Could someone please advise?

pinkninjablue

Hi

This is my first post on the forum and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction to deal with my debt situation.

Basically I am in debt to Littlewoods of £1968.54 (some of this is my debt but some is another member of my family who stopped paying me for their stuff they ordered so i have to pay it all because the account is in my name).

I rang littlewoods to say that I could only pay a certain amount a month in feb but they said they couldn't accept the amount and so pressured me into a higher amount i couldnt pay.

The last payment i made was in march and now littlewoods have been sending me letters and constantly calling me. The last letter I received from informed me they were handing my account over to a debt collector.

This morning I received a letter from NDR money informing me that they have been instructed by their client to collect the debt. I rang them immediately and spoke to a lady informed me that they require £98 a month, I told her that I could only afford £40 a month as at the moment I'm on benefits. She then replied that she could connect me to another department to see if I could have a loan from them to pay the debt off and the interest would be 39.9% but the minimum payment would still be more than the £40 a month I can afford.

She also said that my account could be sold? on to a debt collector but it still would incur charges if I dont take their offer of £98 repayment plan.

This is my first major (and last!) debt problem and i'm not sure what to do. Surely their "loan" would get me into more debt? and I thought that NDR were the debt collector company?

Any advice greatly appreciated

GeorgieFTB

PNB

Take a breath, have a cuppa, read the big guide to getting debt free... it might help...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2976812

But what you need to remember is that DCAs will try to get blood out of a stone, if you don't have the money then they can't have it! Pay them what you can afford, if they don't like it then tuff! I like to think of creditors as children, they will have trantrums every so often but as long as you treat them fairly and say things in a stong voice they will accept what you tell them, eventually...

Gx

vax2002

First thing is make sure everything gets done in writing and you keep it.
Write to littlewoods not the debt collector and offer to pay the debt back at what you can afford.
If they write back rejecting that keep the letter.
It is very hard to obtain a ccj if you reject a reasonable offer of payment.
ask Little-woods to provide a payment book on instalments, you can pay any amount each week, just cross out the amount and pay what you can afford each week.
This will give littlewoods every opportunity to mitigate their losses, failure to do so would be frowned on heavily by the county court if they pursue.
Very importantly is that you do not accept the loan, you will have two debts then.

Tixy

Don't phone them again, don't take the loan (very naughty of them and against OFT debt guidelines to have suggested it).

Then write and set out a repayment that you can afford (if its £40 then offer that). Then make sure you keep to that payment each month.

amersall

I echo the other posters.
Give OFT a ring and tell them what Littlewoods have said.
Wonder if a complaint to FOS may help?.
http://www.oft.gov.uk/contactus
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact/index.html

amersall

I had car repairs last month and wanted to pay my Freemans catalogue 5 days late of £41.
I rang to ask could i do this and... wait for this.. they passed me over to a debt management company as "i was unable to make payments"!! the bare faced cheek.

When i threatened the FOS and OFT they soon backed down and passed me back to Freemans, after i had finished with them they accepted the payment could be made on the date i said and as a goodwill gesture they would refund the £12 late fee charge.

vax2002

Incidental how much has the relative not paid that they owe ?
call a bluff, say you are getting taken to court and they want your relatives name as well for the Bailiffs to recover the goods or other goods to that value, that if you dont give it in court you might get sent to jail for contempt.
A tall story but, might just make them pay up.

pinkninjablue

Thank you so much for your replies GeorgieFTB, vax2002, Tixy and amersall.
I am now going to read the printed version of the debt free guide with a nice cup of tea and write a letter to Littlewoods informing them that I can only afford £40 a month and ask for payment slips. Once I have finished the letter I'm going to contact OFT and the FOS.
Amersall good for you, it seems like they just dont listen.
Sorry to be a pain but is there any way I can stop the £12 a month charge for not paying what they want and the £12 charge for every letter NDR sends?
May I ask what PNB means?
Again thank you so much for your replies and help :T

GeorgieFTB

pinkninjablue wrote: »

Thank you so much for your replies GeorgieFTB, vax2002, Tixy and amersall.
I am now going to read the printed version of the debt free guide with a nice cup of tea and write a letter to Littlewoods informing them that I can only afford £40 a month and ask for payment slips. Once I have finished the letter I'm going to contact OFT and the FOS.
Amersall good for you, it seems like they just dont listen.
Sorry to be a pain but is there any way I can stop the £12 a month charge for not paying what they want and the £12 charge for every letter NDR sends?
May I ask what PNB means?
Again thank you so much for your replies and help :T

Sorry PNB = pink ninja blue, couldn't be bothered to write out your whole user name, lazy I know...

Your welcome, just keep informed and don't let them boss you around

Gx

pinkninjablue

Hi vax2002

They owe £900 of it. I havent thought about a bluff before, i'm going to try that a little later today and see what happens. Hopefully it'll be the kick up the rear thats needed.

KR

pinkninjablue

hahaha silly me, the only thing that i could think of was the medical term pulse not breathing. Didnt even occur to me it was my user name ( i think my brain has gone to mush with the stress lol).