ACI debt collectors

blackkittiez

Any advice, I have been contacted by ACI about a debt with HSBC, last contact was a good 20 years ago. I sent a statute barred letter today they replied saying that they would decrease the amount I owe from £6000ish to £1000ish, they say I have 7 days to reply from date on letter 4 of which have passed due to them sending it 2nd class post, this will put the account on hold until then. They say if I pay that is me acknowledging I can afford the payment & if I don’t pay when the hold expires they will resume communication & correspondence. I feel that they know this debt is statute barred and this offer is to just get me to pay the lower amount in fear that they will come after me again for the full amount & send their collection agency officer round. Any help will be greatly appreciated thanks

Grumpelstiltskin

Have they said when you last made a payment?

If you are positive it is statute barred just ignore them, don't contact them I doubt they will send a door knocker but if they do ignore them they are not bailiffs they have no more rights than the milkman.

ninjaef

If you owe it PAY IT

if not, ignore them and don't reply to anything. let  them ake you to court and provide your evidence  they have to prove the debt, not you.

only you know who's telling the truth. and what you do and do not need to pay...

https://nationaldebtline.org/get-information/guides/statute-barred-debts-ew/

fatbelly

It's statute barred. You've told them this

If you used our standard letter it reminds them of the FCA CONC rule that they must now cease collection activity.

This is also covered in the ND factsheet.

You can make a further complaint. Probably should do. Probably should inform the FCA about this rogue firm

But the simpler option is just to ignore them

Brie

Do everything by snail mail.  Don't ring, email or text as it only gives them an easy way to harass you.

Personally I think they are trying it on.

Rob5342

blackkittiez said:

I feel that they know this debt is statute barred and this offer is to just get me to pay the lower amount in fear that they will come after me again for the full amount & send their collection agency officer round. 

That's what it comes down to. You both know its statute barred and they are just making a desperate attempt get some money out of you. They always word these letters to try and imply the worst and scare people as much as possible. Its easy to send a letter, they will think a lot more carefully about doing anything else and if they try and het a ccj  you have a full defence. 

PixelPound

Them lowering the amount sounds like they know there is little hope in collecting.

Once a debt is statute barred, it cannot become not one by paying something, however being SB does not mean they can't still chase the debt (hence the template letter mentioned), they just can't take further action 
(CCJ etc).

Some creditors/debt collectors will sell on SB debt, and other companies may buy in volume. If the can get some to pay anything its a win (think along the lines of these spam posters who hope to get one taker out of millions, though debt collection is legal).

You do need to be 100% certain it's SB though.