Debt collector help

toolmaker99

Hi im trying to help a friend out .basically my friend has severe depression and a disability . she was on a arrangement of £20 a week to pay her water bill.she had a bereavement and the thought of getting covid  made her condition worse .during this period she missed a few payments to a water company .last week a letter turned up from debt collectors asking for vastly increased sum to be paid .she contacted water company to find out what is going on they said they had send letters to her ..my friend says no letters recieved at her property.she requested bill breakdown but water company say in hands of debt collectors. Any help of how to solve this will be appreciated .

Grumpelstiltskin

Which Water company is it?

Most have departments that would deal with people with a disability and she could register herself with the company as being disabled and vulnerable.

toolmaker99

Hi its hafren dyfyrdwy she rang then they dont want to know because in hands debt collectors

Grumpelstiltskin

This is from their website.

Help with a medical condition or disability | Help when you need it | My Account | HD Cymru

fatbelly

Also 

https://www.hdcymru.co.uk/my-account/help-when-you-need-it/help-with-paying-your-bill/here-to-help-scheme/

may apply if she is on a low income. You apply direct to the company.

If she can afford the arrangement of £20 a week then for the moment she should continue with that. The debt collector will just work through their standard letters.

Can you check that this is just a debt collector and not a High Court Enforcement Agent following a county court judgement?

£20 a week is £86.67 per calendar month and that does sound a lot to me  - even if that was a family of four.

Is she actually a single person?

toolmaker99

Hi thanks for help .i just checked with friend .it wad £20 a fortnight repyment..not weekly 
Also definately has not recieved any letters off water company before they transferred to debt company this incurred £511 charge as well ..letter was off debt collectors not ccj .

Grumpelstiltskin

She needs to find out details of exactly what the £511 extra charge is. Is she sure there hasn't been a CCJ?

It is odd that she hasn't received any letters, they will have been sent out, is her address exactly correct on her water account?

She should register as disabled and vulnerable ASAP and then she should be able to speak to someone who can explain what the situation is.

fatbelly

I agree with the others here.

That does sound suspiciously like a HCEO fee. It would relate to a debt of just over £3000

sourcrates

Disclosing the company name of the collector will usually tell us if they are acting under a warrant or not.

toolmaker99

Hi name of company is moorcroft Debt recovery

Letter states this 

We have been informed by hafren dyfrydwy that your new bill is due for payment .this increases your balance by £511.01 bringing total balance to £1344.49

fatbelly

Well they're not bailiffs.

So what right they would have to add £511.01 I can't see.

The wording sounds like that's just the new bill amount. Even so, £511.01 for a quarter sounds like something is going wrong there.