Brighthouse - Arrears - Court to reposess?

Boppy_2

I got a PS3 with Brighthouse back in January, biggest mistake i ever made! Anyhow after googling it i have found the insurance thing a rip off, my OH took in our insurance documents for our contents to prove it will be covered and i thought the amount would go down. Unfortunately we have fallen into arrears with Brighthouse and i have been in today to inform them i can pay in full on 23rd June, they didn't want to know, i also questioned the fact that i am still paying for their stupid insurance, they told me because i am in arrears they can't remove it :mad:

So they then tell me that if i can't pay £29.11 today then it'll go to collections, i said doesn't it have to go to court first, they said no, now forgive me if i am wrong but i read this morning it does, they have to get a court order, is this true? Are they just fobbing me off?

I said i couldn't afford to pay so they then asked if i could pay £26-odd i said no i literally have £20 which is what i owe without the stupid insurance :mad: they then said if i pay £23-odd then it'll hold off the collections team, how did the money keep going down ???

So am i right in thinking they need a court order before they can reposses the goods and if i pay on the 23rd they have to accept?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. for those thinking of Brighthouse, don't bother :rotfl:

Tigert

Hi,

By going to collections, that doesn't mean that they will reposses it. It just means that it will go to a department who will try and get you to pay.

They do need to go to court to repossess, but that would be a long way off. Just keep paying them what you can afford.

What they say about the insurance just seems like an excuse. Write to them to cancel and send it recorded delivery so that you have proof that they have received it. Unless they have small print that says you have to have it, that seems wrong.

AGB863

I think you will find that with Bright House - on the small print - which is basically a hire purchase agreement - it will say that with one missed payment they can arrange to collect the item and then store it until you have caught up with the arrears and that they will charge you for the privalage of "storing it for you".

Tigert

Ah - If it's Hire Purchase then it's a different matter. Which I don't know the answer to.

Dithering_Dad

Why not sell the PS3 on ebay and use the money to pay off Brighthouse?

Tigert

Dithering_Dad wrote: »

Why not sell the PS3 on ebay and use the money to pay off Brighthouse?

If it's Hire Purchase as it's suggested above, then the Ps3 isn't yours to sell on ebay - so not a good idea - could get in a lot worse trouble!

Dinah93

My OH briefly worked for Brighthouse when we were struggling a while back, but I wouldn't trust them to operate within the strictest confines of the law. They had 2 guys at his store whose sole job was to drive around knocking on doors and demanding money or walking in (reglardless of protest) and just taking the goods. As far as I'm aware only around 10 cases went to court in the 5 months he worked there, but they certainly reclaimed a lot more items than that on a daily basis. Incidentally they don't treat their workers any better, my OH resigned after they asked him to go through a whole list of references who had ticked the 'do not want to be contacted in future or details kept on file' and cold-called them to try to sell them products. Having taken legal advice we realised he would be responsible for any ensuing issues, not the manager who made the orders. The same may be true of the repo men.

Boppy_2

Tigert wrote: »

If it's Hire Purchase as it's suggested above, then the Ps3 isn't yours to sell on ebay - so not a good idea - could get in a lot worse trouble!

I wouldn't do that anyway lol! I don't mind paying for it once they take off their stupid extras :mad: i'm sending some letters off tomorrow anyway so we'll see what the response is.

Optimist

If you have paid more than one third of your agreed total they need a court order
I would suggest a trip to your local Citizens advice, they are more than probably well aware of Brighthouse (formally Crazy Georges) working practices

Dithering_Dad

Tigert wrote: »

If it's Hire Purchase as it's suggested above, then the Ps3 isn't yours to sell on ebay - so not a good idea - could get in a lot worse trouble!

I can understand that something as expensive as a car cannot be sold if you have outstanding finance on it without the approval of the finance company, but for something as insignificant as a PS3? How would they know? It's not as though ebay ask for serial numbers of the goods you sell so that they can be cross-referenced by finance companies!

Surely as long as the sale price covers the outstanding amount of the item and you're allowed to settle the outstanding balance whenever you like, then there isn't a downside to this?

To be honest, if I had trouble paying for something on HP that was a non-necessity and I was being threatened with court action and the amount I owed was less that what I could sell it for, then I wouldnt think twice. It'd be sold, the money given to the HP company and I'd make sure that I never used them again. Simple.

Boppy_2

Dithering_Dad wrote: »

I can understand that something as expensive as a car cannot be sold if you have outstanding finance on it without the approval of the finance company, but for something as insignificant as a PS3? How would they know? It's not as though ebay ask for serial numbers of the goods you sell so that they can be cross-referenced by finance companies!

Surely as long as the sale price covers the outstanding amount of the item and you're allowed to settle the outstanding balance whenever you like, then there isn't a downside to this?

To be honest, if I had trouble paying for something on HP that was a non-necessity and I was being threatened with court action and the amount I owed was less that what I could sell it for, then I wouldnt think twice. It'd be sold, the money given to the HP company and I'd make sure that I never used them again. Simple.

I have only had trouble paying for it since i have being signed off on long term sick, i could afford it if they take off their extras which i have asked them time and time to do. They haven't threatened me with court action, i said they would have to take me to court to remove the goods first and they said they didn't have to, obviously after researching they do even if i haven't paid 1/3 (which i have anyway.) Maybe i am simple but i don't need to be called it on a public forum!