Capquest debt recovery letter...

Adz1000

Hi guys, been doing a bit of searching here and on google about this 'company' as my girlfriend has recieved a letter from them this morning saying she owes a sum of £282.95 from Argos which she had completely forgotten about. (It states her Argos account number too) The reason for forgetting was because she used to live with a family (worked as a nanny for a while) but it ended on bad terms so obviously the family never told her of any letters recieved that were in her name. (They even cancelled her debit card out of spite :mad:)

As soon as she read the letter she told me she got on the phone to them and they were quite rude and blunt about making her pay it all today otherwise they will be taking legal action. After reading a few threads here, it seems this is normal behaviour from this company. However, she got told to ring the manager (which she did) and he said as well it had to be all paid for in one go and apparently they want to ring back on monday now.

She has no way of paying this off at the moment in one go as she just doesn't have the money spare, and I have no idea what advice to offer as they won't even accept a direct debit even though the letter has a DD form attatched (Although I have heard now that DD is not the best idea incase something happens in the future, correct?)

If anyone can advice us on what to do, it would be greatly appreciated, she is not too happy at the moment, and worrying like mad.

Thank you in advance

Adz1000

Bump, please help

MooseNoodles

I would personally start by asking them for the original signed agreement, I have added the letter template to this post you just need to add the relevant details, if this debt compnay cannot provide the original agreement then they cannot legally chase you for the debt.




I DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY DEBT TO YOUR COMPANY.


Dear Sir/Madam

Re:− Account/Reference Number 4563210025897412

With reference to the above agreement, we would be grateful if you would send us a copy of this credit agreement.

We understand that under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (Sections 77−79), we are entitled to receive a copy of our credit agreement on request. We enclose a payment of £1.00 which represents the fee payable under the Consumer Credit Act.

We understand a copy of our credit agreement should be supplied within 12 working days.

We understand that under the Consumer Credit Act creditors are unable to enforce an agreement if they fail to comply with a request for a copy of the agreement under these sections of the Act.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully
Mr A N Other

Adz1000

Thanks for that, I will get that printed out and sent off via recorded delivery for her. I have also just been informed that she told them her banks sort code and account number :eek: Please tell me they aren't going to just take the money out without her permission? People who bully over the phone just annoy me so much :mad:

custardy

if it does go to paying it dont be bullied into making large payments.its a very small debt(in the grand scheme) and they dont want to go to court so make payment proposals that you can meet.
im dealing with a few debt companies and set low payments.i tend to pay more each week/month but if i am tight for money i can just pay the agreed amount.
i laugh as i pay weekly on one over the phone and every week they say is that you calling ot pay the debt in full

Adz1000

Thanks for that custardy, I will let her know that and not to give in to large sum settlements! What do you think about her giving over her sort code and account number? I'm sure they won't take money out of her account, will they? Would it be advised for her to ring up her bank and tell them not to accept any DD outgoings made by capquest?

fermi

CRAPquest have a reputation that is shameful even for debt collectors.:eek:

Talking to them on the phone is a bad idea, since they are often abusive and deceitful. Best to deal with them in writing only, and always by recorded delivery.

It would be worth have a good read of the National Debtline site (perhaps even calling them, since they know CRAPquest well).

The National Debtline site has lots of info on how to make fair offers of payment by instalments that you can afford, plus lots of template letters that are frequently used on this site.

The most important thing for your GF is to not be intimidated by them. They have no real teeth, and their only real weapons are scary letters and phone calls.

Beware that they also have a fondness for sending out fake solicitors letters, so if one of these should drop through her door then get back to us and we can confirm whether it is real or not.

Good luck, and reassure you GF not to worry too much.

fermi

Ooops forgot about the bank details. I don't think they can set up a DD with just those, but check back with your GF's bank to be sure.

If she wants to make a regular payment arrangement with CRAPquest then do it via 'standing order'. That means she has control over amounts not them.

Adz1000

Ah ok, makes her (and me!) feel a bit better, but I will get her to phone the bank first thing tomorrow morning. Then the letter above will be sent recorded delivery and we will take it from there.

I will also get her to look at the National Debtline website fermi, thank you so much for the help :beer:

Will update with progress

fermi

Good luck, and keep us posted.

There are links to other places that may be able to help in my signature.

Adz1000

Just thought I would update you all, recieved a letter back from capquest and they say;

'Further to recent contact with our office and your request for further information in relation to the above account, we would confirm that yor account is now on hold for 28 days whilst we obtain the information required.

If you have any proof of payments or correspondence that would assist with your query, please forward these documents, with a brief covering letter, to our collections administration department, so that we can resolve this matter as soon as possible.'

Shall we just wait now, and see what happens next, yeah? They seem to be a bit more friendly than on the telephone don't they! :rolleyes:

Thanks again for all your help above :beer: