advice on debt collection agency

TW82

Hi, all.
Hope I'm posting this in the correct way/forum! Please forgive me if it's in the wrong place... found it quite confusing!
Here goes....
I received a letter today from 'Robinsin way' stating that I owe them money from a loan taken out years ago. To put in context, I believe the loan was taken out when I was about 20 , I'm now 36. I got into a lot of debt when I was around 18-20 and subsequently went into a DMP to clear and help.
I am no longer in a DMP and haven't been for years, I have a good credit rating and I'm a homeowner. I have not received any communication about this debt for I don't know how long , 5 years at least I'd say (probably more) . I genuinely believed this debt to have been settled. However, I can't find any communication/paperwork to back this up.
My question is , how should I respond to their letter? They suggest they will put a default on my credit report, however nothing shows about this debt on Experian or Equifax, they also say they will take me to court and CCJ. , is this possible?
My fixed term is about to come to an end with my mortgage provider, so I will be applying for a new mortgage soon, so I'm worried this will effect my being able to secure a new mortgage deal , and my mortgage payments will then sky rocket (due to ending fixed term rate) risking spiralling into debt.
I may still owe money to them, but I may not. and I certainly would contest the 4.5k they are chasing, if not the whole amount. What are my options, do I ask them to prove what I owe, knowing that my own records of this are either lost or non existent? Do I offer to pay a lump sum to get it settled? Or do I ignore?

Many thanks in advance for any advice

Willing2Learn

Hi,

If it were me, and I knew the debt was mine but had not been acknowledged for so many years, then I would send a Statute Barred letter to Robinson Way.

See the National Debtline article Time Limits for Recovering Debts. They also have a letter template on the same site.

sourcrates

Hi,

It’s a standard debt collection letter you have received, not all of its contents will apply to you.

Now you say you don’t think you owe the money, so you may want to adapt the statute barred letter to reflect this.

Something like “I do not recognise this debt as being mine, but if it were mine, it would be statute barred under sec 5 limitations act 19&0”.

Suseka97

Great advice for the OP as usual.

Sounds like another example of a debt collector, in this case Robinson Way, buying up old debts in bulk and then chancing their arm. I really wish there was some recourse other than having to send off 'prove it' or 'statute barred' letters - people really shouldn't have to do this these days and DCAs ought to get their hands well and truly slapped for this type of behaviour.

Sorry -off my soapbox now.

sourcrates

Suseka97 wrote: »

Great advice for the OP as usual.

Sounds like another example of a debt collector, in this case Robinson Way, buying up old debts in bulk and then chancing their arm. I really wish there was some recourse other than having to send off 'prove it' or 'statute barred' letters - people really shouldn't have to do this these days and DCAs ought to get their hands well and truly slapped for this type of behaviour.

Sorry -off my soapbox now.

Complain to the FCA, you won’t get an individual reply, but if enough people do so, they will look into the practice, and implement changes if they deem it necessary.