Another problem with Hamptons Legal/Lowell Financial

Binkey_2

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to pick your brains over what I should do in respect to the above.

Last year I owed £156.00 to Littlewoods [Shop Direct] which I fully acknowledge and take responsibility for, and the debt was eventually passed onto Lowell. Now they're writing to me as Hamptons Legal and are expecting payment, claiming to be pre-litigation and have a copy of my credit file??! :eek:

I am unemployed and honestly can't even afford to run my house let alone make a token gesture payment per month. Up until now I was ignoring the letters with the intention of paying Littlewoods back in full in one go when my situation improves - not sure if this will be an option now, but I'd rather deal with the people I owe as opposed to a Debt Collection Agency.

So my questions:

1. Are Hamptons/Lowell blowing a load of hot air or are they likely to take me to court over a fairly low debt?

2. Could I put them off with the 'Prove It' letter until I am a bit more sorted?

3. At this late stage, would I ever still be able to opt to pay Littlewoods as opposed to Lowell/Hamptons?

I just want the phonecalls and letters to stop for a little while. I suffer from depression and have an anxiety disorder, and I'm getting worse because I'm out of work... this really isn't helping matters

I know it's not an ideal solution, but I was thinking of applying for a Budgeting Loan [which is interest free and repayable over 2 years and would be taken directly out of my benefit at X amount a week for the duration] and paying the debt off with that? I know it's foolish to trade one debt for potentially another but I'm out of ideas and getting desperate now.

Thanks for reading and any feedback would be great.

~ B xx

Binkey_2

I think I'm going to try to get some sleep now because staying awake over-thinking this and worrying about it at nearly 3am isn't doing anything positive.

~ B xx

erdd2

If the debt has been sold to a debt collection agency you will need to pay them. You could ask Littlewoods to confirm if they have sold or passed on your debt and if so, to whom. You can negotiate a manageable payment. DCs can be pushy but remain assertive regards your financial position and make sure they give you clear info re interest or charges if applicable.