please help ;-(

mrmaxxi

Hello..
I stupidly got a capital one credit card a while ago and missed the re-payments. Now i got a letter today from a company called debitas saying they now are responsible for my account. it ays i have to contact them within three days. My balance is £335
If i contact them are they going to demand payment there and then?
Are baliffs going to come to my house, ive not slept for 3 days worrying people are going to coe to my door, which is a house i share with friends.
I get money next tuesday and should be able to start re-payments then, but as this is more than 3 days will baliff come?
Please if anyone has been in this situation, any advice would be great
I have not been in thi situation before

fermi

Bailiffs CANNOT be involved unless you have a County Court Judgement against you.

Since it sounds very much as if they don't have a judgement, then all you need to do is make an offer of a reasonable monthly payment that you can afford.

Debt Collection Agencies make all sorts of threats, but in the end they have no real powers and most threats are idle ones.

DON'T let them intimidate you into paying more than you can genuinely afford.

mrmaxxi

im confused..but thank you very very much i thought nobody was going to reply... whats a county court judgement an how would i know if i had one?
So there wont be baliffs if i dont have one? I think its plainly just the embarrasment of being in debt :-) and how stupid i feel.
If i call tomorrow and explain my situation and ffer a payment next tuesday, can they give me a ccj and get baliffs involved becaue i cant pay anything tomorrow?
sorry if this seems like a questionaire but im really worried and confused :-( thankyou x

fermi

Getting a CCJ on a debt takes time, and we are talking about months not days. Getting bailiffs involved takes even longer, and if you didn't break the CCJ they would never happen.

So please DON'T worry about bailiffs. It's nowhere near that.

Creditors like to threaten court because just them mention of it scares people stiff! But in fact it's most likely that the court would order you to pay in instalments you can afford. And that isn't really what the creditor wants.

The creditor won't like it, but keeping making an offer of an affordable payment. There's not much else they can do apart from accept in the end.

mrmaxxi

are u married? if not i would like to marry you haha
I may actually get sleep tonight and eel like a weight has been lifted - which probably sounds stupid. im going to call them tomorrow and arrange a payment. I really cant thank you enough! x

fermi

What might be a good idea first is to contact one of the free advice services tomorrow.

Non-profit making debt advice services:

National Debtline - Tel: 0808 808 4000
The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) - Tel: 0800 138 1111

They can have a chat with you and explain what is what one-on-one and help you work out how to respond to any demands for payment.

Some of these debt collectors can be very bullying so it's best to be prepared.

fermi

mrmaxxi wrote: »

I may actually get sleep tonight and eel like a weight has been lifted - which probably sounds stupid. im going to call them tomorrow and arrange a payment. I really cant thank you enough! x

Doesn't sound stupid at all.

If you haven't had to deal with these things before, it can be very intimidating at first. That's why many people bury their "heads in the sand" hoping it will go away, but end up making things worse.

mrmaxxi

kool ok, what would i need to ay to them? If i aid im in this debt and this company is dealing with it...im prepared to make a payment on tuesday, will they just say call the company and see what they say?

stapeley

Please do not phone them . Once they get your phone number they could keep pestering you. This is a very small amount . It would cost the DCA alot more taking it to court .Firstly write and request a copy of the notice of Assignment . This will confirm they have purchased the debt or are collecting it on behalf of the OC. What this does is confirms you are paying the right people. Secondly do not agree to pay anything by debit card , some people have had amounts they did not agree to ,taken out . Ask for a paying in book .Never agree a payment you can not afford .This company may well have purchased this debt for 10p -20p in the £1. Read some of the other post for more advice . good luck

mrmaxxi

Ah ok thanks! Im worried though if i contact them by letter that this will then be longer than the 3 days they said i had to contact them by, would this have any consequences? if i paid by debit card and not direct debit would they still be able to take money without my consent? i just want the debt cleared as soon as i can! thnkyou

fermi

mrmaxxi wrote: »

kool ok, what would i need to ay to them? If i aid im in this debt and this company is dealing with it...im prepared to make a payment on tuesday, will they just say call the company and see what they say?

What they will probably do is advise you to write to the company with an offer.

National Debtline have several template letters for that purpose, and by having a chat with them they can help you work out what to do.

As stapely says, it's best to avoid phoning them if you can, because that gives them much less of a chance to try and bully you into payments you can't afford.

They will also (again as stapely says) advise you to make sure you don't pay by direct debit or card. These companies have been known to take more than you tell them to.:rolleyes: