Newbie needing advice re: Rossendales

Skeptical78

Hello! Relative newbie here- I just need some advice on an ongoing situation I'm having with Rossendales Collect.

I made an arrangement with them in Jan 2013 re: my Student Loan arrears, to pay £40 per month until September, and then two larger amounts to clear the balance. When I made my first payment the balance of my account was £936.20.

I continued to make my £40 payments, as agreed, between Feb and Sept, in total paying £320. I was contacted by Rossendale at the end of September and told that my outstanding balance was over £1000. I was obviously expecting it to be closer to £600 based on the agreed (in writing) repayments I had been making.

I'm really confused why I've stuck to my end of the arrangement, but the balance has increased, not decreased!? I've not received any useful communication from SLC or Rossendales about this account- other than chasing for payment. I have contacted Rossendales a couple of times now to try and resolve the situation but- to be frank- they don't seem to know their !!!! from their elbow and can't give me any explanation or clarification as to what is happening with my account.

Last time (beginning of Oct) I called them (from work on my mobile, just desperate to get this sorted) I was on hold for almost 15 minutes. I ended up having to hang up- had to go back to work- and the call cost me almost £8! I have emailed them on a number of occasions and received no response. Nothing. I've stopped making payments- and I've told them this- until they can satisfactorily explain where my money has gone. I think this is fair; would you continue to make payments which appear to be disappearing into a black hole?

Has anyone else had experiences with Rossendales? Can anyone offer any advice on how to resolve this as they don't seem to know what's going on and I just don't want this debt hanging over my head.

Thanks in advance!

Tixy

I wouldn't continue to make payments until they had provided you with a statement /transaction history of the account.

I also wouldn't phone them and waste more money that way.

You could write (not email) and request a transaction history, or you could send them a subject access request under the data protection act - for a copy of everything they hold in relation to the account (this costs £10).

sourcrates

I`d do as Tixy suggests, DCA`s have a habit of not keeping "customers" informed as to there debt repayment histories, and as you say, payments can disappear down a black hole, that's why I refuse to deal with DCA`s outright, I have no particular feelings, I just hate them all:rotfl:in my book there the lowest of the low, and the day they all go out of business I`ll dance on there graves, rant over, hope you sort it.:beer:

matttye

Write to them as Tixy said (recorded delivery), but make it absolutely clear that you have only stopped payments for the time being as you're not confident that your payments are being correctly applied to your debt, and you'll be paying forever at this rate.

Explain to them that payments will resume once you have received a transaction history/statement of account showing that your payments are being correctly applied to your debt, as per their written agreement with you.