Barclays partner finance - backdated default letter

char2802

Hi all,

In my quest to become debt free via stepchange most of my accounts defaulted a while ago.

Barclays partner finance hadn't defaulted and about a month ago I recieved a letter saying that they should have defaulted me in June, but as it is their mistake they are giving me 28 days to pay in full or set up a payment plan to avoid the default.

Now, I lost the letter (whoops) so I called them to set up a satisfactory payment plan (I was planning to remove it from stepchange and pay it myself). Over the phone they told me that this was not an option, and in no way shape or form would this have been given to me as an option in writing. My only choice was to pay in full, and as the debt was then down to 180 I did just pay up.

During the conversations with Barclays partner finance they were never able to find a copy of the letter on their systems, and I struggled to get a date out of them for when I needed to pay by. They upgraded me to a 'complaint' and eventually I did get a date out of them but still no copy of the letter to be found. They said they would either give me a date or request for another letter to be sent to me which would in turn give me an extra 28 days. As they came back to me with a date over the phone I thought no more of it and paid on payday (early.).

I came home yesterday to another letter from them which appears to be a re issued version of the precious, and it does say I can set up a payment plan to avoid the default!!

I am going to ring them and complain tomorrow as having to pay this amount just before Christmas and on an already tight budget did cause me stress which was clearly undue as they WOULD have accepted a payment plan! I even offered half and half over two months when I talked to them on the phone and got a firm no.

Do you think I will be likely to get compensation from them due to the stress? Their calls are all recorded so I have no worries about proving what was said on the phone.

And just to make it clear, it says in about 5 places on the letter that a suitable payment plan will avoid default.

chanz4

what stress

sourcrates

You have paid the debt off, its one less thing to worry about, best you'd get would be an apology anyway, put it down to experience and move on.

char2802

Hi Just thought I'd update on the outcome of this.

Complained and they actually refunded the £180 on christmas eve and have left the account as closed off and finalised. No default.

I have also received a letter to this effect and it's been marked as 'satisfied' on my experian report.

So pleased and glad this got resolved.