Argos and Very!!

hoxtonbabe

Hi All,

Please point me in the right direction. Over the last year or so, I have managed to get repayment plans in place with most of the people I owe to, and most have been very good and as I have been faithfully paying they do not really give me any bother.

Argos however have other ideas. I was paying back the agreeed amount with no missed payment, the repayment plan came to an end, and thy told me to send in a financial statement, which I did, I explained to them if I did this then this would have to apply to all my creditors, and considering I have a little one who has just started school so need to factor his uniform, and now travel costs for myself in as his school is a bus ride, this could now end up being less. I send in the FS with the payment now being £2 less BUT FAIR amongst all my other creditors they said no...I told them consdiering I am not working and never missed a payment, I am not sure what more they want me to do.

They said they will send it over to the external debt collector, all the while this is going on, they have added the charges which has now made the balance more than what I statred off with. They then said, well if you keep it the same as what is was before then they will accept it, I then reminded them that I have to be fair and this would not be fair if I contiinue to give them £5 and someone I owe more to was also getting £5...they had none of it, so they are sending me over to the debt collections agency....I say fine, but they are taking forever and a day to send it over, all the while charging me interest, and making my situation worse than before.

Very/Littlewoods are the worse, their collections team are thugs!! I had an arrangement with the, and again was paying, I get a call today from a very surly advisor, basically trying to force me to pay more than what I have been paying, I said I could not, he then offered I could pay the debt off at a reduced rate but with a 30% interest rate! He then had the audicity to say I have placed orders since I stopped working and I should not have been so careless to do so and I should keep my account in order, yes I had ordered since I stopped working but I had additional income coming in that meant I could cover the full payments which I was doing, when that additional income also (which I did not know it was going to stop) stopped I put the arrangement in place and never ordered since, they would not even allow me to order even if I wanted to?!?

He was so bloo*y rude about it....I owe other companies, double or tripple than what I owe them, and we have come to a good understanding and they have all been very understanding, and can see I am not trying to pull a fast one,and comitted to clear off my debt, but this lot are simply trying to get money that does not exist.

I them spoke with a female advisor from the Very debt collections, and she was even worse and I infact ended up swearing at her, which I know was wrong, but when she started calling me agressive, and I am causing an agruement when there need not be, when she was full of attitude and was being rather surly just like her co-worker, I saw red.

I am really upset as I have never dealt with such agression and rude behaviour since all this started, the advisors were full of attitude when all I am trying to do is actually pay back what I owe. I dont even recall signing a contract with Very!

Please advise on what to do. They are going on about taking me to court and all sorts and I am thinking huh? For what, for money I do not have and can prove I do not have, for paying my debt payments on time and because you want more that I cant give, you want to take me to court :mad:

given that I owe far more to others and one being a priority debt and I have paid everyone else with no glitch, I think they are behaving rather unreasonably...everyone wants their money that I understand, and I am happy to give them, but one can not get what I do not have

Any advise on what to do please and sorry for long rant

exarmydreamer

Hi, feel for you. Best thing to do is carry on making your payments as you have been. Should they take you to court, you will be able to show them that you have made the payments and that is all you can do.

The court will see this and will not force you to pay more. complete a Statement of Affairs and make sure you keep all receipts to prove what you have paid and to who. The thing is, and you have said this yourself, they can't have what you don't have to give. They are after all just bullying you, the court may look at your Statement of Affairs and may take into account uniform and bus fares and even reduce your payment to them.

hoxtonbabe

Thanks,

I keep everything on file as it is all standing orders. so have records...i just find it crazy that they are not prepared to accept what I have been paying (this is Very/littlewoods) all this time despite my situation not changing?!? why go through all the paperwork and headace when I am was prepared to pay the same as I have been paying all along, and not offering less?!?

I will also end up owing more than what I started off with once they bung on their interest...you would think they would want their money back, and not put the person in even more debt, as that will take longer to pay back

misterbarlow

both been fine with us...
we owe about £800 on argos and about £1k on very and started our DMP in Jan and they both reduced interest to 0% and as they are both the smallest of our debts they only get about £8-10pm each from CCCS and both seem fine with that to date....

hoxtonbabe

misterbarlow wrote: »

both been fine with us...
we owe about £800 on argos and about £1k on very and started our DMP in Jan and they both reduced interest to 0% and as they are both the smallest of our debts they only get about £8-10pm each from CCCS and both seem fine with that to date....

Maybe I should call CCCS.

Lensman_2

You are being bullied. You wouldn't put up with this treatment from someone in the street would you?

You are being bullied because you are on the telephone where they can say what they like about court, charging orders and attachment of earnings etc.

You have 3 choices as far as I see it:

1. Stop phoning. Carry on going it alone. Cancel any direct debits or payments authorities. Set up a standing order for what you can afford. Write to them stating the new payment stands for 6 months when you will review and adjust accordingly.
2. Stop phoning. Go it alone, but get the help of a charity. National Debtline have been very good providing telephone advice to me.
3. Stop phoning. Hand it over to CCCS, Payplan or another charity. Do not use a paying service.

Of those, no.2 seems to be the best option. But please make sure you have printer ink and stamps in hand. And consider changing your phone numbers. If they do phone, refuse to answer the security questions as you do not give such sensitive information out over the phone.

See post 4 in the following link and adapt it to suit.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/11570893#Comment_11570893

Standingtall

Humm - interesting. I am also having problems with Very! I owe them about £450 and this was included in my Payplan DMP. Everything was ok for about 6 months or so and then suddenly they have started adding a £12 charge every month - I only pay about £3 to them so this does not bode well at all.

I have sent a letter requesting that they cease applying these charges but have not heard anything. Will try the follow up letter from National Debtline templates next.

I shall follow your progress to OP

heather66

To OP .. i think you would be better going to the CAB or CCCS and set up a proper repayment plan i have found that (some ) companies are more willing to accept lower repayments plus stop interst if you have a 3rd party helping you
as a few have said try and not phone them .. as you have found some are not very good at listening to your predicament and just want your money and ofeten you end up agreeing more than you can affoard

i am also having problems with Very/ littlewoods ..cleared my account ( by mistake ticked pay full amount rather than any amount box !!! )) in June They would not refund either despite knowing i was on DMP

even through account is cleared i still getting leters saying i have to pay £5 ^ & this morning get my october statement plus a £12 charge for not paying last month !!!!!

Do you send your letters via recorded delivery ..i have sent a few letters to Littlewoods through the years and they have NOT answered any till i threatened them with Trading Standards & OFT /FOS

hoxtonbabe

Thanks.

I did not call them...they called me. I then called back as first person who called me was an idiot, so thought another person would be better to deal with...I was wrong so after I told her where to go, I left it at that, but I have not been calling them so to speak.

debtfree2010

Hi,
I had a real nightmare with very too. They agreed to a payment plan £29 per month but then continued with interest of £180 per month!!!
In the end I stopped paying them anything...they have threatened to take me to court, abusive phone calls etc :mad:
But at the end of the day they cant have what you haven't got:cool:

Now after a year, they have passed my debt over to Lowels, I hope these people will be easier to deal with

But, whatever, they can take me to court, I have offered Lowels £29 per month, I am not putting my Self managed DMP in danger for one company!!!

Trazy

hoxtonbabe, would you qualify for a DRO? Might be worth you calling CCCS and talking things through with them