Help required with large Persistent Credit Card Debt. Have had a recent first Default.

theville32

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82020483#Comment_82020483

Thanks RAS, that is good advice! Unfortunately I have been unable to work due to a couple of injuries sustsained during the business move. These are getting better though so hopefully will I will be able to return to work very soon.

With regards to affordability claims - is there any way to check this other than trawling through the statements? Any regular cards that do this? I have a feeling Barclays did this often, as well as MBNA. Thanks!

theville32

Thanks RAS, much appreciated!

With regards to affordability claims, is my understanding below correct?

1. Any credit cards where the credit limits increased, despite only paying the minimum payment.

Would this scenario also count?

2. Any credit cards where I was paying more than the minimum payment and the credit limits increased or I was offered new Balance/Money Transfer offers? What I am pretty sure about is that my affordability score was very poor at the time due to having so much debt/such a low income. Yet I feel both MBNA and Barclays Personal Credit Cards kept offering me opportunities to increase my debt.

Thanks for all your help. Cheers

ManyWays

You can win complaints where the credit limit was never increased but was too high at the start. Amex for example.

But the key point is that the limit was increased too high. Only paying the minimum amounts was a reason for a lender to look more closely, but that more detailed look has to show that the higher limit was not affordable.

theville32

Hi everyone, thanks again for all the recent comments!

theville32

Hi, I have just received letters this week from two debt collection companies. They have purchased the debt:

1. Barclaycard (personal): Wescot
2. Barclays Business Loan: Moorcroft

I am planning on writing to both companies to explain my situation. I just wondered if the recommendation was to send physical letters to the Debt Collection companies. Or, if they provide the option to write to them through a website/via email is this OK? I assume keeping a paper trail/record of correspondence is important in case any issues arise later on.

Also, can I ask these Debt Collection companies to only contact me via post as well, as the phone calls are very stressful. I guess the good thing is that Barclays are calling less as those guys were definitely the most persistent of all the cards I had.

Thanks again for any words of wisdom you can give me.

theville32

Just further to my previous post.

I asked this previously but got 2 different answers. It would be great to some clarification on this from the group.

• Should I provide the Debt Collection companies with my monthly income/expenses (budget)?

Thanks everyone!

Grumpelstiltskin

You can't be forced to send an I & E, and if you do decide to send one you can't be forced to make it accurate, you can make one up.

sourcrates

Quote:

"Hi, I have just received letters this week from two debt collection companies. They have purchased the debt:

1. Barclaycard (personal): Wescott
2. Barclays Business Loan: Moorcroft"

Wear as Moorcroft do buy debts, Wescott most certainly do not, they only act as a collection agent, nothing more.

When dealing with these companies, you should start from the position that only a court can order you to do something, commercial companies have no rights whatsoever.

You are the one who can ask for contact in writing only, simply by quoting GDPR legislation.

You can also refuse to supply an income and expenditure form, you cannot be forced to do anything by these debt collection companies, and you cannot be penalised for exercising your rights.

You must deal with such people robustly, otherwise they can and will walk all over you.

theville32

Thanks for the recent comments and help sourcrates and Grumpelstiltskin. Always greatly appreciated!