Littlewoods catalogue help friend going bankrupt and owes money on account.

oliviasmummy

Okay so I contacted my friend today as I noticed she hadn't paid her normal standing order at the end of last month for her catalogue payments. She replied saying she was really sorry but was declaring herself bankrupt due to a mortgage with her ex and owed £70,000. She said to pass her details on to Littlewoods and she would sort it all out. I have spoken to Littlewoods this evening who have said they I am responsible for the debt and would need to continue to make the payments. She owes £567 so £63 for the 9months. They said I don't have an agent account and I would need to take her to a small claims court.

None of the items ordered have been delivered to my address or been signed for by me. They have all been ordered under her name telephone number and address.

I have had a look online for information on similar situations and have found a few threads of people with same issues who have gone down the route of asking for a CCA which I don't believe littlewoods have. Would this mean I wouldn't have to pay for anything on the account or just what she has ordered? I found another thread on digital spy where the social media team from shop direct group posted saying the accounts work differently under different brands. It states that littlewoods and K&co are agency accounts where customers can order and very, additions and Isme are not. Mine is a littlewoods account that I have had for about 10years so I have no idea what's going on. Does anyone else have a clue or could advise me on what to do? Do I just cut my losses and pay it. (Our own financial situation is not great but due to recent changes in the last few months we are starting out get back on track and see a light at the end of the tunnel).

Lensman_2

If Littlewoods are correct, you need to contact her Official Receiver to add your debt to her Bankruptcy. It is unlikely you will get it all back but you will get something.

Getting a CCJ will have little benefit because you will still only get a proportion.

happy_bunny_2

Does your friends purchase show on your account then?

Was it ordered on standard terms or buy now pay later.

Did you order it to be delivered for them?

Shop direct are known for being economical with the truth as well as being a right pain to deal with (been there). They want their money and they don't really care who from.

If you don't pay, your credit file will get trashed, at least for now.

HB

patman99

Can you afford to pay the debt yourself and then let your friend pay you back at a rate she can afford until she has paid it all.

Shop Direct will encourage it's account holders to sell to their friends in return for a commission payment, but they have no system in place to help when a customer of an account holder gets into trouble.

oliviasmummy

The goods were ordered on standard terms not BNPL. They were ordered under her name, contact number and address. They were delivered to her and she signed for them. I have never even seen the items. I can afford the monthly payments and made a payment last night till I time to think about it all and decide what action to take. Trying to rebuild our credit so didn't want to go back to square one with this. We were both under the impression she owed littlewoods and not me and I'm a worried if I tell her they say I'm liable she will do nothing and pay me nothing. But I'm going to bite the bullet and contact her explaining what has been said to me and whether she would pay over a longer period.

Thank you for your replies.

Brightspark87

Hi

I've had similar problems with the shop direct group. I think you may struggle to get through to them. However, the best you can do is make sure everything is in writing. Dont forget you also have FOS if you believe they have gone against their financial principles.

patman99

Paying-off this debt will help you to rebuild your credit history anyway, so see it as a bonus.
You could always come to some arrangement with your friend to repay at say £10 per week. This is an affordable amount and will allow her to pay you off over 57 weeks rather than the 20 weeks she has the goods on.

BillJones

You've not actually made clear yet, if your friend is ordering things from Littlewoods, what is your involvement?

patman99

Either the op placed the order on behalf of her friend with the delivery set to go straight to the customer, or, the op has given her friend her account details so that the friend could order the items herself.

We need to know this info as will help us understand the problem more clearly.

harveybobbles

Glad I'm not the only one confused.

happy_bunny_2

oliviasmummy wrote: »

The goods were ordered on standard terms not BNPL. They were ordered under her name, contact number and address. They were delivered to her and she signed for them. I have never even seen the items. I can afford the monthly payments and made a payment last night till I time to think about it all and decide what action to take. Trying to rebuild our credit so didn't want to go back to square one with this. We were both under the impression she owed littlewoods and not me and I'm a worried if I tell her they say I'm liable she will do nothing and pay me nothing. But I'm going to bite the bullet and contact her explaining what has been said to me and whether she would pay over a longer period.

Thank you for your replies.

So you ordered them for her on your account?

Maybe give CAB or national debtline a call.