I need some help and advice please

Iggy1313

Hi everyone, I hope I’m posting on the right board.

ive had a debt recovery letter from global debt recovery.

this debt is around 12-15 years old it was originally an mbna credit card to the value of 5 thousand.

10 years ago I had a brain injury and I stopped paying everything, I was in bed for 4 years and gradually improved for the last 6 years, during this 10 years I’ve had no contact with any debts I had because I was simply too unwell. 

Now I’m able to open post and read again I don’t know what to do, the letter is from global asking me to contact them and arrange payment and I have 5 days before it is escalated to “collections” which I’m scared means balifs.

the only income I have is disability benefits, which I have been on for 10 years. I’m scared to contact them in case that’s the wrong move, could anyone please advise me?

EssexHebridean

Glad to hear you're on the mend after your awful experience.

Pretty sure this is going to be statute barred and they're just blagging it to see if they can scare you into paying. Not contacting them until you get further information from the experts here is definitely the right thing to do, though! 

*edit* Just looking at some of your previous posts, did you go through with the bankruptcy in 2014? If so then that card should surely have been included in that? 

Iggy1313

Hi thanks so much for replying, I just went back to see what post that was as I have very little memory of 2014 as that was 2 years into my brain injury, the post you’re talking about was actually in 2011 when I was planning to go bankrupt and before my accident. My husband left btw after 2 years then my parents moved in with me but I’ve lived independently for the last 5 years with help xxx so no I never went ahead with a bankruptcy x

EssexHebridean

Ahh yes, spotted you'd been talking about it then too, but no, the post I was referring to was the one relating to the water arrears in 2014. I take it that any arrears of things like Council Tax that may have arisen around the time of your injury are now cleared? Those aren't as simple as CC's and loans when it comes to non-payment. 

sourcrates

Ignore their timescales and their "escalations" its all meaningless drivel.

"Collections" just refers to the collections dept. another department within the company, a bunch of folk in a call centre basically.

Bailiffs can only be used after a debt has been to court, had a CCJ awarded against you, and all other attempts at payment have failed, so please put that out of your mind.

The debt is most likely statute barred, send them the SB letter, see how they respond, that should be the end of the matter.

Iggy1313

EssexHebridean said:

Ahh yes, spotted you'd been talking about it then too, but no, the post I was referring to was the one relating to the water arrears in 2014. I take it that any arrears of things like Council Tax that may have arisen around the time of your injury are now cleared? Those aren't as simple as CC's and loans when it comes to non-payment. 

Yes I remember that, my dad sorted it and paid all the water bills and stuff he was living with me in 2014 my memory is very very hazy.

fatbelly

Iggy - the letter you want is the first one here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6027755/statute-barred-debts-and-the-limitation-act