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debt collection- can anyone help? I'm confused and a little stuck.
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mluod
Posts: 6 Forumite
Hello
I am not sure if I am posting this in the correct place so please move or tell where to go if needs be!
I just received a letter from Lowell saying I owe them 2300 in debt from a Vodafone account. I had this account when I was a student but wrote to Vodafone to cancel it as I moved away after university to Asia, and agreed a payment plan with them regarding fees etc. At that time in 2009 it was agreed that I would pay off so much a month. I think I defaulted payment a month which lead to more charges plus the call rate to the customer service etc I was about £500 in debt with them. I couldn't pay it off so I asked them to hold the account. long story short I received an email one day for a credit card debt that I left default for about £2500, and I paid that off in full over about 5 months- I didn't dispute that as I was aware of it- but never told by the credit card company it had gone to debt collection. But this Vodafone bill I had no idea of and they happened to find it when I called to complete the other debt.
After reading this forum I am now realising I may have been an idiot.
I live in a Northern Ireland and lowell is an English registered company. does this matter?
I don't feel like I should be paying off this debt when Vodafone didn't contact me regarding selling it, and I had no idea it existed.
can anyone give me advice on what I should do? and did I do the right thing paying off that credit card debt in full? is lowell even legally in titled to my money if didn't know it was being sold by the credit card company??
any advice would be greatly received.
I also just noticed about the bank charges- no idea you could claim for them. Can you claim from an account you already closed? I got hit hard sometimes when I was a student it would be a lot of money there. I did write to Halifax originally when it was in the news they said they would take an injunction against me. Can I still reclaim these also?
Trying to get my life together to move onto the property ladder some day.
hopefully someone can help!
I am not sure if I am posting this in the correct place so please move or tell where to go if needs be!
I just received a letter from Lowell saying I owe them 2300 in debt from a Vodafone account. I had this account when I was a student but wrote to Vodafone to cancel it as I moved away after university to Asia, and agreed a payment plan with them regarding fees etc. At that time in 2009 it was agreed that I would pay off so much a month. I think I defaulted payment a month which lead to more charges plus the call rate to the customer service etc I was about £500 in debt with them. I couldn't pay it off so I asked them to hold the account. long story short I received an email one day for a credit card debt that I left default for about £2500, and I paid that off in full over about 5 months- I didn't dispute that as I was aware of it- but never told by the credit card company it had gone to debt collection. But this Vodafone bill I had no idea of and they happened to find it when I called to complete the other debt.
After reading this forum I am now realising I may have been an idiot.
I live in a Northern Ireland and lowell is an English registered company. does this matter?
I don't feel like I should be paying off this debt when Vodafone didn't contact me regarding selling it, and I had no idea it existed.
can anyone give me advice on what I should do? and did I do the right thing paying off that credit card debt in full? is lowell even legally in titled to my money if didn't know it was being sold by the credit card company??
any advice would be greatly received.
I also just noticed about the bank charges- no idea you could claim for them. Can you claim from an account you already closed? I got hit hard sometimes when I was a student it would be a lot of money there. I did write to Halifax originally when it was in the news they said they would take an injunction against me. Can I still reclaim these also?
Trying to get my life together to move onto the property ladder some day.
hopefully someone can help!
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Comments
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Hi, ok, well a few questions there.
As regards the CC, that's now paid off, so you can do no more there.
Lowell will of been sold your debt after a certain period of non contact with your mobile phone airtime provider.
They would of written to you, but as you say, you've been abroad, so you obviously never got the letter.
Makes no difference you been in NI, as its (controversially to some) still part of the uk.
You need to find out what this debt is made up of, to do that you need to send them a "provit" letter, there is a template available from the stickies, at the top of this forum, adapt the letter to your own circumstances.
Basically this asks them to prove the debt to you, send that, and wait and see what they get back to you with.
Bank charges you can only reclaim now if you are/were in financial difficulty, that may or may not apply to you.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter0 -
That's great! Thanks so much. I'll send that. does it matter if it's an email or postal letter?0
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That's great! Thanks so much. I'll send that. does it matter if it's an email or postal letter?
A proper lawful request is only valid by letter, so best to do it by snail mail.
In the same way, they can only lawfully ask you to pay if they write to you, texts and emails are not lawfully recognized methods of contact.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter0 -
I can not decode your post :
can you write specifically about the debt they are referring to and put some dates to when you stopped paying.
This could be VERY important before sending anything !!! you might be able to run the statute barred clock up.I do Contracts, all day every day.0 -
honestly, I have nothing. They said at the time they sent letters to my address in Asia but I never got anything. And they refused to send it via FedEx. I don't actually have any emails from them, it was all done over the phone. I did suggest at the time sending mail to an NI address but they wouldn't do that either. I remember being super frustrated that they weren't making it easy for me to pay anything back. I would have probably had last correspondence with them in 2009 or 10. but no proof of anything. I don't even have an old Vodafone bill. A family member thought they were being helpful clearing out!0
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Marktheshark wrote: »I can not decode your post :
can you write specifically about the debt they are referring to and put some dates to when you stopped paying.
This could be VERY important before sending anything !!! you might be able to run the statute barred clock up.
Good point !!
But sending the "provit" letter does not admit the debt, so will not re-start the SB clock.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter0 -
sourcrates wrote: »Good point !!
But sending the "provit" letter does not admit the debt, so will not re-start the SB clock.
No but it counts as a live fish on the hook at a very busy debt collectors, working out the SB clock is first idea and if need be stall for time.I do Contracts, all day every day.0 -
Marktheshark wrote: »No but it counts as a live fish on the hook at a very busy debt collectors, working out the SB clock is first idea and if need be stall for time.
Again, a very valid point, OP, is this the first letter you have had from Lowell about this debt ?
If so, you may be best hanging on for a while, try and sort out the date when you last made a payment, as marktheshark says, the debt could be statute barred by now.
Lowell will continue writing to you for a good few months before any further action is taken.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free wannabe, Credit file and ratings, and Bankruptcy and living with it boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.For free non-judgemental debt advice, contact either Stepchange, National Debtline, or CitizensAdviceBureaux.Link to SOA Calculator- https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php The "provit letter" is here-https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2607247/letter-when-you-know-nothing-about-about-the-debt-aka-prove-it-letter0
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