HSBC & Metropolitan Debt Cllection - Advice needed please!

Gemz_2

Hi everyone - time for my first post ... and rant!

I moved back to Australia last July and set up a Direct Debit to pay off my HSBC overdraft & credit card. I also changed my address with them at least twice. My credit card payments went through fine, but for some reason I was having trouble with my payments to the overdraft. The money was going into my account but not making it into my HSBC account. I called them numerous times but they would not give me any information saying that I needed to go to my branch to sort this out. They did not understand that my closest branch was a 8 hour drive away. Finally after a few months I found out that they have passed the debt onto Metropolitan Debt Collection Agency.

I am going to be calling them shortly to organise payments to them. I was just wondering if anyone has had any experiences with Metropolitan and what they were like. I have read some things and they sound rather ruthless!

Also does anyone know if I would be able to claim by bank charges back from HSBC even though they have sold the debt?

Any information and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

newlywed

OH was informed a debt had gone to them. Rang them but they had already passed it on to another agency. So never really dealt with them as they just passed it on to someone else - Moorcroft in this case.

Nightmare stories about moorcroft on here but other than them being a bit slow to understand anything, have found them to be fine and easily accepted a reasonable payment amount. It's now been passed on to yet another agency.

Gemz_2

Nightmare! Sounds like I am going to be on the phone for a while chasing this down. Thanks for your reply.

newlywed

Gemz wrote: »

Nightmare! Sounds like I am going to be on the phone for a while chasing this down. Thanks for your reply.

When we rang Metropolitan they gave us the name of the new company and phone number they had passed it to. So shouldn't take too long to track down.

wherediditallgo

I've dealt with Moorcroft & Metropolitan in the past, & found both of them to be OK, though they were very quick to ring if a monthly payment was so much as a day late. If only all my creditors had been as reasonable...

Gemz_2

I have just been advised that a company called Buchannan Clarke is now handling the debt. I have had to email them with a complete breakdown of my monthly income and expenses before they will accept a payment plan. Fingers crossed that they will let me pay monthly!

Has anyone delt with them before?

wherediditallgo

They're called Buchanan, Clark & Wells. I've had to deal with them a couple of times too, & from what other people have said they're not very on the ball. Sporadic letters, then the debt goes elsewhere. I suspect they have various DCAs under the BCW banner - when I rang a DCA called Apex Credit Management, it was answered by BCW before the call was transferred, & it was only later on that I noticed BCW in tiny writing at the bottom of the letter.

rog2

Excellent information Richard
I was being harrassed, both by letter and phone by Metropolitan, who I had already established were part of HSBC, even AFTER my bankruptcy.
Despite my telling them that I was bankrupt, and that they should address any questions to the OR, these calls and letters continued.
Finally I wrote to the Customer Services Manager at HSBC, with a copy to the chairman of HSBC. I received a limply apologetic letter, stating that, in my circumstances, it may not have been appropriate for Metropolitan to have contacted me. The letter assured me that I would be receiving No Further Communications from Metropolitan.
Three days later I received a letter from Metropolitan stating that since I had ignored all requests from them, they would be commencing legal action.
I 'binned' this letter. :mad: :mad: :mad:

By the way - what was HSBC profit declaration this year? £12 billion?

macdaddy_3

I have also have recieved a letter from APEX CREDIT MANAGEMENT about an early settlement of a loan, but have not recieved notice from the lender [in this case RBS] that the debt has been passed on, the letter from APEX in not signed and not contact name, is this normal