Help! My first experience with debt collector

worriedyoungster

Hi everyone, I'm new here.

After reading some of the topics here my problem may seem laughable, but I'm scared sick.

So, I was using one.com to host one of my website, for which you have to pay one year subscription upfront. Which I did. After the year gone pass, I decided I no longer want to use it, therefore I did not pay for the next year of subscription - you, just like you do with magazines subscription.

I haven't read 10 miles of T&C stating that I have to cancel subscription, no later than 35 days prior renewal.

Now I received this letter from debt collectors called 'Intrum Justitia', telling me to sort out an outstanding amount of £40.16. I knows its a tiny amount, and I can pay for it (even though unwilling - yearly subscription for web hosting is around 22 quid).

They told me to either send them a cheque, make a bank transfer or call them and pay them via phone. Now: my bank have not issued me with a cheque book. I'm sceptical about bank transfer (how will they know it's me who paid? What proof will I have?), and I'm always suspicious when it comes to paying via phone - I can't hear to well, and I may just accept to pay £400 instead of £40.16 because I can't hear well.

Has anyone dealt with something like that before? What can they realistically do to me? Are these debt collectors 'honest' when you repay the debt?

I'm scared sick they may drag me to court, start calling (it's my parent's house, not mine!), do some kind of unwanted visits or ruin my credit rating.

Any help would be much appreciated.
thanks,
worried youngster

heartbreak_star

Whenever I've paid via bank transfer, I use my account number as the reference.

HBS x

National_Debtline

Hi there

Welcome to the forum, we're glad you felt able to post your question.

Debt collectors have no special powers whatsoever. Their job is simply to recover money owed on behalf of someone else and they will often try to intimidate you in order to achieve this. Court action is extremely unlikely for a debt of this size and this debt is unlikely to have any bearing on your credit rating unless it goes to court. It does NOT affect your parents in any way - they are not liable for the debt.

Any bank transfer you make will be recorded on your next statement so you will have evidence of the payment right there.