DRO and brighthouse

SammyJx

Good morning,

We ad a successful dro which has been active since 20th July 2018.
Brighthouse was excluded from this as we have a tv with them and this was deemed a necessity. Our washing machine has just broke and we are in dire need of a new one as with 2 young kids I do washing literally everyday. There is a washing machine on brighthouse which over the repayment time is less then £500. Can I take this out without it affecting dro or not?

Craig1981

You're not allowed to get credit for £500 or more without telling the lender that you have a DRO. A lender might change their mind about offering you credit, when they see a DRO registered on your credit file

you do not have to tell the OR, however please think carefully about buying new appliances on ridiculous interest levels - have you checked any charity shops/2nd hand shops around your area? Ebay?

my folks bout a 2nd hand one for "a few months" when theirs broke - 5 years on, it is still going strong

sourcrates

SammyJx wrote: »

Our washing machine has just broke and we are in dire need of a new one

Hi,


What exactly has broken on the machine ?


Is it the electronics ?


Is it not getting hot ?


Belt broken ?


Most things can be repaired or replaced on a washer very easily and quite cheaply, don`t go to flipping brighthouse.

ToxtethO'Grady

Try https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/ to see if there are any trust funds that can help you. Your water/electricity or gas company may have one as well that can give you a grant.


Or try Freecycle, see if someone is giving one away.



Most local authorities have Local Welfare Assistance Schemes that may give you an interest free loan or grant to buy a washing machine.

Pianothing

I have an interest in this thread but for different reasons. I had three items from Brighthouse. I made some payments but eventually failed to keep them up. I had the usual phone calls and a couple of letters late 2016 but then communication just stopped. I entered into a DRO last April. My 12 month moratorium period ends today. We included the three debts to Brighthouse thinking the DRO would prompt them into wanting their items back but still I heard nothing from them and neither did the Insolvency Service.

Yesterday, after nearly 2.5 years, I got two letters from them saying I must make arrangements to pay them or they will report my failure to pay to a credit reference agency. In the final paragraph they said that they know they should have issued the notice on 17th March 2017 but they couldn't and sorry about that. And as they couldn't they were forgiving me £90.50 for some fee or other. They made no mention of the goods being returned, they just want payment.

I checked the DRO and found that the two reference numbers on the letters are indeed included. Surely that means they can't chase me for the money now or tell the credit reference agency I haven't paid as essentially these debts no longer exist and they were never on my credit report in the first place!

Surely there are rules about what action they can take as they have failed to write to write to me in over two years and they didn't lodge an appeal with the Insolvency Service. What they are doing is not fair or reasonable.

I'm really very anxious about this. In the last two months my credit score has started to increase. I have stayed out of debt, I've paid everything ahead of the due date and I've worked hard to ensure that I have the fresh start that I needed starting today. This can set me back and start the whole upsetting situation again. I don't care if they want to take their items. I've had them well over two years and have been expecting that. I just don't want to end up with my credit score in ruins again because they couldn't be bothered to do things in a timely manner. It's not like they weren't told what was happening. I really am very upset by this.

Pianothing

I really hope you managed to stay away from Brighthouse. They are vultures who target those with the most limited means with their vastly inflated interest rates. Additionally, when you are in trouble and try to sort yourself out, they don't do anything unless it's in their own time frame and they ruin the fresh start the DRO gives you.
Buy second hand, get a grant, go to the laundrette. But please don't get involved with Brighthouse again. They will ruin you. Things do get better and 12 months is such a short period of time. A month ago my score improved enough that I was able to get a credit card. The interest is quite high and the credit limit low but it's more than enough to get a cheap washing machine if I need to. I make small purchases and clear the balance every month so that will improve my credit prospects further.

The DRO is there to give you a fresh start, not to load up with further debt. I know it's hard to make changes and go without sometimes but it is so worth it just so you can sleep at night.

fatbelly

The debt was dealt with by the DRO so they cannot ask you to pay this - you may wish to point out that the Insolvency Act prohibits you from paying.

As for the entry of a default on your credit file, I just posted about this on another thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/75746502#Comment_75746502

Pianothing

Just one thing. It doesn't say it's a default notice. The layout looks similar but it's actually a notice of arrears ... as if I didn't know! I think that's why I'm so worried. It says if I don't take action things will get worse. Anyway I have emailed the chap at the CAB that did my DRO application. He's on holiday but said he will get back to me next week. I'm trying not to panic. I don't have to pay them and if they want their goods back, well they can come and take them.