debt collectors HELP !!!!!

Mr__Black_5

Hi everyone,

Im hoping someone here can help me (im new here, long time reader, first time poster).

Last August I took out a cineworld unlimited cinema card. £13.50 per month over 12 months was the agreement.

Toward the end of February the marketing and PR department for cineworld announced that the unlimited price was increasing (to £14.99) per month. They also stated that should anyone not want to pay the increased amount that they could cancel their card.

I cancelled my card back in March, I sent them an e-mail stating that I no longer wished to proceed with the card at the increased price and wanted the card cancelled. I also cancelled my direct debit.

I heard nothing and assumed all was fine. This week I have receved a "Final demand" from a collections agency, stating that I have missed the last 3 payments on my card and had seven days to pay them, they also placed fees on top of this.

Concerned by this letter I called Cineworld who stated that i couldnt cancel my card before the 12 months and they wouldnt have said that I could, further they received no cancellation instructions. They state I owed £40.50. After a lengthy argument with the gentleman at cineworld I stated that Id rather just pay the amount and put the matter to bed.

He refused to take my payment?! He said I had to pay the debt collectors?! I said that my debt was with Cineworld and that I wanted to clear it immedietly rthere and then, and he said no. Now the debt collectors want to add charges to my cineworld debt.

Can they do this? What are my rights here? Surely I should be able to just pay cineworld what i owe them and leave it at that? Today is the 7th day of the seven days I had to pay on my final demand, are they going to knock on my door at any minute?

Can someone please offer me some help or advice, it would be greatly appreciated as this is really worrying me know.

Thank you and kind regards

Forwandert

If you only owe £40.50 then the price hasn't gone up, are you sure you read the information right? it would make more sense for them to charge you £13.50 for the fixed term of your agreement then the price to raise to £14.99 and I'm guessing on a rolling contract like everything is these days, then you would have the right to cancel as your agreed term had finished.

Mr__Black_5

Sorry I forgot to mention that part, when i called them and queried this letter they told me that the increase would not affect me until my 12 month contract was up (Which they didnt state originally)....had i known this i would never have cancelled and which is why im happy to pay and settle...they just wont let me

well unless i want to pay debt collection charges on top of my debt too

Forwandert

How did you originally get notified of the price changes? Do you have any written proof the conditions with the price change have changed or were misleading?

Googlies_2

Mr__Black wrote: »

Sorry I forgot to mention that part, when i called them and queried this letter they told me that the increase would not affect me until my 12 month contract was up (Which they didnt state originally)....had i known this i would never have cancelled and which is why im happy to pay and settle...they just wont let me

well unless i want to pay debt collection charges on top of my debt too

Send them a cheque for £40.50 (state in your letter what this payment covers) and ignore their squealing about a debt collector.

If there is a dispute about about a debt, Court is the place for them to dispute it, their self appointed debt collectors are not your issue.

Mr__Black_5

Forwandert wrote: »

How did you originally get notified of the price changes? Do you have any written proof the conditions with the price change have changed or were misleading?

THeir announced it via the various social sites, cinema magazine/literature and signs in the cinema chain etc.

I was told I could cancel via a message from their PR & Marketing team through twitter (Something they then backtracked on over the fone)

Mr__Black_5

Googlies wrote: »

Send them a cheque for £40.50 (state in your letter what this payment covers) and ignore their squealing about a debt collector.

If there is a dispute about about a debt, Court is the place for them to dispute it, their self appointed debt collectors are not your issue.

Sounds a good idea ! Thanks for that mate

paddyrg

Alas you didn't get those 3 months of cinema use as you believed you had parted company :-(

mo786uk

Mr__Black wrote: »

Sounds a good idea ! Thanks for that mate

Problem is they will probably just write back telling you to go to the debt collectors - so thigns wil ldrag on

Question is wil lthe DC go to court to get the money back? unlikely - especially as it seems cineworld might be i nthe wrong, therefore i would send a letter to the D explaining everything and offer them what yo want - let them then contact you to take the correct payment.

Forwandert

Mr__Black wrote: »

THeir announced it via the various social sites, cinema magazine/literature and signs in the cinema chain etc.

I was told I could cancel via a message from their PR & Marketing team through twitter (Something they then backtracked on over the fone)

So cineworld never actually contacted you to say the price of the card was increasing?

Mr__Black_5

Forwandert wrote: »

So cineworld never actually contacted you to say the price of the card was increasing?

Not on a personal level, but they announced it in the media and to those with unlimited cards via mass emails, social network sites etc. I did enter into dialogue via messages on one social network site where I said (as did a lot of other people at the time), What if i dont want to proceed? Which they replied with "You can cancel your card should you not wish to proceed at the increased price"