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Letter And E-Mails From BCW Group

surflou
surflou Posts: 134 Forumite
edited 11 August 2013 at 8:50AM in Debt-free wannabe
Hi all

2 days ago I received a letter from a DCA called BCW Group from Red Castle Recoveries regarding an old credit card debt that is still outstanding from 4 years ago when I lived in Dublin, Ireland. The debt is with The Bank of Ireland.

I was trying to manage the debt in Ireland but the interest just kept piling up and it was getting increasingly difficult to pay them as I was trying to do it through a PayPal account attached to my old Bank of Ireland bank account if that makes sense. Sending them payments any other way was only costing more because of the conversion rates.

Anyway, it was getting too much and I hadn't made any payments in a while which has led to this letter saying I owe £1800... which I'm sure is actually less than I owed on the card in the first place.

I emailed them, explained that I am self employed and my partner is only working part-time at the moment and I only get paid when I get work in. I offered an immediate repayment plan of £10 a week, more as and when I get it. This would take about 3-4 years to pay and is manageable by me with no real problems.

They replied to my email and said they wanted me to fill in an expenditure and income form and return it to them, then they could look at putting a payment plan in place. I didn't want to do this as I'm never sure of my exact income and I'm also pretty sure I don't have to give them this information by law do I? I offered through £10 a week again and haven't yet heard back.

Can anyone give me any advice on how to handle these guys successfully? Is there a letter template I can send them to make the repayment plan? Will the £1800 gather interest at all?

Incidentally, we do have other small debts which we are replaying and managing with no problems. This is just a repayment plan to manage this one without worrying about it if possible...

Thank you kindly for the advice in advance.

Comments

  • I have also had the same email from them today as i offered them an amount each month and they are asking me to fill in attached expenditure and income forms that they have attached, can they do this and do i have to fill in the forms
  • sue3156 wrote: »
    can they do this

    Yes they can.
    and do I have to fill in the forms

    No you don't.
  • surflou wrote: »
    Can anyone give me any advice on how to handle these guys successfully? Is there a letter template I can send them to make the repayment plan? Will the £1800 gather interest at all?

    They can ask for a Statement Of Affairs. I had this case with the unhelpful bank recently, when I decided enough was enough and informed them I could at the time afford roughly the same amount as the amount you mentioned. They sent me a blank SOA form demanding I fill it in and send it back within 14 working days.

    Not sure if you still live in ireland (or even if you'd have to follow any debt steps in a different way), but your best bet is to visit your local CAB and ask if someone can help you fill out a SOA form that you can send to them. In the meantime, if the company send another shirty letter, send one back explaining you're seeking financial advice and you will update them as soon as possible. They may not like it, but as long as you keep the time-frame within a couple of weeks of letting them know, they should be ok with it.

    Once you have the SOA, make a few photocopies for records, and send one to the company with a cover letter, again stating your concerns to agreeing a large fixed monthly payment due to your circumstances, and suggest a smaller amount paid over a longer period would be more beneficial for both parties - there's no point in them looking to make an agreement with you for something like 80 pounds a month if that means you'll end up falling deeper into debt and defaulting on that as well.

    Hope that helps in some way.
  • Only a judge can request to see your I&E.

    Stop paying and send off a CCA
  • Actually harveybobbles, anyone can request to see your I&E, but only a Judge can demand to see it.
  • ValHaller
    ValHaller Posts: 5,212 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Bedsit_Bob wrote: »
    Actually harveybobbles, anyone can request to see your I&E, but only a Judge can demand to see it.
    Actually Bedsit Bob, anyone can demand to see your I&E, but only a Judge can enforce a demand to see it. :p:p:p
    You might as well ask the Wizard of Oz to give you a big number as pay a Credit Referencing Agency for a so-called 'credit-score'
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