Broadband provider final bill sent to collection agency

RedDeadEd99

Hi all,

Need some advice on how best to proceed with a outstanding balance with my previous broadband provider being sent to a collection agency.

I have several defaulted credit card balances split across 3 or 4 debt collection agencies. I’m a resident in Scotland and they are all due to become prescribed within the next 6 months.

this current bill was sent to the debt collection agency after less than week of the bill being generated!! I received a call chasing the bill (I had moved home so hadn’t received the bill through the post) but missed it. They left a voicemail and when I phoned back the next day to settle the bill, they told me it had been sold to a debt collection agency the previous week and I would now need to settle it with them…despite them chasing me the day before?!?!

This is now with EP collections (who don’t hold any of my other debts) and hasn’t (as of yet) appeared on my credit report. I’m reluctant to settle the debt with them as I’m worried it may show on my report and the other agencies will up their efforts to collect the amounts ‘owed’.

I’m ever so close to becoming debt free and don’t want anything to happen that would change things.

Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated

Brie

Is the broadband provider's bill still showing as owed on your credit report? What normally happens is that at some point that will show as zero and another creditor (EP) will appear for the same amount of money.

This, in my experience in England, normally takes a couple of months to happen as companies don't provide information daily, weekly or even monthly sometimes. You could try contacting them and asking for a settlement figure which at this point will likely be the full amount owed. If you waited a few months you might be able to settle at a small discount but things will be showing on your report by then.

Frankly I'd be wanting to launch into complaint mode if a company didn't give me more than a day or two to pay a bill before selling on the debt. Don't know how successful or how long or how annoying that would be for you.

RedDeadEd99

There is no mention of the broadband bill on my credit report - either being owed to the original provider, nor the debt collection agency.

It’s such a small amount and had every intention of paying, which is the most frustrating thing.

sourcrates

If its not showing on your report currently, then I doubt it ever will.

EP Collections used to be known as Arvato, and if this is your first contact from them, you have a while to go as they will run through their standard collection letters with you, this can take 6 months or more, so no rush to do anything yet.

Remember, debt purchasing companies work on a numbers basis, they throw the net out there and see who bites, just don`t bite yet.

Debt collectors don`t always randomly search credit files, you are a very small fish, in a very large ocean.