Cabot Financial - Debt Collection Company in Dublin chasing me in Northern Ireland

Huggy_Bare

Hi, hope you all are feeling positive - even though debt / money worries, really does get you down.

I've just moved back to Northern Ireland after living in Dublin for many years & I have an outstanding overdraft of nearly €2000 owed to the Permanent TSB. It was originally around €1200, but now there's penalties included etc.

That debt has now been passed onto "Cabot Financial" Debt Collection Company.

I briefly shared a house with my best-mate & his wife (they own the property) & my bank has his address details as my contact address.

Problem now is, I dont live there anymore - i've moved back to Northern Ireland, but my friend just received a letter yesterday from "Cabot Financial" seeking full payment, or to discuss options of payment.

He's very angry that i've brought debt upon his address & insists I get his address off Cabot Financial's home contact for me, asap.

My query is, if I change my address with Cabot Financial to my new Northern Irish address - will that affect my credit rating / score in the UK? i.e. does the Southern Irish debt carry to Northern Ireland / UK, if I give them my new address?

Any advice on this pressing matter i'd surely appreciate it, thanks.

glentoran99

Why did he open the letter if it was addressed to you? Should simply be put back in post box 'not known at this address'

Huggy_Bare

He & his wife thought it's in their best interests to check my mail..

Asking him to stick it back in the post with "not known at this address" wont cut it with him or her, i'm afraid.

It's a case of getting their address away from my debt problems pronto..

Huggy_Bare

I understand that this mess I found myself in, is of my own making - but feeling sorry for myself wont solve this problem.

I did a google search & came across a recent Q&A blog from Experian.uk

I kinda found the answer I was looking for with this:

"Due to the differences in data protection laws between countries we are some way off having a “global” credit score, we at Experian in the UK only hold information relating to individuals at UK addresses and so moving to or from a new country will mean starting your credit history afresh.."

But a massive part of my query is - will my new Northern Irish address carry my Southern Irish debt, if I provide "Cabot Financial" Debt Collection Company with it?

You see, "Cabot Financial" operates in the UK also (most likely a UK company), so my question is - can the Dublin branch transfer my account to it's Northern Irish branch, therefore transferring my debt to the UK via my new Northern Irish address?

sourcrates

Cabot are only debt collectors, in my view the information would remain separate, your southern Irish debt would not show on a UK credit report.

As stated above, they have to comply with data protection laws.

Huggy_Bare

Thank you very kindly for your positive view on this.

I was of the same opinion too (but still pretty stressed & wavered from doubts to assurances in the same chain of thought) - going by those few lines from the Experian credit expert. It's a consistent reply amongst scores of questions / queries in relation to credit reports in a returning country, after years of being away etc.

That Experian consumer advice blog site (cant post the link) is actually, quite surprisingly, a very helpful wee site for a credit rating / reporting company. Quite the opposite of the unhelpful bad guy image I envisaged.

"CallCredit" couldnt give a monkeys when I queried (via email) with them about my credit rating & how I can go about improving it.

Huggy_Bare

Just an update on the above issue concerned & so others, who find themselves in my position - have a resolution to refer to & put their minds at ease.

I contacted the "Experian" consumer advice blog personally, with my issues & I got a response from one of their experts (Neil), who is absolutely brilliant in helping all kinds of people with varied scenario's.

Here's his response:

"The good news is that even if the collection agency is based in the UK they would not be able to record a debt from outside of the UK on your UK credit report."

Such a relief to hear that. Now I can move forward & not have a foreign debt (which i'm going to pay off) hanging over me & putting spanners in the works for a new life i've just began.

The lesson i've learned here - apart from not letting a debt get out of hand; is to seek professional advice asap before you commit to any agreements / dealings with debt collection companies / agencies.

Once you arrive at any such discussions completely blind, panicked by indecision / uninformed - you will be totally out of your depth & that's not going to ease your mind, or help you gain any sort of control over the issue.

Thanks to "glentoran99" & "sourcrates" for your input. It made a difference to talk about it & move to resolve the anxiety these issues bring.

Thank you & have a great weekend.

Cheers,

Huggy.