Settling My Debts (Part Two)

Batty_3

This is a long story, so please bear with me while I try and give all the facts:

In 1990 I purchased a car on HP. (I was in the RAF at the time and could easily afford the repayments)

My husband was unemployed and that summer I took a trip abroad with my sister for 3 weeks. Whilst away, my husband made use of my car without my knowledge and without any insurance.

On my return, I saw that my car had gone. Firstly he tried to tell me it had been stolen until he finally admitted he had driven it, smashed it up and taken it to be repaired without my consent. I contacted the garage who confirmed it was under repair so I couldn’t stop the work being done. They later contacted me with a bill for over £3000 (the car would have only cost £2500 over 3 years!). I couldn’t pay and so they kept the car and charged me £25 a day storage, for everyday it was on their forecourt. I explained that I hadn’t given permission for repairs, but they said that wasn’t their problem and to pay up or they would sell the car.

Now despite the car being on HP, it was sold to recover the garage bill. There was a shortfall and I ended up owing part of the repair bill, ALL of the cost of the car plus around £500 on ‘storage’ fees.

In 1991 I came out of the RAF and took a much lower paid job, I couldn’t afford the payments as they were more than my mortgage and so it went to county court. I came out of it quite well with an arrangement to pay £10 a month until the debt was satisfied. During a period of unemployment, they were very good and didn’t ask me to pay until I found work again. When I did I continued to pay the £10 and I pay that up to this day.

I’m possibly being made redundant this year and with the pay-off I intend to contact all my creditors. Now that this has passed into the hands of a debt collecting agency, it’s them I will be dealing with and not the Credit Agreement Agency.

As I still owe around £4000 and owe for a mortgage (see other thread) is there a figure I could offer them to ‘write off’ the debt, bearing in mind this has dragged out for 17 years?

Does £500 seem acceptable? Too little? Too much?

Any advice would be appreciated. By the way he’s an EX husband now, so don’t advise me to get rid of him………….I took care of that already!

Batty x

fatbelly

Try it!

It's their choice - £10 per month for the next 33 years or £500 and call it quits.

Follow the usual guidelines - see the factsheet on National Debtline:

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=24_full_and_final_settlement_offers

Batty_3

UPDATE:

As the Mortgage Company only wanted 10% of all the monies owed to them, I offered £400 (10%) to this lot....

I've not even had the curtesy of a reply!

So I'm tempted to cancel the direct debit, (just to flush them out and get them to acknowledge me) but keep the payments in an account that earns interest for me instead of them?

If it's the only way to get them to contact me I might have to resort to this. I've sent 2 e-mails and followed it up with a letter

*grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

GeorgeUK

If there is a CCJ on the debt, missing payments may not be a good idea. Can you contact them and ask about reducing your monthly payment? This might at least get them to contact you.

If there is no CCJ on the debt i would request a copy of the CCA, but it sounds like there probably is.

Batty_3

GeorgeUK wrote: »

If there is a CCJ on the debt, missing payments may not be a good idea. Can you contact them and ask about reducing your monthly payment? This might at least get them to contact you.

If there is no CCJ on the debt i would request a copy of the CCA, but it sounds like there probably is.

I finaly got a reply....

They told me to shove it......they would rather I made payments unitl 2041, but which time I will be 88 years old and in no posistion to even think let alone manage my debts :rotfl:

Also they want me to increase my payments to £50 a month.....

I'll only be on JSA and have 2 children, I wont even have £1 spare per month let alone the £10 I pay now!