CCJ help / advice please?

MickeyDaMouse

Hi,

I recently had some insurance work carried out at my house by Rapid Support Services. They're a company based in Manchester.

Our insurers approved our claim for some water damage from the bathroom. We were going to use our local builder who we've used in the past and we understood that the insurance cover had a £60 excess which we would have to pay to the builder.

Rapid Support Services sent us a quote via our insurance company. In this they quoted us for the work being done with £0 (nothing at all) excess to pay. Obviously this was cheaper than the £60 we'd have to pay our builder so we opted to use Rapid Support Services instead.

The work was completed and they did a good job on the plastering. The were a few grumbles elsewhere, but nothing major.

Time passed and all of a sudden Rapid Support Services have decided they want the £60 excess from us. This is despite them quoting us £0 excess and stating we didn't have to pay anything.

We chose Rapid Support Services over our regular builder based solely on this quote.

Today I have received a County Court summons for £60 from Rapid Support Services. As someone who's not got any defaults, CCJs or any other credit issues this has caused me some great distress and upset. It's also upset my wife too who was almost in tears when she opened the summons realising it could seriously damage our hopes of moving home, which we are currently doing.

As we were quoted nothing to pay it seems wrong that Rapid Support Services can suddenly demand £60 from us and put us through this stress and misery. I therefore intend to contest the issue in court and I've also complained to my insurer. I am also considering cancelling my insurance policy based on this incident and I have written to them advising them as such.

If I challenge this decision in court it will be the first time I have done anything like this. I am concerned about what will happen. In the case that I lose will the CCJ stay on my record for 6 years? And in the case that I win, will anything show of the CCJ at all?

I feel badly cheated and stressed now. I don't want to lose our new home because of Rapid Support Services, but they're insistent that we owe them £60.

Help?

fatbelly

MickeyDaMouse wrote: »

In the case that I lose will the CCJ stay on my record for 6 years? And in the case that I win, will anything show of the CCJ at all?

If you pay within a month of the judgement, the CCJ is not registered.

If you 'win' then there is no judgement against you and so nothing appears on your credit file.

MickeyDaMouse

I expect to win the case to be honest, but thought I'd prepare for all eventualities just in case.

Reading credit reference agency sites I noticed that some conflict.

One says that the CCJ once against you stays there for 6 years whether you pay it off or not. Another says that it's registered and shows on your file but once paid off within 28 days it can be requested to be removed for a fee. Others say as you say, it doesn't register if you pay it off in 28 days.

Which is the right answer though?

I've also sent the above information to BBC Watchdog because of how Rapid Support Services have behaved.

chanz4

but does your insurance policy not state an excess? op thats a looser right away

fatbelly

There's more detailed advice here

MickeyDaMouse

chanz4 wrote: »

but does your insurance policy not state an excess? op thats a looser right away

My argument isn't with the insurance company or the terms and conditions of my insurance policy. It's with the company who offered to carry out the work free of charge, quoting me a £0 excess. They got the work because they quoted to do it free of charge where as anyone else would charge the £60 excess.

That's no reason to lose at all. It's quite the opposite when I can prove they quoted me a free job and then tried to charge me money for it.

MickeyDaMouse

Thanks all for the advice.

This was resolved prior to court.

I contacted my insurer, complaining about Rapid Support Services and they informed me that there had been an error. My insurers had passed the job to a middle company who sort out the work being carried out. This middle company had misinformed Rapid about my excess and based on this Rapid Support Services quoted me £0 for the work.

When the work was completed Rapid Support Services realised they wouldn't be paid £60 of their fee through my insurance because there was in fact an excess. Rather than chase this up with the middle company or my insurance they instead chose to chase me for the money and tried to take me to court over it.

Thankfully common sense was restored when I contacted my insurer. I received an apology from both the insurer and the middle company, although nothing from Rapid Support Services, and the court case was dropped. They realised that I am not at fault and that I don't owe anything.

Full credit to my insurers for resolving the issue in a timely manner and apologising, and to the middle company too. Nice to see someone looking at the issue properly and resolving it.

Thanks for the above advice everyone on here too.