site and modify it to include the above.

I am going to be honest with you, you defaulted back in 2004 so you must of had the card some time. This falls in line with the fact what they have sent you is an application form, there is a good chance that this agreement is unenforcable. Many agreements pre 2007 and HFO specialise in purchasing these kind of debts.
Although I don't advocate debt avoidance, there is a good chance that HFO will not be able to enforce this in court anyway. If it's possible to scan the application (blanking out all personal data) and post it, then I can have a look for you. That way if this is the case then you can pay them back at your leisure (or not at all).

HFO_Basher

Hi

You have every right to request full statements from HFO of everything you have paid to them and also dispute their right to collect this. The agreement could well be unenforcable and also, have HFO sent you a Notice of Assignment that gives them the right to own this? If so which HFO company owns this and when did they obtain it?

This company are really the pits and to be honest, as you owe a lot of money, on paper, you need to be looking at everyone who has a claim against you and asking - is this a legitimate claim can I challenge it?

You must never give HFO your bank or card details and never discuss anything on the phone with them - in writing only.

fomirster

HFO Basher, I have a feeling I know you from somewhere?

This is good advice Orchid. I feel we should be looking at all your debts and my belief is we can make a big impact on your financial distress

fomirster

Any update?