Debt collection agency won't give us breakdown of debt

nottoolate

nottoolate wrote: »

could help

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=45992721&postcount=3

a complaint to the fos would cost them £400-500 as well.

giwebb

This statute barred thing you mention, we're in northern ireland, don't know what the length of time is. Does it relate to when the last payment was taken or when does it start from?

Tixy

Northern ireland is also 6 years (but the act you need to quote is different so don't just copy template letters in relation to the limitation act in England & Wales). Its 6years from the latest of the last payment OR last written acknowledgement from you that you owe the debt OR the date the debt became due (if there was no payments, or no later acknowledgement).

giwebb

My wife phoned them again yesterday to ask them to resend the letter that explained the decision to pursue the collection of the money from us after we had disputed it. For some reason they couldn't (my guess is the letter never existed).

This time she managed to speak to someone pleasant though rather than someone trying to bully her like the other people she spoke to. Anyway, this girl was able to tell her that the debt related to a claim made on the house insurance policy (why we would owe them money if we made a claim is beyond me), but we've never made a claim so clearly it isn't ours or there's a mistake somewhere so the whole thing has been put on hold again.

I'm going to send the template letter saying we dispute the whole thing anyway even though it's on hold again. Thanks for everyone's help.

giwebb

Just a quick update on this. Received a letter from the debt collection place again today saying we must pay, solicitors etc.

This time they provided a breakdown of the debt (load of screenshots from their software showing payments that had been made). Looks like it was what we thought originally (see below), it's related to a house insurance policy we cancelled in 2006. After we cancelled it it then shows a zero balance on the account and then 6 months later they tried to take a payment of £37, this £37 has then had various fees added until it now stands at £152. Don't know what to do next, anyone got any advice about what our next step should be? My wife refuses to ring them again, she tried today but got nowhere with them, they said they're now going to start adding interest to the debt.


We eventually worked out that the debt may be related to our house insurance when we moved house in 2006. My wife phoned and cancelled the house insurance policy that we were four months into, she was not told that there was a cancellation fee to pay - no admin fee or final months payment (it probably would have been cheaper to stay with them if we knew there were cancellation fees).

giwebb

Finally got this sorted, contacted the financial ombudsman, Lowell couldn't provide any further information relating to the debt so they had to close it and remove any information from our credit file.

fermi

Excellent. Thanks for the update.

vax2002

Brilliant news.
these companies do invent fake debts and try to hassle people.
I would contact your version of the trading standards as well and make a report for fraudulent practices.

nottoolate

nottoolate wrote: »

a complaint to the fos would cost them £400-500 as well.

giwebb wrote: »

Finally got this sorted, contacted the financial ombudsman, Lowell couldn't provide any further information relating to the debt so they had to close it and remove any information from our credit file.

glad that got it sorted

nottoolate

oh. and especially well done on ignoring what you should. advice from vax

if you hadnt this would still be rumbling on instead of being sorted.